UPDATE: Officials have released the cause of death for legendary actor James Garner.
Experts say the Norman native died from a massive heart attack.
NORMAN, Okla. – James Garner died Saturday night at his home in Brentwood, California.
Police say the 86-year-old actor died of natural causes.
Many are unaware that James Garner was born in Norman, Oklahoma.
Garner is also an alumni from the University of Oklahoma.
Garner played football and basketball, as well as competing on the track and gold teams, for Norman High School.
He never graduated from high school.
Acting never came easy for James Garner. Born James Baumgarner, the actor described himself as a painfully shy introvert masking the condition only with effort.
“Mind of matter. I literally had to do it, saying, you can’t have this attitude to be an actor and I had to change.”
Garner moved easily between television and film roles even before that became the rule for actors.
The 1966 film “Grand Prix” provided a glimpse into one of Garner’s long time fascinations: Auto racing.
The versatile actor landed the role of “Jim Rockford” in the detective series “The Rockford Files” in 1974.
He won an Emmy award in 1977 for his iconic role, and continued to work after the show ended its six year run.
He shined in films like “Victor Victoria” and “Murphy’s Romance” which brought Garner a nomination for a best actor Oscar.
