Some sad news late tonight, as it was just reported that James Garner passed away at the age of 86. A television legend who starred in two iconic series, Maverick (1957-62) and The Rockford Files (1974-80), along with a very successful film career that spanned over five decades. Some of Garner's most notable roles included movies like The Great Escape (1963), The Americanization of Emily (1964), Victor/Victoria (1982), Murphy's Romance (1985), for which he received an Oscar nomination, and The Notebook (2004). But he will always be best known and remembered for his iconic character Bret Maverick in the comedy western television series, which he starred on from 1957 to 1960, a role that he reprised in a supporting part in the 1994 film remake. Series creator Roy Huggins even reworked the premise into The Rockford Files in the 1970's, with Garner playing Jim Rockford, essentially Maverick as a modern day private investigator, and finally winning an Emmy for the role in 1977. He was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame in 1990 and received the SAG Lifetime Achievement Award in 2005.
