Milburn Stone

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Actor Born July 5, 1904 in Burrton, Kan.

Milburn Stone will be remembered for his wry but compassionate old Doc Adams on television's "Gunsmoke," which ran for 20 years.

Stone, who as a youth turned down a congressional appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis, Md., to join a touring theatrical company, spent so many hours in character as the hard-bitten, quietly humorous Doc of Dodge City that he and the character role became virtually interchangeable in the public's mind.

And he did nothing to dispel the notion. At the height of the show's popularity, he toured the rodeo and state fair circuit in a western act, first with two other "Gunsmoke" performers.

In 1968 he received an Emmy as best supporting actor in a series.

Before going on the TV series as a member of the original cast in 1955, Stone was firmly established as a character actor with more than 150 motion pictures to his credit. His first, in 1935, was "Ladies Crave Excitement."

— Dorothy Townsend in the Los Angeles Times June 13, 1980