Craig Aurness Biography

Craig Aurness, full name, Craig Michael Aurness, was an American professional photographer, he was working as a National Geographic photographer. He founded the stock photography agency Westlight. Craig was widely known for being the son of Gunsmoke actor James Arness.

Craig Aurness Age at Death

Craid was 58 years of age at the time of his death on December 14, 2004. He was born in 1946.

Craig Aurness Cause of Death

Craig died on December 14, 2004 in Panorama City, California. Aurness had been getting therapy for issues with his lungs and anemia.

Aurness grew up on a ranch in Southern California as the adopted son of James Arness. In the 1970s, he worked as an apprentice with Earl Tyson, a photographer for Look magazine.

His first assignment for National Geographic was published in 1978, and he spent the next ten years traveling the world and writing seven more National Geographic pieces as well as several books.

The National Press Photographers Association honored his work for the magazine with honors for Best Photograph and Best Photo of the Year in the Magazine Pictorial Division.

Aurness launched Westlight stock picture firm with photographer Charles O’Rear, one of the first to specialize on the international market. In 1998, Westlight was sold to Corbis.

The Aurness family realized a childhood ambition of moving to the country and raising animals a few years ago. They established Aurness Alpacas, which specializes in the purchase and sale of suri alpacas.

His wife, Daphne, his two children, Holly and Brian, and his sister, Holli Morton, survived by him.

Craig Aurness Wife

Aurness had not gone public with his relationship, it was not publicly known whether he was married or in a relationship. His partner’s information will be updated as soon as the information is available.

Craig Aurness Net Worth

Craig’s net worth was estimated to be between $50 thousand and $500 thousand dollars. This included his assets, money and income. His primary source of income was his career as a photographer. Through his various sources of income, Aurness had been able to accumulate a good fortune but preferred to lead a modest lifestyle.

Craig Aurness Family

Aurness was born in 1946 to his parents James Arness and Virginia Chapman. His siblings are Rolf Aurness and Jenny Lee Aurness and his cousins are; Amanda Graves, Claudia Graves, and Kelly Graves. His grandparents are Rolf Cirkler Aurness, Ruth Aurness and his uncle is Peter Graves.

Craig Aurness Wikipedia

Born: 1946
Died: December 14, 2004
Siblings: Rolf Aurness, Jenny Lee Aurness
Parents: James Arness, Virginia Chapman
Cousins: Amanda Graves, Claudia Graves, Kelly Graves
Grandparents: Rolf Cirkler Aurness, Ruth Aurness
Uncle: Peter Graves

Craig Aurness Sister

Jenny Lee Arness Age at Death

Jenny was only 24 years of age when she passed away. She died on May 12, 1975 in Malibu, California and her date of birth was May 23, 1950 in Los Angeles, California, USA.

Jenny Lee Arness Cause of Death

James Arness’s daughter, Jenny, died on May 12, 1975 in Malibu, California due to a drug overdose, she overdosed on heroin.

Prior to her death, she was diagnosed with schizophrenia. Jenny Lee Arness, the daughter of actor James Arness, committed suicide just before her 25th birthday in 1975.

Arness was said to be struggling after her breakup with Greg Allman, and she took a deadly amount of drugs as a result.

Craig Aurness Father

James Arness, full name, James King Aurness (May 26, 1923 – June 3, 2011) was an American actor who was best known for playing Marshal Matt Dillon in the CBS television series Gunsmoke for 20 years. Arness has the distinction of portraying Dillon in five decades: on the weekly series from 1955 to 1975, then in Gunsmoke: Return to Dodge (1987) and four more made-for-television Gunsmoke features in the 1990s. Arness rose to cult status in Europe for his portrayal as Zeb Macahan in the Western series How the West Was Won. Peter Graves, the actor, was his older brother.

James Arness Net Worth

James Arness had a net worth of $27.95 million at the time of his death, he was an American actor best known for portraying Marshal Matt Dillon for 20 years in the CBS television series Gunsmoke.

How much did James Arness get paid for each episode of Gunsmoke?

In the early years of Gunsmoke, James Arness received $1,200 per episode for his role as Marshal Matt Dillon. He renegotiated his contract and began earning $20,000 per episode once the television show won accolades and became more famous. This would have cost roughly $150,000 now.

James Arness Cause of Death

Arness died of natural causes on June 3, 2011, at the age of 88, in his Brentwood home in Los Angeles. His corpse was laid to rest in the Sanctuary of Abiding Hope alcove in the Jasmine Terrace area of Forest Lawn Memorial Park’s Great Mausoleum in Glendale, California.