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Mark says on 10/Apr/10
Jack Elam and Bruce Dern are both listed as 6 even. In Support Your Local Sheriff(1969), Garner looked no more than an inch taller than either man.
Anonymous says on 3/Apr/10
Garner has said he stood 6' 3" at his peak, but he was frequently reported as 6' 1" early in his career and, in comparison to other actors, he never seemed to loom at 6' 3". These days, since his 70s, few have seen him to be over 5' 11" and he has admitted he was shrunk an inch or two. Sam says on 1/Apr/10
James Garner was 6 ft 1 in the 70's. I guess with all the knee injuries he is about two inches shorter today. 5 ft 11 sounds about right. Mark says on 4/Mar/10
...Just saw a side by side photo of Stephen J Cannell and Garner, recently. Garner looks 3 to 4 inches shorter. Yet, in a Rockford book, Garner and Cannell looked the same height back in the Rockford era. Clearly, he's lost a few inches. Mark says on 27/Feb/10
Garner once said he had been 6'4 (Tonight Show). I just can't believe that. He was at least 3 inches shorter than Selleck in Rockford. And, could anyone tell me (as I can't find or get an answer) why I might not be able to post a comment on Eastwood's height page? I've been trying for weeks. Mark says on 3/Feb/10
I still go with 6'1, based on my earlier comments...specifically about his scenes with 6'5 Chuck Connors. He never looked 6'2 in even the first season of Rockford, to me. Mike says on 1/Feb/10
He was a soild 6'2 way back when in the 60's. Anybody who could stack up well with 6'6 Clint Walker had to be at least 6'2-6'3. I have seen pictures of 6'2 Jim Brown and 6'2 Alex Karas being dwarfed by Clint Walker. He was also about 210-215 at his peak. His medical record reads like Evil Kneival's so a huge height loss by the age of 70-80 is to be expected. He was also in a TV commercial in the 80's with Oakland Raider Marcus Allen and was EXACTLY the same height. Allen was listed at 6'2 Bomba says on 12/Jan/10
OK ignore my last claim, it wasn't Garner I was looking at, it was James Cromwell . . . he's a freak, in the nicest way possible. Bomba says on 12/Jan/10
In Space Cowboys he is clearly several inches taller than Clint Eastwood who's supposed to be 6'4". So he's either 6'6"+ or standing on a box. Anonymous says on 10/Jan/10
I read that during the Rockford Files he had 7 LEG SURGERIES. That's gotta knock off some height. That might explain why he looks around 6ft1 in there.
He probably was 6ft3 or at least a strong 6'2 at his very peak. Hugh 190-192cm says on 8/Jan/10
Rob you sure it ain't 6"0 now and 6"2.5 prime? Mark says on 20/Aug/09
..Garner sure couln't have lost height in 1963's Move Over, Darling...and in most scenes with Chuck Connors (reportedly 6'5), Garner looks "at least" 3 inches shorter. That puts him at a little over 6'1, like Frank2 said. That's what I always thought, watching the ever-classic Rockford Files. bob h. says on 18/Aug/09
In the 1985 film "Murphy's Romance" Garner and Brian Kerwin (6'1") appear the exact same height. I agree that Garner was likely NEVER more than 6'1" and some fraction. adam says on 16/Aug/09
Frank2 says on 27/Feb/06
Garner was never six foot three. More like six foot one, max. Many years ago I was with him along with Sidney Poitier who's almost six three and Garner looked to be at least two inches shorter than Poitier.
Changing your story again, Frankie? First AT LEAST two inches and now "nearly two". talker says on 11/Aug/09
i agree wih Frank2.I'm currently watching the Rockford Files on Disc,Garner looks about 6'1" at the time,but he was pretty big,wide chested and shouldered.There are some tall ladies like Lindsey Wagner and Linda Evans to compare.The series is well worth watching.Fine actor. Frank2 says on 2/Aug/09
Garner was slightly over 6'1" peak. I saw him back in the 1970s at Universal Studios when he was still near his speak height. That was during THE ROCKFORD FILES. One day when Sidney Portier visited him, I saw the two men standing right next to each other and Sidney was decidedly taller by nearly two inches. Sidney looked 6'3", but claimed to be 6'2.5". I knew Sidney going back to BUCK AND THE PREACHER which I worked on. He's one of the nicest human beings out there. So is Garner. Both are true gentlemen. vsharon says on 1/Aug/09
1974,had a chance to dance w/Mr.Garner at Polynesian Hotel Disney World - he was 6'3,taller than my 6'1 boyfriend. He liked to act dumb and was very funny. Ange says on 28/Jul/09
"I have a hard time picturing Garner as low as 5ft11!"
