# Jack Garner
**Jack Garner** was the professional name of **Jack Edward Garner** (born Jack Edward Bumgarner; September 19, 1926 – September 13, 2011), an American character actor, singer, professional baseball player, and golf pro, best known as the older brother of actor [James Garner](https://www.edgepedia.org/james-garner) and for small parts in more than 60 episodes of his brother's series *The Rockford Files*.[1](https://www.televisionacademy.com/features/news/news/jack-garner-older-brother-james-garner-longtime-actor) • [2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0307715/) The name is also borne by a [Rochester, New York](https://www.edgepedia.org/rochester-new-york), film critic of the same name, described below.
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Birth name and date | Jack Edward Bumgarner, September 19, 1926, Norman, Oklahoma[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0307715/) |
| Death | September 13, 2011, Rancho Mirage, California, age 84, from complications of a broken hip, per IMDb and his Norman Transcript obituary; the Television Academy's notice gives September 13, 2012, at age 85[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0307715/) • [3](https://obituaries.normantranscript.com/obituary/jack-garner-745013052) • [1](https://www.televisionacademy.com/features/news/news/jack-garner-older-brother-james-garner-longtime-actor) |
| Careers before acting | Minor-league pitcher in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization; singer in the house band at the Coconut Grove in Los Angeles; longtime golf pro, most recently at the Oakmont Country Club[1](https://www.televisionacademy.com/features/news/news/jack-garner-older-brother-james-garner-longtime-actor) • [3](https://obituaries.normantranscript.com/obituary/jack-garner-745013052) |
| Signature roles | Various small parts on *The Rockford Files*; Jack the Bartender on *Bret Maverick* (1981–82); Captain McEnroe in the *Rockford Files* television movies of the 1990s[1](https://www.televisionacademy.com/features/news/news/jack-garner-older-brother-james-garner-longtime-actor) • [4](https://www.fandango.com/people/jack-garner-234358/biography) |
| Feature films | *Wild Rovers* (1971), *Sunset* (1988), *Maverick* (1994, uncredited), *My Fellow Americans* (1996)[1](https://www.televisionacademy.com/features/news/news/jack-garner-older-brother-james-garner-longtime-actor) • [2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0307715/) |
| Family | One of three brothers, Charles, Jack, and James; he and James adopted the surname Garner on moving to Los Angeles; survived by his wife Betty and a daughter, Liz[5](https://www.famousbirthdays.com/people/jack-garner.html) • [3](https://obituaries.normantranscript.com/obituary/jack-garner-745013052) |
## Early life
Jack Edward Bumgarner was born in Norman, Oklahoma, one of three boys. After their mother died, the brothers were shuttled among relatives while their father remarried several times; Jack and his younger brother Jim eventually moved to Los Angeles to join him.[1](https://www.televisionacademy.com/features/news/news/jack-garner-older-brother-james-garner-longtime-actor) At Norman High School he led championship-winning basketball and football teams, and his brother James later wrote in his memoir that Jack was a point guard on a championship basketball team and quarterbacked an all-state football team.[5](https://www.famousbirthdays.com/people/jack-garner.html)Before acting, he pitched for more than a decade in the [Pittsburgh Pirates](https://www.edgepedia.org/pittsburgh-pirates) organization, sang in the house band at the [Coconut Grove](https://www.edgepedia.org/coconut-grove) in Los Angeles, and later worked as a golf pro, most recently at the [Oakmont Country Club](https://www.edgepedia.org/oakmont-country-club).[1](https://www.televisionacademy.com/features/news/news/jack-garner-older-brother-james-garner-longtime-actor) • [3](https://obituaries.normantranscript.com/obituary/jack-garner-745013052) • [5](https://www.famousbirthdays.com/people/jack-garner.html) He and James changed the family surname from Bumgarner to Garner when they moved to Los Angeles to pursue screen acting.[5](https://www.famousbirthdays.com/people/jack-garner.html)
## Acting career
**Television.** Garner began taking small television roles in the late 1960s, with guest appearances on series including *The Green Hornet*, *The Doris Day Show*, *[Daniel Boone](https://www.edgepedia.org/daniel-boone-1964-tv-series)*, *Love, American Style*, *Medical Center*, *Gunsmoke*, and *The Bionic Woman*.[1](https://www.televisionacademy.com/features/news/news/jack-garner-older-brother-james-garner-longtime-actor) On *Medical Center* he played various physicians between 1969 and 1972, and in the early 1970s he guest-starred in his brother's Western series *Nichols*.[4](https://www.fandango.com/people/jack-garner-234358/biography)
His most frequent screen association was with James Garner's detective series *The Rockford Files*. The Television Academy's notice states that he appeared opposite his brother in more than 60 episodes, playing a variety of small parts; IMDb's episode listing records 24 episodes between 1974 and 1979.[1](https://www.televisionacademy.com/features/news/news/jack-garner-older-brother-james-garner-longtime-actor) • [2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0307715/) One recurring character was Police Captain McEnroe, whom he reprised in several of the *Rockford Files* made-for-television movies from 1994 through 1999.[4](https://www.fandango.com/people/jack-garner-234358/biography) • [2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0307715/) On his brother's series *Bret Maverick* (1981–82) he was a regular as Jack the [Bartender](https://www.edgepedia.org/bartender).[1](https://www.televisionacademy.com/features/news/news/jack-garner-older-brother-james-garner-longtime-actor)
