Actor James
Garner has passed away at the age of 86.
A veteran of
the Korean War and recipient of the Purple Heart, the Oklahoma-born James
Garner used his Golden-age-of-Hollywood good looks and distinctive voice to
help empower a career which would span over five decades on television and in
film.
In television,
Garner starred in two very successful series, starting with ABC’s Old West-set
MAVERICK (1957-1960), and later in NBC’s detective drama THE ROCKFORD FILES (1974-1980).
He was able to make the usually difficult transition from the tube to celluloid
with great success. His talent would earn him roles opposite Marlon Brando in
SAYONARA (1957), opposite Steve McQueen in THE GREAT ESCAPE (1963), and
opposite Julie Andrews in THE AMERICANIZATION OF EMILY (1964). He earned an
Oscar nomination for his work in MURPHY’S ROMANCE in 1985.
Other
notable roles include THE NOTEBOOK (2004), SPACE COWBOYS (2000), MY FELLOW
AMERICANS (1996), MAVERICK (1994), BARBARIANS AT THE GATE (1993), FIRE IN THE
SKY (1993), TANK (1984), MARLOWE (1969), and HOUR OF THE GUN (1967).
Stunt drivers would nickname the J-turn the "Rockford", inspired by an often-used move by Garner's ROCKFORD FILES character. He was
inducted into the Television Hall of Fame and the Western Performers Hall of
Fame in 1990, and received the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Lifetime Achievement
Award in 2005. When he lost the SAG Award for Best Supporting Actor to Morgan Freeman
in 2004, Freeman accepted the award by leading the audience in a sing-along of
the original MAVERICK TV theme.
As a wee-lad growing up, James Garner seemed to be the
favorite of every grandma, grandpa, aunt, uncle, and old(er) folk…and as the
years passed it was clear why. Garner had an irresistible charm which overtook
his tough-guy exterior, and he was versatile enough where he could slip into
the roles of cowboy, detective, soldier, astronaut, politician, cop,
corporate-man, father, and husband with the greatest of ease. He seemed to get
better as he got older, and earned a reputation as the rock from which every
movie he was in was built around, and that makes his career, and life…timeless.
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