Roger Ewing, best known for his role as Deputy Marshal Thad Greenwood in “Gunsmoke,” has died.
He was 83.
The actor’s loved ones have been announced in a obituary that Ewing died on December 18, 2025 in Morro Bay, California. No cause of death was given.
“Roger was a kind and decent man who never let his fame or position in life go to his head,” Ewing’s close friend, Mark Ashworth, wrote in a message after the sad news. “He’s definitely in heaven, because if anyone was meant to be there, it’s him.”
Linda Brady, another close friend of Ewing, remembered the late actor as a “good and gentle man” whose life and acting career “touched so many people in different ways.”
“Roger brought many of his own characteristics to the role of Thad Greenwood in the epic Western ‘Gunsmoke,’” she wrote. “Shy, quiet, funny and endearingly optimistic, Roger, as Thad Greenwood, will live forever young in ‘Gunsmoke’ reruns around the world.”
Born on January 12, 1942 in Los Angeles, California, Ewing began acting when he starred in a satirical adaptation of “Gunsmoke” in high school.
“I looked [the show] every Saturday night,” he later said of the CBS classic, which also stars James Arness as Matt Dillon and Ken Curtis as Festus.
Ewing’s film debut, however, did not come until a few years later, when he played an uncredited role in the 1964 film “Ensign Pulver,” according to The Hollywood Reporter.
After several guest appearances on classic shows like “Bewitched,” “The Bing Crosby Show” and “Rawhide,” Ewing joined “Gunsmoke” in 1965 as Ben Lukens.
Later that same year, he returned to the show as handyman and Deputy Marshal Thad Greenwood following the departure of Burt Reynolds as Quint Asper.
Ewing joined as Thad Greenwood during the third episode of season 11, and he stuck around for 50 episodes until leaving the beloved series in 1967.
“With Thad’s family gone, Matt, Kitty, Doc and Festus basically adopted him,” the actor once said of his role, according to THR. “Anything that needed to be done, you know, an extra hand here and an extra hand there, Thad was always around. He stepped in when needed.”
After leaving ‘Gunsmoke’, Ewing appeared in other shows such as ‘The Mothers-In-Law’ in 1967 and ‘Death Valley Days’ in 1970.
His last film roles, meanwhile, were the Glenn Ford film “Smith!” in 1969 and the Anthony Perkins-led film “Play It As It Lays” in 1972.
Ewing eventually quit acting to pursue photography, which allowed him to travel throughout Europe, Russia and Mexico.
He later became active in local politics around Morro Bay and even ran for a city council seat there in 2003.
“We were all very proud of his success in the acting world,” Ewing’s friend Patrick Hall wrote after the actor’s death. “He will truly be missed by everyone.”
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