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Milburn Stone believed that what set him apart from other actors was self-respect
We're asking Doc Adams to write us a prescription for self-love.
If there’s one thing Milburn Stone managed to learn after so many years as an actor, it’s how to keep tough. The actor held an impressive resume of both film and television roles that viewers everywhere recognize him for.
However, perhaps no role is so important as that of Doc Adams in the hit series, Gunsmoke. Stone starred in the Western for over a decade, and while he was on the series, he learned to enjoy a certain level of success that came with being a television star.
But during an interview with The Daily Times, Stone acknowledged that his career hadn’t always been a consistent stream of victories.
“I’ve learned to persevere, and I’ve tried to teach others what I’ve learned,” said Stone. “Just because they’ve knocked me down once, they haven’t stopped me. They’ve only detained me now and then. Nobody could have ever made it so tough for me that I’d really want to quit.”
To become the best in his craft, the Gunsmoke actor never let himself get too comfortable. He never rested too long and took every acting opportunity as a learning experience.
“Art Names told me once, ‘Acting is not the most noble profession in the world, but it can be very gratifying if you never let anybody catch you at it.’ That calls for subtlety on stage and honesty in living.”
Moreover, Stone also learned the importance of a quality like self-respect. The actor was always happy to play a new character, but never happier than when he was being himself.
“I’d learned my trade well along the way,” said Stone. “I’d become a damn good actor - better than some of those pipsqueak casting directors would ever realize...I think I’ve been able to do what a lot of actors have never learned: I take off my makeup and my wardrobe and there I am, Milburn Stone, just me again, naked as a jaybird.”
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