James Garner - Biography

				James Garner Biography   Name : James Garner Date of birth : 7 April 1928 Place of birth : Norman, Oklahoma, USA Birth name : James Scott Baumgardner Height : 6' 3
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James Garner Detailed Biography

The son of an Oklahoma carpet layer, Garner dropped out of high school at 16 to join the merchant marine. He worked in a variety of jobs and received the purple heart when he was wounded during the Korean War. He had his first chance to act when a friend got him a non speaking role in the Broadway stage play "The Caine Mutiny Court Martial (1954)". Part of his work was to read lines to the lead actors and he began to learn the craft of acting. This play lead to small television roles, television commercials and a contract with Warner Brothers. Director David Butler saw something in him and gave him all the attention he needed when he appeared in The Girl He Left Behind (1956). After co-starring in a handful of films during 1956-57, Warner Brothers gave Garner a co-starring role in the television series "Maverick" (1957). Originally cast as an alternating series between Bart Maverick (Jack Kelly) and Brett Maverick (Garner), the show quickly turned into the Brett Maverick Show. As Maverick, Garner was cool, good-natured, likeable and always ready to use his wits to get him in or out of trouble. Highly successful, Garner continued in the Western into 1960 when he left the series in a dispute over money. In the early 60s, his persona transferred over to films which were mostly the same type of character he had played on "Maverick". His successful films included The Thrill of It All (1963), Move Over, Darling (1963), The Great Escape (1963) and The Americanization of Emily (1964). After that, his career wandered and when he appeared in the automobile racing movie Grand Prix (1966), he got the bug to race professionally. Soon, this ambition turned to supporting a racing team, not unlike what Paul Newman would do in later years. Garner finally found success with his role in a Western comedy Support Your Local Sheriff! (1969). He tried to repeat his success with the film Support Your Local Gunfighter (1971), but that film was not as funny. After 11 years, Garner returned to television in a role not unlike that in Support Your Local Sheriff! (1969). The show was "Nichols" (1971) and he played the Sheriff who would try to solve all problems with his wits and without gun play. When the show was cancelled, Garner took the news by having Nichols shot dead, never to return in a sequel. In 1974, Garner became the classic television private eye in "The Rockford Files" (1974). This became his second major television hit, with Noah Beery Jr. and Stuart Margolin. In 1977, he won an Emmy for Best Actor in his portrayal of Rockford. But injuries and the realization that "creative bookkeeping" would not give him any of the profits soon soured him and the show ended in 1980. In the 80s, Garner appeared in few movies, but the ones that he did appear in were darker than the likeable Garner of old. His films included Tank (1984) and Murphy's Romance (1985). For the latter, he was nominated for both the Academy Award and a Golden Globe. Returning to the Western mode, he co-starred with the young Bruce Willis in Sunset (1988), a mythical story of Wyatt Earp, Tom Mix and 20s Hollywood. In the 90s, Garner gained great reviews for his role in the television movie about corporate greed Barbarians at the Gate (1993) (TV). After that, he appeared in the Hollywood remake of his old television series Maverick (1994), where he played opposite Mel Gibson. Most of his appearances after that were in numerous TV movies based upon "The Rockford Files" (1974).