My fondness for actor James Garner began as he was one of Doris Day's leading men. He was handsome, charming, and debonair - a great opposite for Doris. On screen, they shined bright. Off screen, I know they were great friends. In the two films they made, Move Over Darling and The Thrill of it All, (both made in 1963) they portrayed husband and wife. Together, they were a fantastic romantic and comedy duo!
James Garner was the epitome of "cool"
as Jim Rockford in the Rockford Files
and Bret Maverick in the Maverick western series.
Both were before my time, but thanks to re-runs and DVD
,
,
James amazing work lives on forever!
James Garner was born on April 7, 1928. His mother passed away when he was only 5, and he was sent to live with relatives until his father re-married. His step-mother was abusive to all three boys, especially Jim. He joined the United States Merchant Marine near the end of World War II, at the age of 16. However, he suffered from seasickness and returned to high school at 17. According to Wikipedia: he left high school again and joined the National Guard, serving seven months in the United States. He then went to Korea for 14 months in the Regular Army, serving in the 5th Regimental Combat Team in the Korean War. He was wounded twice, first in the face and hand from shrapnel fire from a mortar round, and second on April 23, 1951, from friendly fire from U.S. fighter jets as he dove headfirst into a foxhole. He received two purple hearts.
James Garner married Lois Fleishman Clarke in 1956. Lois had a daughter from a previous marriage, Kim, and they had a daughter, Greta "GiGi", together. They were married almost 58 years when James passed away on Sunday, July 19, 2014.
Many of us now, will look back and cherish a favorite memory, TV Show, or Movie... we remember James Garner from. You can see his full list of his film credits at imdb. Please share your memory or favorite movie of James Garner below, in the comments...
Our thoughts and prayers go out to all of James Garner's dear family and friends.
