'Gunsmoke' Star Roger Ewing Dies at 83
The strapping blond had been one of the iconic show's final surviving regulars
January 9, 2026
Roger Ewing, who played dreamy blond Thad Greenwood on Gunsmoke, has died at 83.
Ewing died December 18, 2025, but his passing was just reported, in keeping with the consciously low profile he had kept since retiring more than 50 years ago.
Having first acted without credit in the film Ensign Pulver in 1964, he made his credited TV debut on Bewitched (1964). On that show, he was teen jock Marvin “Monster” Grogan, whose girl-reporter squeeze (Cheryl Holdridge) develops a crush on Darrin while shadowing him for her thesis.
His character’s name was a reference to 6’4” Ewing’s noteworthy size.
Ewing also guested on a handful of other ‘60s series — The Baileys of Balboa (1964), The Bing Crosby Show (1964) and Rawhide (1965) — before appearing on Gunsmoke in 1965. First coming aboard as a one-off character, he was reintroduced as Thad later that year, playing him for 51 episodes of the classic series.
I believe only Buck Taylor, 87, remains as one of Gunsmoke’s regulars. Taylor joined the series only after Ewing left, which happened when the show was briefly canceled. Taylor effectively replaced Ewing as the show’s boyish character.
After that disappointing ending, Ewing began to detach from entertainment, but did act in the films Smith! (1969) and Play It as It Lays (1972). He made his living as a pro photographer for decades.
Ewing was never married, but he was a celeb contestant on The Dating Game in 1969. Guess who the in-control female was on that episode? None other than Lindsay Wagner. ⚡️