James Garner is an American film, television and voice actor, producer, director and musician. He became famous in the fifties of the last century due to the main role in the serial series "Maverick". He also played a central role in the popular series Rockford Files. Nominee for the prestigious Academy Award in the Best Actor category. In total, during his career he took part in one hundred feature films and television projects.
Childhood and youth
James Garner was born on April 7, 1928 in Norman, Oklahoma. Real name is James Scott Bumgarner. At the age of five, the future actor lost his mother and, together with his brother and sister, was forced to move to relatives.
After the children again began to live with their father, who married several times. James Garner later said in an interview that one of his stepmothers brutally punished him, it even came to physical abuse.
In high school, Garner successfully played football and basketball, and also showed promise as a professional golfer. However, James dropped out of school shortly before graduation.
Military service
At the age of sixteen, James Garner joined the US Merchant Navy, but soon began to suffer from chronic seasickness and was forced to leave this job. Also, the future actor did not work long as a model, but later admitted that he hated this work.
Soon, James Garner enlisted in the US National Guard in California. He spent the first seven months of service at home, but was later sent to the Korean War, where he served a little over a year.
During this time, James received two injuries - from the shrapnel of an exploding enemy bomb and from friendly fire by US aircraft. After the first wound, he was awarded the significant Purple Heart award, after the second case he was also to receive a medal, but in fact he received it 32 years after the incident, already being a Hollywood star.
The beginning of an acting career
After the end of the service, James Garner decided to start an acting career. His first work in the industry was a small role without words in one of the Broadway productions, where he watched the famous actor Henry Fonda every evening.
Garner later began appearing in commercials and small roles in television series. He changed his name after one of the studios indicated it in the credits without his permission.
Success on television
In 1957, the actor received the most significant role in his creative biography. James Garner got the opportunity to play the main character of the comedy western "Maverick", who talked about a professional gambler in the days of the Wild West.
Initially, “Maverick” was supposed to have one main character, but soon the channel added another central character to the project, Brett’s brother Maverick Bart, performed by Jack Kelly. The series quickly became a hit and made Garner a recognizable actor. In total, the project lasted five seasons; 124 episodes were released. However, the actor himself took part in only three seasons, as he left the series due to disagreements with the studio. The creators of the series tried to introduce new main characters into the plot, but without much success.
On the big screen
Almost immediately after leaving Maverick, James Garner got the main role in the military film “The Darby Rangers” instead of Charlton Heston who unexpectedly left the project . The success of the film strengthened the confidence of the studio in Garner as a big-screen star, and soon he began to receive the main roles in major full-length projects more often.
In subsequent years, James Garner’s filmography included such dramatic films as the military drama Raise the Periscope, the romantic drama Cash McCall, the sports film Grand Prix, the 36-hour thriller, and the neo-noir Marlow.
Most of all, at this stage of the actor’s career, the adventure film “The Great Escape” stands out, where his screen partners were stars such as Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson and Donald Pleasant. The film showed itself at the box office and was later recognized as a cult classic.
Later roles
In the seventies, the actor’s popularity faded a little. He appeared in several feature films and television films, but focused mainly on the new multi-part project, where he reunited with Roy Huggins, creator of the Maverick series.
The Rockford Files detective drama focused on private detective Jim Rockford, a Korean War veteran and former prisoner. The series was a hit and brought the prestigious Emmy Television Award to James Garner. The actor appeared in all episodes of the project, however, due to chronic knee problems, he could not continue shooting, the project was closed by the channel, despite excellent ratings.
At the same time, several attempts were made to revive the series "Maverick". The Young Maverick project, where James Garner appeared only in the pilot episode, was closed after showing only a few episodes. Continuation of “Maverick” with Garner in the lead role was also closed after showing two seasons.
In 1982, the actor played the main role in the musical comedy "Victor / Victoria", and two years later appeared in the tragicomedy "Love Murphy", for which he was nominated for an Oscar in the category "Best Actor".
Last years
In the early nineties, James Garner played in several television films and series that were closed due to not too high ratings.
In 1994, he played one of the main roles in the remake of "Maverick", where Hollywood stars Mel Gibson and Jodie Foster also appeared. Two years later, he played a major role in the mini-series Lone Dove, for which he was awarded the Golden Globe Award.
In 2000, the actor played a major role in the space drama of Clint Eastwood, where, in addition to Eastwood himself, Tommy Lee Jones and Donald Sutherland became his screen partners. The last notable role of the actor is the melodrama "Diary of memory."
In recent years, Garner has been actively working in voice acting, giving his voice to the characters of several cartoons and animated series and taking part in advertising campaigns of famous brands.
Personal life and hobbies
In 1956, the actor met Lois Clark at one of the parties organized by the US Democratic Party. The wedding took place just 14 days after the couple met.
Garner adopted a seven-year-old daughter, Lois, named Kim. Later, the second daughter Greta was born to the couple. The personal life of James Garner became the subject of close attention of the media in the seventies, when the couple broke up twice, for the first time just a few months, after a few years. However, after 1981, the couple remained together.
During filming in the series "Rockford Files", the actor underwent several operations on his knees, due to which the production of the project was stopped. In 2000, Garner went through a complex operation, doctors replaced both of his knees. In 1988, he also underwent heart surgery, however, contrary to the advice of doctors, he did not quit smoking almost until his death. In 2008, the actor suffered a stroke and after that stopped appearing on the screen. Died July 20, 2014 from a heart attack.
James Garner was fond of golf. He was also a fan of the Ryders football team, often visited games and was familiar with the players. In the late sixties he became interested in car racing, owned a professional team, and also participated in several races as a driver.
Throughout his life, Garner took an active part in the life of his native city, supported the University of Oklahoma, attended the games of the football team and even donated about a million dollars to the acting department, which is today named after him - James Garner Chair in the School of Drama. In the city of Norman, they even installed a three-meter statue of the actor in the image of Brett Maverick.