by Robbie Jones
James Garner, star of TV hits Maverick and The Rockford Files, has died at the age of 86.
Garner was born in Oklahoma with his two brothers. Following the death of his mother, his father remarried, to a woman whom he would grow to hate, and after a particularly heated fight, she left for good. After leaving home, Garner joined the United States Marine Merchant towards the end of World War 2. In his lifetime, he was also a part of the National Guard
James Garner, star of TV hits Maverick and The Rockford Files, has died at the age of 86.
Garner was born in Oklahoma with his two brothers. Following the death of his mother, his father remarried, to a woman whom he would grow to hate, and after a particularly heated fight, she left for good. After leaving home, Garner joined the United States Marine Merchant towards the end of World War 2. In his lifetime, he was also a part of the National Guard
Going on to pursue an acting career, he was made popular by the film Sayonara, in which he starred alongside Marlon Brando. However, he got his big break playing professional gambler Bret Maverick in the comedy western series Maverick from 1957 to 1960. Garner quit the show after its third season due to a dispute with Warner Bros. When Charlton Heston turned down the lead role in Darby’s Rangers, Garner was chosen for it, leading to him being cast as the lead in several Warner Bros. movies.
His film career peaked in the 1960s, starring in classics such as Children’s Night Out, The Thrill of it All, and The Great Escape. But in the 1970s, the idea came to transform Maverick into modern crime detective series, and Garner would play the lead role Jim Rockford in The Rockford Files. The show made him popular on television once again, and he won an Emmy award for his performance. However, he had to quit the show due to the physical toll it was taking on his body.
His film career peaked in the 1960s, starring in classics such as Children’s Night Out, The Thrill of it All, and The Great Escape. But in the 1970s, the idea came to transform Maverick into modern crime detective series, and Garner would play the lead role Jim Rockford in The Rockford Files. The show made him popular on television once again, and he won an Emmy award for his performance. However, he had to quit the show due to the physical toll it was taking on his body.
In the 1980s, Garner returned for the revival of Maverick, but the show was cancelled after one season. He continued to make movies, and earned his sole Oscar nomination to date for his starring role in Murphy’s Romance opposite Sally Field. During the 90s, Garner had several TV roles, including reprising his role as Jim Rockford in The Rockford Files made-for-TV movies, and also starred as Marshal Zane Cooper in the film version of Maverick, which featured Mel Gibson as Garner’s once famous character.
Since 2000, Garner has been known for films such as Space Cowboys, Atlantis: The Lost Empire, and The Notebook (In which he played the elderly version of Ryan Gosling’s character). His last role was in 2010’s Superman/Shazam: The Return of Black Adam, in which he voiced the comic book hero Shazam.
Garner’s cause of death has been reported as natural causes. He was a great talent and will be very missed.
Since 2000, Garner has been known for films such as Space Cowboys, Atlantis: The Lost Empire, and The Notebook (In which he played the elderly version of Ryan Gosling’s character). His last role was in 2010’s Superman/Shazam: The Return of Black Adam, in which he voiced the comic book hero Shazam.
Garner’s cause of death has been reported as natural causes. He was a great talent and will be very missed.
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