For years, he occupied the edges of Dodge City — not loud, not flashy, but always present.
In a show built on gunfights and larger-than-life heroes, his strength was subtlety. Now, long after the cameras stopped rolling, fans are only just learning that one of Gunsmoke’s most familiar faces quietly slipped away.
Roger Ewing, best known for portraying Deputy Marshal Thad Greenwood on the long-running CBS western, died on December 18 at his home in Morro Bay, California.
He was 83. His death, confirmed by family and later reported by The Hollywood Reporter, passed without the fanfare that often accompanies television legends — a fittingly understated exit for an actor who built his career on quiet reliability.
When Ewing joined Gunsmoke in 1965, the series was already a television institution. Standing 6-foot-4 with a calm, reserved presence, he first appeared in a one-off role before returning as Thad Greenwood, a young lawman searching for justice after his sheriff father’s sudden death. What began as a short storyline evolved into a lasting role when Marshal Matt Dillon invited Thad to stay on as a deputy.
At just 23 years old, Ewing became part of the show’s emotional backbone. Thad wasn’t the fastest draw or the sharpest wit — he was the one who showed up, listened, and stayed loyal. With no family of his own, the character found belonging among Matt Dillon, Kitty Russell, Doc Adams, and Festus Hagen, reinforcing Gunsmoke’s enduring theme of chosen family.
Ewing appeared in roughly 50 episodes during a period when the show was recalibrating amid shifting ratings. Once Gunsmoke regained its footing, his role gradually faded, and by 1967 Thad Greenwood was written out. Buck Taylor’s Newly O’Brien would later take his place, remaining until the series ended in 1975.
Born Roger Lawrence Ewing in Los Angeles on January 12, 1942, he had been a devoted Gunsmoke fan long before joining the cast.
As a teenager, he even played a parody version of Chester in a school sketch — never imagining he’d one day wear a badge on the real set. After a brief stint in college and work as a lifeguard, he pursued acting full-time.
His early career included appearances on Bewitched, Rawhide, The Bing Crosby Show, and The Baileys of Balboa, as well as roles in films like Ensign Pulver and Frank Sinatra’s war drama None But the Brave. Ewing often joked that his height led to being cast as awkward young men — a type that ultimately helped him stand out.
Though his film career never fully took off, he came close. Director John Schlesinger reportedly considered him for the lead in Midnight Cowboy before casting Jon Voight. Around the same time, Ewing appeared on The Dating Game, where he narrowly missed being chosen by future Bionic Woman star Lindsay Wagner.
By the early 1970s, Ewing stepped away from acting altogether. He reinvented himself as a photographer, traveling widely through Europe, Russia, Mexico, and the South Pacific. Later in life, he became active in civic affairs and even ran for a city council seat in Morro Bay in 2003.
Conclusion
Roger Ewing never chased stardom — and perhaps that’s why his work endures. To generations of Gunsmoke fans, he will always be Thad Greenwood: the dependable deputy who didn’t need center stage to matter.
In an industry known for loud entrances and dramatic exits, Ewing’s legacy rests in something rarer — the quiet assurance of a character who made Dodge City feel like home.