James Garner, Beloved Star Of ‘The Rockford Files’ And ‘Maverick,’ Dies In His Home At 86

James Garner, the star of stage, screen, and television, has passed away at age 86. Garner, who first found success playing Brett Maverick in the ABC western Maverick from 1957 to 1960, had a long and storied career that spanned almost 60 years. Garner had roles in many westerns in the 50s and 60s, and even reprised the role of Brett Maverick for NBC in 1981, and again in the theatrical film, Maverick, starring Mel Gibson as Brett’s son, which was released in 1994.

In 1974, Garner took on the role of Jim Rockford in NBC’s The Rockford Files, and the character would net him four Emmy nominations in the show’s six seasons with one win in 1977. Garner’s Jim Rockford was a constantly down-on-his-luck private who worked with his father to solve cases and butt heads with the LAPD in and around Los Angeles. The Rockford Files was listed as the number 39 in TV Guide’s 50 Greatest TV Shows Of All Time.

According to Biography.com, James Scott Bumgarner was born in Norman, Oklahoma, and left high school as a teenager to move to Los Angeles to serve in the merchant marines. He returned to Oklahoma to finish school and was then drafted to serve in the Korean War in 1951. He was discharged a year later with a Purple Heart. Bumgarner would shorten his name to Garner, and found a love of acting on stage until he was discovered during a stint on Broadway and offered bit film roles in the westerns of the early 1950s. It was these roles that led to James Garner landing the lead in Maverick.

Garner worked in film in the 1980s starring in Victor/Victoria opposite Julie Andrews, and Murphy’s Romance opposite Sally Field. Garner continued working throughout the last twenty years in film and TV, playing John Ritter’s dad in ABC’s 8 Rules For Dating My Teenage Daughter, joining the cast as a regular after the untimely death of Ritter.

One of James Garner’s last roles was in 2004’s The Notebook, where he played the older version of Ryan Gosling’s character. The performance won Garner a Screen Actor’s Guild nomination for Best Supporting Actor. Garner’s portrayal was powerful, and reminded audiences that Garner was a legendary talent and a true national treasure. Garner would win the Screen Actor’s Guild Lifetime Achievement Award in 2005. In 2011, Garner wrote a book called The Garner Files, which chronicled his storied career.

As of this writing, the cause of death has not been disclosed. James Garner is survived by his wife, Lois Clarke, who he married in 1956.