Rockford Files’ James Garner, dead at 86

Reports are rolling in tonight that well-loved actor, from the leading television series Maverick and The Rockford Files and a star of The Great Escape has died at the age of 86.  The star, who was more famous for the incredibly popular TV shows  and a strong string of movies, was awarded two Emmy awards in his life and nominated 15 times.  TMZ have reported that the star was found dead when an ambulance arrived on Saturday night.  The cause has not been released.

Variety reports that he impressed movie industry pundits right back in 1955, in LA, where he was picked out from some bit TV parts to do a screen test, and went on to be awarded a $200 a week contract.

His first tier one role people may remember him for is as a friend of Marlon Brando in “Sayonara”.   He then went on  to a supporting role with Derby’s Rangers, but inherited the starring role from Charlton Heston when the star walked out of the film.

Garner got his big break playing the role of professional gambler Bret Maverick in the comedy Western series Maverick from 1957 to 1960.  Variety says that the story in Maverick was to alternate between the brothers played by Garner and Jack Kelly, but “Maverick” quickly became all about Garner’s character, who used his wits to get out of trouble. He worked alongside a range of significant actors in this period, including Clint Eastwood as a vicious gunfighter.

“I’m playing me,” Garner said about the role. “Bret Maverick is lazy: I’m lazy. And I like being lazy.”

His most memorable movies were “Boys’ Night Out” and “The Great Escape” but they were just a couple of many of the films he was a part of, mostly unsuccessful.  It was a long time before  he really broke through again, in 1971, in the TV Series “The Rockford Files.” The show ran from 1974-80 and he was awarded an Emmy Award in 77, and enjoyed four nominations for this role.

He was a household name who then managed to hold onto his career later in life with post 2000 movies like… “Space Cowboys,”  “Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood” and also “The Notebook,” all of whom had large audiences.

And apparently his history and the legacy of the Rockford Files wont be all lost, with Universal adapting it into a movie with rumours of Vince Vaughn as Rockford.  He was awarded the Screen Actors Guild’s Life Achievement Award in 2005.