James Garner (April 7, 1928 – July 19, 2014) was born in Denver, Oklahoma - Younger brother to actor Jack Garner (1929-2011). After working several medial jobs, James Garner joined the US Merchant Marines at age 16 near the end of World War 2 but suffered chronic seasickness. He then went to Korea for 14 months as a rifleman, where he was wounded twice. He received a Purple Heart medal for his services. After the war, Garner enrolled at Hollywood High School in Los Angeles. In 1954, a friend persuaded Garner to take a nonspeaking role in the Broadway production of The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial. After several feature film roles, including Sayonara with Marlon Brando, Garner got his big break in the Western series Maverick from 1957 to 1960. Garner went on to star in ‘The Great Escape’ (1963) before the John Frankenheimer film ‘Grand Prix’, which Duffy Photographed for the Sunday Times magazine. Garner’s career continued over 50 years in the film and television industry before his passing in July 2014.
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