Garner, James (1928-2014), was an American actor known for his amiable personality and droll sense of humor, even in action roles. Garner first gained fame in television in the 1950’s and became a major motion-picture star in the 1960’s.
Garner was born on April 7, 1928, in Norman, Oklahoma. His real name was James Scott Bumgarner. Garner studied acting at the Berghof School in New York City and also briefly attended the University of Oklahoma. He made his motion-picture debut in Toward the Unknown (1956) but achieved his first fame as the star of two popular television series. From 1957 to 1960, Garner starred in the Western “Maverick.” From 1974 to 1980, he played a private detective in “The Rockford Files.”
Garner’s major films include The Great Escape (1963), The Thrill of It All (1963), The Americanization of Emily (1964), Support Your Local Sheriff (1969), The Skin Game (1971), Victor/Victoria (1982), Murphy’s Romance (1985), Maverick (1994), My Fellow Americans (1997), Space Cowboys (2000), and The Notebook (2004). He also starred in several movies made for television, including the HBO cable TV movie Barbarians at the Gate (1993). Garner died on July 19, 2014.
