Today we remember actor James Garner on what would have been his 92nd birthday.
Image: James Garner / Wikimedia Commons
Garner was born James Scott Bumgarner on April 7, 1928 in Norman, Oklahoma to Weldon Warren Bumgarner and Mildred Scott Meek. The youngest of 3 sons, Garner had a difficult childhood. When he was 4, his mother died and by the time he was 7, his father had left him and his brothers to be raised by relatives. In 1950, Garner was drafted into the army and fought in the Korean War. He was wounded twice during battle and awarded two Purple Hearts.
After the war, Garner returned to the United States to pursue a career in acting. In 1957, he landed his big break as the star of the Western television series, Maverick. He would leave the series in 1960 following a legal dispute with the studio. In 1974, he made his return to television as private detective Jim Rockford in the hit series The Rockford Files. In addition to his television work, Garner also found success on the big screen in such films as The Great Escape, Victor/Victoria, and The Notebook.
Garner died on July 19, 2014 at the age of 86.
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Source: Geni.com
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