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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.
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."
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