Like many popular leading men of Hollywood’s heyday, Garner boasted all-American good looks and a winning personality that carried him through comedy and drama alike. Garner won two Emmys and racked up a total of 15 nominations. He had his greatest impact in television, first on “Maverick” in the ’50s and then in the ’70s on “The Rockford Files,” for which he won an Emmy in 1977 Variety

“What you saw is what you got,” childhood friend, Roy Hamilton

Garner was born James Bumgarner but changed his name for Hollywood. His relatives say the name was the only thing that changed.

“As much as people liked what they saw of him on television and in the movies, I think they’d like him even better if they would’ve known him in person,” said nephew, Terry Bumgarner. Norman Transcript

"James Garner was Jim Rockford." Jerry Pippin

A rebroadcast from 2014