8 Marvelous Facts About ‘Maverick’ Star James Garner

If James Garner were still alive, he’d be closing in on centenarian status: The actor was born James Scott Bumgarner on April 7, 1928. After a series of odd jobs — telephone installer, oil field worker, chauffeur, dishwasher, janitor, lifeguard, grocery clerk, salesperson, gas station attendant, and carpet layer — Garner found his calling and got into showbiz. His leading-man good looks and charm earned him starring roles in the 1950s Western TV series Maverick and the 1970s detective series The Rockford Files, among many other screen credits.

Garner died in 2014 at age 86, but not before endearing himself to a new generation of fans as the older version of Ryan Gosling’s character in the 2004 romance film The Notebook, a performance that earned him a SAG Award nomination. But those are just the headlines from Garner’s career — read on for more things you didn’t know about one of TV’s favorite heroes.