What was Peter Graves real name?

Peter Graves

Why did Peter Graves and James Arness have different last names?

Graves was preceded in stardom by his older brother James Arness, who played Marshal Matt Dillon on TV’s Gunsmoke. Born Peter Aurness, Graves adopted his grandfather’s last name to avoid confusion with his older brother, who had dropped the “u” from the family name.

What race was Arness?

James Arness was born in Minneapolis. His parents were businessman Rolf Cirkler Aurness and journalist Ruth Duesler. His father’s ancestry was Norwegian; his mother’s was German. The family name had been Aursnes, but when Rolf’s father, Peter Aursnes, emigrated from Norway in 1887, he changed it to Aurness.