James Garner
American film and television actor (1928–2014)
- Born April 7, 1928
- 7 movies
James Garner (7 April 1928 to 19 July 2014) was an American actor and producer, born James Scott Bumgarner in Norman, Oklahoma. A Korean War veteran with two Purple Hearts, he became a television star as the gambler Bret Maverick on Maverick and later defined the 1970s private eye as Jim Rockford on The Rockford Files. He also led more than 50 theatrical films, from The Great Escape to Victor/Victoria, and earned an Academy Award nomination for Murphy's Romance. Across his career he won three Golden Globes and two Primetime Emmys, specializing in the reluctant, wisecracking hero who would rather talk than fight.
James Garner appears in 7 films in The Rerun, from 1957 to 2004. Most of that work is in drama, romance and adventure. Frequent collaborators in The Rerun: James Coburn (2).
Known for
- Maverick (1957), Bret Maverick. Made him a television star as a gambler, from 1957 to 1962.
- The Rockford Files (1974), Jim Rockford. He starred as the private investigator from 1974 to 1980.
- The Great Escape (1963).
- Victor/Victoria (1982).
- Murphy’s Romance (1985). Earned him an Academy Award nomination for best actor.
Career
Garner studied Henry Fonda from a non-speaking role in the Broadway Caine Mutiny Court-Martial before producer Roy Huggins cast him in Maverick in 1957, a Western that undercut the genre’s heroics with comedy. Film stardom followed: The Great Escape, The Americanization of Emily, Grand Prix and the genial spoof Support Your Local Sheriff!
The 1970s brought his signature part, the underpaid, much-beaten Jim Rockford of The Rockford Files (1974 to 1980). He revisited his first hit in Bret Maverick (1981 to 1982), co-starred with Julie Andrews in Victor/Victoria, and was nominated for the Best Actor Oscar for Murphy’s Romance opposite Sally Field.
Where to start
- The Rockford Files (1974 to 1980): the essential Garner, a detective whose main weapon is his patience.
- Maverick (1957 to 1962): early episodes show the dry, sly charm fully formed.
- The Great Escape (1963): the scrounger Hendley in the ensemble prison-camp classic.
- The Americanization of Emily (1964): a sardonic anti-war comedy written by Paddy Chayefsky.
- Murphy’s Romance (1985): the Oscar-nominated late-career romance.
Movies
Quick answers
- What movies and TV shows has James Garner been in?
- James Garner appears in The Notebook (2004), Maverick (1994), Victor/Victoria (1982), Grand Prix (1966), The Great Escape (1963), The Children’s Hour (1961) and Sayonara (1957) on The Remote.
- When was James Garner born?
- James Garner was born on 7 April 1928.
Before you go