Actor James Garner, best known for playing a detective in crime series ‘Rockford Files’ has passed away at his home. He was 86. The ‘Maverick’ star is survived by his wife Lois, 56,. The cause of death is not certain yet. The actor had a severe stroke in 2008 and was rarely seen in public since then. Garner, who worked for more than 50 years in Hollywood, also acted in films including ‘Victor Victoria’ (1982), ‘Murphy’s Romance’ (1985), for which he received his lone Oscar nomination and ‘Space Cowboys’ (2000).
He acted in TV show ‘Rockford Files’ from 1974-80 before knee and back injuries, due to stunts, forced him to quit. “I couldn’t take that many beatings any more,” he once said, adding, “Every hiatus, I had a knee operation for five straight years, and sometimes for both knees.” Garner was nominated for the Emmy for best actor in the drama series for five consecutive years, winning in 1977. ‘Rockford Files’, produced by Roy Huggins and writer Stephen J Cannell, earned three best drama nominations from 1978-80 and took the trophy in 1978.
The Oklahoma-born actor’s guy-next-door demeanour also made him popular in TV commercials. Teamed with Mariette Hartley as a bantering couple, Garner appeared in a series of Polaroid spots in the 1980s. At the time, people would walk into a store and ask for a ‘James Garner camera’. His pairing with Hartley was so endearing that people used to regularly ask him, ‘How’s your wife?’ meaning Hartley. The late star in an interview had said, he did not want to be an actor and it happened haphazardly to him but Garner went on to become one of the most popular faces on TV and films.
Actor James Garner Dies
