Claim: James Garner played the role of Bret Maverick.

James Garner -LRB- born James Scott Bumgarner ; April 7 , 1928 -- July 19 , 2014 -RRB- 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 comedy series Maverick and Jim Rockford in The Rockford Files , and played leading roles in more than 50 theatrical films , including The Great Escape -LRB- 1963 -RRB- with Steve McQueen , Paddy Chayefsky 's The Americanization of Emily -LRB- 1964 -RRB- , Grand Prix -LRB- 1966 -RRB- , Blake Edwards ' Victor/Victoria -LRB- 1982 -RRB- , Murphy 's Romance -LRB- 1985 -RRB- , for which he received an Academy Award nomination , Space Cowboys -LRB- 2000 -RRB- with Clint Eastwood , and The Notebook -LRB- 2004 -RRB- .