Veteran television and movie star James Garner, who was hospitalized late
last week after suffering a minor stroke, is doing well and should be going home
shortly, his publicist said Tuesday.
The star of TV shows such as "Maverick" and "The Rockford Files" went to the
hospital after becoming ill at home Friday, said Jennifer Allen.
"He's still in the hospital but my understanding is he is doing well and will
be going home soon. When, exactly, we have not been told yet," Allen told The
Associated Press.
Garner, who turned 80 last month, rose to prominence in the 1950s as the star
of "Maverick," portraying a clever riverboat gambler who was quicker with a quip
than a gun and, unlike his Western counterparts, was faster still to run from
trouble than to face it. The show aired from 1957 to 1962 but Garner, who was
nominated for an Emmy as Bret Maverick, left in 1960 to pursue a film career.
He has appeared in such films as "The Children's Hour," "Victor/Victoria,"
"The Great Escape" and was nominated for an Oscar in 1985 as the small-town
pharmacist opposite Sally Field in "Murphy's Romance."
Garner returned to television full-time in the mid-1970s, playing Jim
Rockford, a modern-day private detective who, like his "Maverick" character,
also was not afraid to run instead of fight. He won an Emmy for the role in
1977.
More recently, he played Katey Sagal's father in the sitcom "8 Simple Rules
... For Dating My Teenage Daughter." Garner joined the cast in 2003 after John
Ritter, who played Sagal's husband, died during the show's second season.
