Remembering Milburn Stone, Doc from ‘Gunsmoke’

Milburn Stone became a regular fixture on television with the Western TV drama Gunsmoke, on which he played Doc Adams in all 20 seasons and 605 episodes, nearly matching costar James Arness’ longevity on the show. But Stone was no overnight success: He’d been paying his dues in Hollywood for decades by the time he started playing the good doctor.

Stone was born on July 5, 1904, in Burrton, Kansas, according to USA Today. After splitting his childhood between Burrton and the Kansas community of Frizell and losing his father at a young age, Stone turned down a Congressional appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy to pursue an acting career, and his vaudeville-star cousin Fred got him a part in the Broadway play The Jayhawkers in 1934. Stone also appeared in the Broadway show Around the Corner two years later.