James Garner Biography: Love, Illness, and Hollywood Respect

James Garner’s Hollywood marriage lasted because he wasn’t playing a role at home. The actor, who charmed TV audiences in Maverick and The Rockford Files, met Lois Clarke in 1956 and married her after just two weeks of dating, a partnership that weathered two separations and a spotlight that could have cracked a lesser couple.

Born: April 7, 1928 · Died: July 19, 2014 · TV Series: Maverick, The Rockford Files · Academy Award Nominations: 1 (Murphy’s Romance) · Military Service: Korean War veteran

Here is a quick snapshot of James Garner’s life and career:

What did John Wayne say about James Garner?

The rumor of a Garner–Wayne feud has persisted for decades, but the surviving evidence points the other way. In 1971, Wayne told a reporter that Garner was “one of the best actors” he had worked with, a sentiment echoed by Far Out Magazine, a film and pop-culture journal. Wayne did not say “the best” — he said one of the best, a distinction that says more about Wayne’s own male-icon status than any on-set friction.

“James Garner is a damn good actor and a fine person.”

The real friction, according to NPR, the US public radio network, may have been the contrast between Wayne’s on-screen slowness and Garner’s everyman energy. Garner played vulnerability with a wink, while Wayne played certainty with a squint. Audiences loved both, but they were fundamentally different kinds of heroes — which is why a fair question about their “clash” is really a question about Hollywood’s changing ideal of manhood.

The implication: The narrative of a feud tells us more about our own expectations of male rivalry than it does about the actual men involved.

Who was the love of James Garner’s life?

Garner met Lois Clarke in the fall of 1956, proposed within 14 days, and married her on August 17 of that year. In a typical Hollywood romance, that would be a headline waiting for a scandal. Instead, Garner told reporters that the marriage was “not a movie” — it was a quiet daily choice. The couple separated twice, according to Biography.com the biography reference, but they never filed for divorce.

Garner’s own words, captured by IMDb, the movie database, explain the courtship: “We went to dinner every night for 14 nights. I spent $77 on our honeymoon, and it about broke me.” The guy who could deliver a scripted one-liner with perfect timing also understood that the best love stories are the ones you don’t dramatize.

“Marriage is like the army, everyone complains, but you’d be surprised at the large number of people who re-enlist.”

The pattern: Garner treated marriage with the same understated consistency he brought to his best roles.

Did James Garner have any children?

Yes — one biological daughter, Greta “Gigi” Garner, born in 1958, and one stepdaughter, Kimberly, from Lois’s previous marriage. The Closer Weekly profile notes that he also raised Kimberly as his own, and the extended Garner family later included the actress Rebecca Fleming, though that connection is not directly relevant here.

Garner often joked that his real daughter Gigi inherited his stubbornness. The man who played fathers on screen genuinely enjoyed the role off screen.

Was James Garner a nice person in real life?

The NPR obituary, published in 2014, called Garner “a different kind of hero” — not because he was flawless, but because his characters carried failure well. Unlike the invincible cowboys of John Wayne’s generation, Garner’s Jim Rockford in The Rockford Files took punches, got sloppy, and still solved the case. He was the anti-James Bond, a PI who lived in a trailer and wasn’t ashamed of it.

Garner’s professionalism also earned him vocal fans inside the industry. His co-star in Murphy’s Romance, Sally Field, later said he was “a dream to work with” — a quote preserved in his IMDb quotes page. That combination of on-screen warmth and off-screen decency turned him into the rare TV actor who crossed over to film without ever losing the audience’s trust.

“He was a dream to work with.”

The takeaway: His reputation as a genuinely kind person wasn’t a publicity stunt; it was a consistent choice documented by those who worked closely with him.

What illness did James Garner have?

The most surprising medical fact about Garner is rooted in anxiety. In a 2006 interview with The Telegraph, a British paper, Garner revealed that he had delayed a quadruple heart bypass for years because he had been a “gym rat” in his youth and didn’t trust the surgical techniques at the time.

More striking? He told the paper that he had collected his own blood before the surgery, storing it so he could avoid a potential blood transfusion. The habit reflected both a stubborn streak and a theatrical amount of hypochondria — something the actor himself acknowledged freely.

“I’m a hypochondriac. I used to go to the doctor for every little thing. Now I know better, but it took a lot of pain to get me here.”

The consequence: Garner’s openness about his health struggles humanized him in a way that his carefully managed public image never could.

What did Clint Eastwood say about James Garner?

Late in his career, Garner appeared in Clint Eastwood’s space adventure Space Cowboys (2000). Eastwood, who directed the film and starred alongside Garner, later expressed deep respect for his co-star’s career and character. In interviews following Garner’s death, Eastwood paid tribute to his professionalism and warmth.

Their collaboration was a meeting of two generations of Western and action stars, each recognizing the other’s unique contribution to the genre. Eastwood emphasized that he considered Garner “a wonderful actor and a great friend.”

“James Garner was a wonderful actor and a great friend. I enjoyed every minute I spent working with him.”

The contrast between the two actors’ styles—Eastwood’s steely reserve and Garner’s everyman charm—only highlights the range of the classic American male archetype.

Related reading: Farrah Fawcett: Life, Love, Cancer Battle, and Estate

Frequently Asked Questions

James Garner carved a unique space in Hollywood by being himself. He earned the respect of icons like John Wayne and Clint Eastwood, maintained a rare long-term marriage, and faced his health struggles with a disarming honesty that made him beloved by audiences and peers alike. His legacy proves the power of quiet consistency over loud performance.