Police: Movie, TV legend James Garner dies

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LOS ANGELES (AP) — Actor James Garner, whose whimsical
style in the 1950s TV Western "Maverick" led to a stellar career in TV
and films such as "The Rockford Files" and his Oscar-nominated "Murphy’s
Romance," has died, police said. He was 86.
He was found dead of
natural causes at his home in the Brentwood area of Los Angeles Saturday
evening, Los Angeles police officer Alonzo Iniquez said early Sunday.
Police
responded to a call around 8 p.m. PDT and confirmed Garner’s identity
from family members, Iniquez told The Associated Press.
There was
no immediate word on a more specific cause of death. Garner had suffered
a stroke in May 2008, just weeks after his 80th birthday.
Although
he was adept at drama and action, Garner was best known for his
low-key, wisecracking style, especially with his hit TV series,
"Maverick" and "The Rockford Files."
His quick-witted avoidance of
conflict provided a refreshingly new take on the American hero,
contrasting with the steely heroics of John Wayne and the fast trigger
of Clint Eastwood.
Well into his 70s, the handsome Oklahoman
remained active in both TV and film. In 2002, he was Sandra Bullock’s
father in the film "Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood." The
following year, he joined the cast of "8 Simple Rules … For Dating My
Teenage Daughter," playing the grandfather on the sitcom after star John
Ritter, who played the father, died during the show’s second season.
When he received the Screen Actors Guild’s lifetime achievement award in 2005, he quipped, "I’m not
at all sure how I got here."
But
in his 2011 memoir, "The Garner Files," he provided some amusing and
enlightening clues, including his penchant for bluntly expressed
opinions and a practice for decking people who said something nasty to
his face — including an obnoxious fan and an abusive stepmother. They
all deserved it, Garner declared in his book.
It was in 1957 when
the ABC network, desperate to compete on ratings-rich Sunday night,
scheduled "Maverick" against CBS’s powerhouse "The Ed Sullivan Show" and
NBC’s "The Steve Allen Show." ”Maverick" soon outpolled them both.
At
a time when the networks were crowded with hard-eyed, traditional
Western heroes, Bret Maverick provided a fresh breath of air. With his
sardonic tone and his eagerness to talk his way out of a squabble rather
than pull out his six-shooter, the con-artist Westerner seemed to scoff
at the genre’s values.
After a couple of years, Garner felt the
series was losing its creative edge, and he found a legal loophole to
escape his contract in 1960.
His first film after "Maverick"
established him as a movie actor. It was "The Children’s Hour," William
Wyler’s remake of Lillian Hellman’s lesbian drama that co-starred Audrey
Hepburn and Shirley MacLaine.
He followed in a successful comedy
with Kim Novak, "Boys Night Out," and then fully established his
box-office appeal with the 1963 blockbuster war drama "The Great Escape"
and two smash comedies with Doris Day — "The Thrill of It All" and
"Move Over Darling."
Throughout his long film career, Garner
demonstrated his versatility in comedies ("The Art of Love," ”A Man
Could Get Killed," ”Skin Game"), suspense ("36 Hours," ”They Only Kill
Their Masters," ”Marlowe"), Westerns ("Duel at Diablo," ”Hour of the
Gun," ”Support Your Local Gunfighter").
In the 1980s and 1990s, when most stars his age were considered over the hill, Garner’s career remained
strong.
He
played a supporting role as a marshal in the 1994 "Maverick," a
big-screen return to the TV series with Mel Gibson in Garner’s old title
role. His only Oscar nomination came for the 1985 "Murphy’s Romance," a
comedy about a small-town love relationship in which he co-starred with
Sally Field.
His favorite film, though, was the cynical 1964 war drama "The Americanization of Emily," which
co-starred Julie Andrews.
Unlike
most film stars, Garner made repeated returns to television. "Nichols"
(1971-72) and "Bret Maverick" (1981-82) were short-lived, but "The
Rockford Files" (1974-80) proved a solid hit, bringing him an Emmy.
Among
his notable TV movies: "Barbarians at the Gate" (as tycoon F. Ross
Johnson), "Breathing Lessons," ”The Promise," ”My Name Is Bill W.,"
”The Streets of Laredo" and "One Special Night."
He said he
learned about acting while playing a non-speaking role as a Navy juror
in the 1954 Broadway hit play "The Caine Mutiny Court Martial," starring
Henry Fonda and Lloyd Nolan.
"I had no lines, and I had trouble staying awake," Garner recalled.
After
"Caine Mutiny," Garner found work in Hollywood as a bit player in the
"Cheyenne" TV series. Warner Bros. gave him a screen test and signed him
to a seven-year contract starting at $200 a week.
The studio cast
him in supporting roles in three minor films, followed by the important
break as Marlon Brando’s sidekick in "Sayonara." When Charlton Heston
declined a war movie, "Darby’s Rangers," because of a money dispute,
Garner assumed the role.
"Maverick," which co-starred Jack Kelly as brother Bart Maverick, made its debut on Sept. 22,
1957.
Garner
was born James Scott Bumgarner (some references say Baumgarner) in
Norman, Okla. His mother died when he was 5, and friends and relatives
cared for him and his two brothers for a time while his father was to
California.
In 1957, Garner married TV actress Lois Clarke, and
the union prevailed despite some stormy patches. She had a daughter
Kimberly from a previous marriage, and the Garners had another daughter,
Gretta Scott. In the late 1990s, the Garners built a 12,000-square-foot
house on a 400-acre ranch north of Santa Barbara.
"My wife and I
felt … we’d just watch the sunset from the front porch," Garner said
in 2000. "But then the phone started ringing with all these wonderful
offers, and we decided, ‘Heck, let’s stay in the business for a while.’"
___
The late AP writer Bob Thomas contributed to this report.
Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights
reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or
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