James Garner (born James Scott Bumgarner on April 7, 1928) is an American film and television actor. He starred in several television series that spanned a career of five decades, including his roles as Bret Maverick in the popular 1950s western-comedy series, Pete Aaron in the classic "Grand Prix", Maverick, Jim Rockford in the popular 1970s crime drama, The Rockford Files and the father of Katey Sagal's character on 8 Simple Rules following the death of John Ritter. He made dozens of movies, including the classics The Great Escape (1963) and Paddy Chayefsky's The Americanization of Emily (1964).
Toward the end of April 2006, Garner returned to his hometown of Norman, Oklahoma for a short visit. While there, the city unveiled a ten foot bronze cast statue of him as Bret Maverick placed in a downtown square, named a street after him, and dubbed part of the downtown Main Street area the James Garner Corridor. The Norman Public School System also awarded Garner with an honorary High School diploma.
