Bruce Boxleitner is paying homage to the show that helped “pave the way” for his Hollywood career: How The West Was Won, a miniseries that began airing 50 years ago, on Jan. 19, 1976.
The miniseries followed the Macahan family, who traveled from Virginia to the frontier as the Civil War loomed. The show starred James Arness as Zebulon “Zeb” Macahan and Boxleitner as Luke “Seth” Macahan.
In a post shared to Instagram, 75-year-old Boxleitner wrote: “50 years ago today, the pilot (‘The Macahans’) for the mini-series ‘How the West Was Won’ aired. The role of Seth/Luke Macahan helped pave the way for my career in Hollywood.”
“It was a dream come true for a young man entering the Western genre, working with so many seasoned performers who appeared on the show over the next 3 seasons,” he added. “I truly appreciate the experience that led to friendship and collaboration with the late, great James Arness.”
Prior to the miniseries, Arness played U.S. Marshal Matt Dillon for all 20 seasons of Gunsmoke, becoming the face of the series. Arness — who was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in February 1960 — died on June 3, 2011, at the age of 88.
As he explained to The National Examiner in a 2025 interview, it was Arness who hand-picked Boxleitner to appear in How the West Was Won.
“I’d been in one of the very last episodes of Gunsmoke and then James hand-picked me for How the West Was Won and gave me my career,” he told the outlet.
Boxleitner went on to star in the television series Scarecrow and Mrs. King alongside Kate Jackson, and in Babylon 5 (as John Sheridan in seasons 2–5).
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