James Garner (born James Scott Bumgarner; April 7, 1928 – July 19, 2014) was an American movie and television actor. He acted in several television series in a career of more than fifty years, including his roles as "Bret Maverick" in the popular 1950s western-comedy series, "Maverick" and "Jim Rockford" in the popular 1970s detective drama, "The Rockford Files". He also acted in many movies, including "The Great Escape" (1963) and Paddy Chayefsky's "The Americanization of Emily" (1964).