**Feature films.** His film credits include [Blake Edwards](https://www.edgepedia.org/blake-edwards)'s *Wild Rovers* (1971) as Cap Swilling, *Sunset* (1988) as Cowboy Henry, an uncredited turn as Porter in *Maverick* (1994), and President Haney's Caddy in *My Fellow Americans* (1996); the last three were made with his brother.[1](https://www.televisionacademy.com/features/news/news/jack-garner-older-brother-james-garner-longtime-actor) • [2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0307715/) An avid golfer, he taught his *My Fellow Americans* co-star [Dan Aykroyd](https://www.edgepedia.org/dan-aykroyd) to handle a golf club during a scene in that film.[5](https://www.famousbirthdays.com/people/jack-garner.html) Fandango records that he retired in 1999.[4](https://www.fandango.com/people/jack-garner-234358/biography)
## Death
Garner died on September 13, 2011, in [Rancho Mirage, California](https://www.edgepedia.org/rancho-mirage-california), at 84, after a brief illness; IMDb attributes the death to complications from a broken hip, and reports that doctors determined his heart was not strong enough to withstand surgery to repair it.[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0307715/) • [3](https://obituaries.normantranscript.com/obituary/jack-garner-745013052) The Television Academy's memorial notice instead gives the date as September 13, 2012, and his age as 85; the earlier date is corroborated by his obituary in the *Norman Transcript*, published September 21, 2011.[1](https://www.televisionacademy.com/features/news/news/jack-garner-older-brother-james-garner-longtime-actor) • [3](https://obituaries.normantranscript.com/obituary/jack-garner-745013052) His obituary lists his survivors as his ex-wife Betty Bumgarner, his daughter Liz Bumgarner, and his brother James, whom he called "Babe."[3](https://obituaries.normantranscript.com/obituary/jack-garner-745013052) • [1](https://www.televisionacademy.com/features/news/news/jack-garner-older-brother-james-garner-longtime-actor)
## Jack Garner the film critic
A different **Jack Garner** (died July 5, 2020, at 75) was a longtime film critic in Rochester, New York. He joined the Rochester *Times-Union* in 1970, working rewrite on the coverage of the Attica prison rebellion for which two *Democrat & Chronicle* reporters won a [Pulitzer Prize](https://www.edgepedia.org/pulitzer-prize), began reviewing films for the *Democrat & Chronicle* in 1977, and was appointed chief film critic of Gannett News Service in 1987, with his reviews appearing in more than 100 papers nationwide. He retired in June 2007, held a B.A. from [St. Bonaventure University](https://www.edgepedia.org/st-bonaventure-university) and an M.S. from [Syracuse University](https://www.edgepedia.org/syracuse-university), received the George Eastman Medal of Honor in 2007, and published the memoir *From My Seat on the Aisle* with RIT Press. He stood 6 feet 9 inches tall and was married to Bonnie Garner.[6](https://wordpress.mounties.k12.pa.us/our-district/alumni/mounite-hall-of-fame/inductees/jack-garner/) • [7](https://www.wxxinews.org/arts-life/2020-07-05/longtime-local-film-critic-jack-garner-has-died) • [8](https://spectrumlocalnews.com/human-interest/2020/07/06/film-critic-jack-garner-passes-away-at-age-75)
## References
1. [Jack Garner, Older Brother of James Garner, Longtime Actor, Television Academy](https://www.televisionacademy.com/features/news/news/jack-garner-older-brother-james-garner-longtime-actor)
2. [Jack Garner, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0307715/)
3. [Jack Edward Garner Obituary, The Norman Transcript](https://obituaries.normantranscript.com/obituary/jack-garner-745013052)
4. [Jack Garner Biography, Fandango](https://www.fandango.com/people/jack-garner-234358/biography)
5. [Jack Garner, Famous Birthdays](https://www.famousbirthdays.com/people/jack-garner.html)
6. [Jack Garner, South Williamsport Area School District Hall of Fame](https://wordpress.mounties.k12.pa.us/our-district/alumni/mounite-hall-of-fame/inductees/jack-garner/)
7. [Longtime local film critic Jack Garner has died, WXXI News](https://www.wxxinews.org/arts-life/2020-07-05/longtime-local-film-critic-jack-garner-has-died)
8. [Film Critic Jack Garner Passes Away at Age 75, Spectrum Local News](https://spectrumlocalnews.com/human-interest/2020/07/06/film-critic-jack-garner-passes-away-at-age-75)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › American actors: 1970s to 1990s › Surnames G to Go*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license