Screen Legend James Garner Dead at Age 86

Actor James Garner, known for his roles in "The Notebook" and "Victor Victoria' as for his television roles in "Maverick" and "The Rockford Files" has passed away at the age of 86.

While mostly known for his lighthearted roles, James Garner was a man of many talents. I bawled the first time I saw "The Notebook." If there ever were an actor capable of perfectly capturing the heartbreak of their love slipping from life, it would be James Garner. He played the elderly role of Noah so well that I felt pulled into the movie. Life around me faded away and all that mattered in that moment was the love between two souls on the screen. I felt his happiness and I felt his pain. But most of all, I felt his love.

According to ABC News, Garner was found dead in his home Saturday night, but there was no word on a more specific cause of death.

Garner's career spanned more than five decades in television and movies. He was most noted for his roles as Bret Maverick in the 1950s series, "Maverick," and Jim Rockford in the 1970s detective drama, "The Rockford Files." Garner stared in more than fifty films, including "The Great Escape," "The Americanization of Emily," "Victor Victoria," "Murphy's Romance," and "The Notebook."

In 2002, Garner played Sandra Bullock's father in the movie "Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood." The following year, he joined the cast of "8 Simple Rules ... For Dating My Teenage Daughter," playing the grandfather after star John Ritter, who played the father, died during the show's second season.

Garner was married to Lois Clarke, whom he met in in 1956. They married 14 days later on August 17, 1956. Garner had one daughter with Lois named Greta "Gigi" Garner and was the stepfather to Clarke's daughter Kim from a previous relationship.