Actor Ken Curtis is best known for portraying Festus Haggen on Gunsmoke from 1959 to 1975. He also made a mark as a member of director John Ford’s troupe, appearing in “The Horse Soldiers,” “The Quiet Man,” and “Rio Grande.” Of course, it helped to have connections; he was Ford’s son-in-law. He even sang in some of the movies.
In fact, he got his show-biz start as a vocalist. He was in the Sons of the Pioneers for several years. And he replaced Frank Sinatra with Tommy Dorsey’s big band in 1941.