James Garner

Garner is not to be confused with the Hempstead, New York mayor of the same name. In 1989 he was knighted. He most recently starred as Duke in Nick Cassavetes's The Notebook. In 1978, he married Mercia Tinker, and this final marriage lasted until his death. Originally intended to be a one-shot guest role, he stayed for the season. His next wife was Elizabeth, former wife of actor Richard Harris, but they soon divorced. On the death of John Ritter, Garner joined the cast of 8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter, as Grandpa Hennessy. Kay Kendall died in 1959, and in 1962 Harrison married actress Rachel Roberts, whom he divorced in 1971.

In 1994, Garner co-starred with Mel Gibson and Jodie Foster, in the movie version of his original Maverick role. He also starred in 1967's Doctor Dolittle. In 1986, he received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor for Murphy's Romance. Harrison was best known for his portrayal of Professor Henry Higgins in the musical My Fair Lady, based on the George Bernard Shaw play Pygmalion, especially after he reprised the role in the 1964 film version. In the 1970s he returned to television in another popular role, that of a private investigator in The Rockford Files, for which he received an Emmy for Best Actor. It was rumoured that he tried for a reconciliation with Lilli, but changed his mind when he discovered that Kendall was terminally ill. In the 1960s he starred in such films as The Thrill of It All, Move Over, Darling, Boys' Night Out, The Great Escape, The Americanization of Emily, Grand Prix (which gave him a car racing bug) and Support Your Local Sheriff!. Harrison and Palmer divorced in 1957, and he was soon remarried to actress Kay Kendall.

In 2004, Garner became one of the first three honorees in the World Poker Tour Walk of Fame for this portrayal. The scandal of his affair with young actress Carole Landis, which led to her suicide, almost derailed his career. He became a favorite of American fans for this role. He followed that with his first major American film, starring as King Mongkut in Anna and the King of Siam. But Garner's popularity eventually made him the sole star of the series. After several years in film, he achieved wide success starring in the adaptation of Noel Coward's Blithe Spirit (1945). His first film role was in The Girl He Left Behind, but in the late 1950s he starred in a popular Western series, Maverick, rotating the starring role of Brett Maverick with Jack Kelly and Roger Moore. In 1942 he divorced his first wife, Marjorie Thomas, and married actress Lilli Palmer the next year; the two later appeared in numerous plays and films.

He moved on to television commercials, and then to television roles. He acted in the West End of London when he was young, appearing in the Terrence Rattigan play French Without Tears, which proved to be his breakthrough role. In 1954 Garner had a non-speaking role in the Broadway production of The Caine Mutiny Court Martial. He acted in various stage productions until May 11 of the year in which he died. He received a Purple Heart in the Korean War. He first appeared on the stage in 1924 in Liverpool. At 16, he joined the Merchant Marine. He died in New York City of pancreatic cancer.

Born James Scott Bumgarner in Norman, Oklahoma, he has found fame in both movies and television. He was born in Huyton, Lancashire, England. James Garner (born April 7, 1928) is an American actor. Sir Reginald Carey Harrison (March 5, 1908–June 2, 1990) was a British theater and film actor. Won Best Actor for My Fair Lady (1964). Nominated as Best Actor for Cleopatra (1963).