Stunt double Ben Bates, best known for his work substituting for Gunsmoke star James Arness for more than 25 years, died Oct. 4 in Sun City, California, according to his family. He was 84. Bates’s long career included doubling spots for the television series How the West Was Won (for which he was also a stunt coordinator), McClain’s Law, Bosom Buddies, The Fall Guy and Matt Houston.