James Garner

“I think people like to see a little larceny in their heroes.”

“I was a Depression kid, growing up in Oklahoma.”

“There are younger directors, and anybody over 30 is ancient to them, because they're not that old.”

“It wasn't until I'd turned 50 and had been in the business 25 years that I realized I might actually have a career as an actor.”

“When people see me in something and say, 'That's just you - that's not acting,' it's the best compliment I can get.”

“The characters I've played, especially Bret Maverick and Jim Rockford, almost never use a gun, and they always try to use their wits instead of their fists.”

“I saw my wife at a pool, flipped over her, and 14 days later we were married.”

“I never wanted to be an actor. I got stuck in it and kind of liked what I was doing.”

“Too many actors have run for office. There's one difference between me and them: I know I'm not qualified.”

“An hour series is a killer. It's hard on you physically.”

“People who don't know me think I'm easy-going, but I'm a pessimist by nature and an old curmudgeon.”

“When I started working, I didn't have a clue what I was doing, in that I was just wandering around, hoping that I could succeed. Then after I got a little under my belt, it took me about 25 years to feel like I knew what I was doing.”

“Yeah, I don't have a whole lot of problems.”

“I've had to work hard at that easy-going manner you see on screen.”

“My goal has always been longevity. Not fame and fortune, just get a job and keep it.”

“Everybody wants blockbusters. I like to see a few pictures now and then that have to do with people and have relationships, and that's what I want to do films about. I don't want to see these sci-fi movies, and I don't want to do one of those. I don't understand it.”