James Garner James Garner James Garner (born James Scott Bumgarner; April 7, 1928 – July 19, 2014) was an American actor, producer, and voice artist. He starred in several television series over more than five decades, including such popular roles as Bret Maverick in the 1950s western series "Maverick" and Jim Rockford in "The Rockford Files", and played leading roles in more than 50 theatrical films, including "The Great Escape" (1963) with Steve McQueen, Paddy Chayefsky's "The Americanization of Emily" (1964), "Grand Prix" (1966), Blake Edwards' "Victor/Victoria" (1982), "Murphy's Romance" (1985), for which he received an Academy Award nomination, "Space Cowboys" (2000)
The Great Escape (film) tunnels. In 2014, the 70th anniversary of the escape, the RAF staged a commemoration of the escape attempt, with 50 serving personnel carrying a photograph of one of the men shot. In 2019, the RAF are planning another event for the 75th anniversary of the escape. There will be a screening of the film The Great Escape at London's Eventim Apollo Hammersmith hosted by Dan Snow. The film has resulted in the story and the memory of the fifty executed airmen remaining widely known, if in a distorted form. A fictional, made-for-television sequel, "", was released in 1988, with different