Actor James Garner Dead At 86

Published on July 21, 2014.
Mark Mainz/Getty Images

(LOS ANGELES) — James Garner, the actor who helped re-define the western and detective genres on television, died Saturday at his California home. He was 86.

Garner first gained fame in the late 1950s on the TV comedy series Maverick. At a time when traditional Westerns were a staple of primetime TV fare, Garner’s wisecracking Bret Maverick — a gambler who’d rather run than fight but who could outdraw most gunfighters — was a tremendous hit, and made Garner a star.

Garner left Maverick after three seasons and built a film career, starring in both comedies and dramas, including the classic 1963 war drama The Great Escape and two hit romantic comedies opposite Doris Day.

In 1974, Garner returned to television in the comedy-drama The Rockford Files. Garner’s take on Jim Rockford, a Los Angeles detective who lived with his father in a run-down mobile home and drove a Pontiac Firebird, was an even bigger hit than Maverick, airing for six seasons and earning Garner a best actor Emmy in 1977. Like Maverick did with Westerns, The Rockford Files in many ways redefined the TV private detective show, and paved the way for similar hits, such as Magnum P.I.

Garner continued to switch between TV and film in his later years, and was nominated for an Oscar in 1985 for starring opposite Sally Field in the romantic comedy Murphy’s Romance.

His later films included 1994’s Maverick, with Mel Gibson playing the title role and Garner starring as his father.

Garner also appeared in 2000’s Space Cowboys opposite Clint Eastwood, 2004’s The Notebook, and had a role on the TV sitcom 8 Simple Rules.

Garner’s autobiography, The Garner Files: A Memoir, was published in 2011. In 2005, Garner received the Screen Actors Guild Lifetime Achievement Award.
ABC News | ABC Sports News

Follow @ABCNewsRadio

Copyright 2014 ABC News Radio

Also Check Out: The 10 Most Shocking Deaths Of The Past 5 Years!

Soap Opera Spoilers For Friday, December 16, 2022

soap opera spoilers

Soap Opera Spoilers For Friday, December 16, 2022

Soap Opera Spoilers For Thursday, December 15, 2022

soap opera spoilers

Soap Opera Spoilers For Thursday, December 15, 2022

Soap Opera Spoilers For Wednesday, December 14, 2022

soap opera spoilers

Soap Opera Spoilers For Wednesday, December 14, 2022

Soap Opera Spoilers For Tuesday, December 13, 2022

soap opera spoilers

Soap Opera Spoilers For Tuesday, December 13, 2022

Soap Opera Spoilers For Monday, December 12, 2022

soap opera spoilers

Soap Opera Spoilers For Monday, December 12, 2022

Bold And The Beautiful Spoilers For The Week (December 12, 2022)

Bold and the Beautiful

Bold And The Beautiful Spoilers For The Week (December 12, 2022)

DOOL’s Raven Bowens And Robert Scott Wilson Defend “Awkward” Threesome 

Days of Our Lives

DOOL’s Raven Bowens And Robert Scott Wilson Defend “Awkward” Threesome 

Young And The Restless Spoilers For The Week (December 12, 2022)

The Young and the Restless

Young And The Restless Spoilers For The Week (December 12, 2022)

General Hospital Spoilers For The Week (December 12, 2022)

General Hospital

General Hospital Spoilers For The Week (December 12, 2022)

Days Of Our Lives Spoilers For The Week (December 12, 2022)

Days of Our Lives

Days Of Our Lives Spoilers For The Week (December 12, 2022)

X
- Click Here to Close Menu -