Me too, until I saw "Space Cowbows". He looked so much shorter than he did on the Rockford Files. Still he didn't look "short". Mike says on 6/May/09
Again, I met James Coburn, 2 feet away, in 1983. I was 5'11 and 3/4s. We were very roughly even. He may have been an inch taller, at the very most. He couldn't have shrunk by then. If Coburn was taller than Garner, then Garner was more 6'1 than anything. Hugh 190cm says on 1/May/09
He was way taller than Steve McQueen in the Great Escape and roughly the same height as James Coburn. I buy 6ft2.25 for James Garner peak and now a shade over 6ft. James Coburn was maybe 0.5 inch taller than Garner so I'd give him 6ft2.75 or 190cm peak and 6ft2 flat or a shade less by the time of his death in 2001. But 5ft11 is ridiculous. 6ft3 peak might be too high though. Andy says on 23/Apr/09
On "the great escape" you can watch that is a tall guy..in my opinion 6'1' ..if not then at least a 6'0
regards Hugh 190cm says on 10/Apr/09
hmmmmm. Possibly 6ft3. He was taller than James Coburn in the great escape. I have a hard time picturing Garner as low as 5ft11! Patrick says on 8/Apr/09
Are you sure JasonW that Mel Gibson was not wearing lifts? In westerns you just cannot look "short" and Mel is not tall but very bulky, no slender.
James is really tall until his 40ies and that's getting worse with time. In 94 he probably was around 6'1.5 or so and much less after; everybody can see it. He changed a lot also about his face. Try to make any connexion between him in the Great Escape and in Space cowboys! I wouldn't have recognized him. A marvelous actor and man anyway. Jason W. says on 3/Apr/09
well to me in the movie "maverick" he only seemed a couple inches taller than Mel Gibson. which should put him close to the 6 ft range. Mike says on 5/Mar/09
Welp, I don't know what to believe, now. Based on his appearance with Carson, on Laugh In, I'd have bet anything on 6'1 for Garner. But, I just saw a photo of him w/Clint Walker on Ebay, from back in the late 50's or early 60's. Garner is no more than 2 inches shorter. Now, could be shoes, or that the photographer didn't want Garner looking too short. Mike says on 26/Feb/09
I just have a hard time buying 6'2. 6'1 seems about right. Tom Selleck (6'4)and Chuck Connors (6'5) seemed to dwarf Garner, as though they were 3 and 4 inches taller, respectively. And Garner and Carson on Laugh In seemed about 1 inch apart. I always read Carson was 5'11. That was pre Rockford, before Garner could have shrunk any. Ray says on 23/Feb/09
Sorry, Rick Springfield is 6 FT 1 and James Garner's was 6 ft 2 in the 1970's FACT. clark says on 25/Jan/09
I saw Rick Springfield on the Rockford Files, and knowing Rick Sprinfield is a solid six foot-two. James was about an inch taller. So, six foot three is right for James at his peak height. Scott says on 18/Jan/09
Just watched the biography of Clint Eastwood. Garner was the shortest actor on the screen-If he ever was much taller-he sure isn't now. Jimbo says on 10/Jan/09
James Garner looked easily 185-186 cms tall on the Rockford Files. jay89 says on 15/Dec/08
i can hardly believe that he has losen more than 2 inches due to a bad back and knee injuries.
maybe i'm wrong but 2 inches seem a little extrem. mike c says on 11/Dec/08
On a Mike Douglas show he was asked by the host if he felt insecure walking alone at night in large cities such as New York. Garner replied that most people will not bother a 6'3" guy. I believe the interview was in the late 60's, early 70's. mike c Mike says on 24/Oct/08
...I recall a Jack Kelly interview where he said he felt, at 6'0, like he was standing in a hole next to the 6'3 Garner. Personally, I never bought Garner as ever having been over 6'2. texasbill says on 20/Oct/08
Garner seemed much taller than Jack Kelly on the old Maverick. Any data on Kelly's height. In an episode of Cheyenne, he looked 3-4 inches shorter than Clint Walker Hugh says on 11/Oct/08
I think James is a little over 6ft now and was 6ft3 at his peak. Hugh says on 25/Sep/08
This is RIDICUOUS. It should be
James Garner's height is 6ft 0.5in (184cm)
Peak height was 6ft 3in (191cm) George H. says on 23/Sep/08
He's another one who lost significant height, almost like Eastwood. Back in the sixties he had the same type of square built that Rock Hudson had, although he was obviously shorter. But still gave a "big" impression. I caught him recently on some comedy show with Katie Segal from Married with Children and they were about the same height! But then, he was obviously much heavier, had a curved spine and walked with a limp, but I don't know if that was for the part. I was kinda shocked to see how much shorter he seemed. sweet pea says on 13/Sep/08
Check your math guys. If Chuck Connors was 6 fr 6 inches and Garner was 3 inches shorter - that made him 6 ft 3 inches. Frank2 says on 22/Aug/08
I'm watching MOVE OVER DARLING and noticing that Chuck Conners is at least six inches taller than Garner. Seeing that Conners was at minimum 6'6", possibly even 6'7" that makes Garner about 6'1". In comparison, in the movie THE BIG COUNTRY, Conners was about three inches taller than 6'3" Greg Peck. Frank2 says on 16/Aug/08
More like 5'10" today. I saw him at some benefit and he seemed slightly shorter than me which surprised me since back when I saw him at Universal when he was appearing in THE ROCKFORD FILES he was a solid 6'1". Garner has a very bad back which might explain him losing three inches in height. That and he's now 80 years old. Bob H. says on 8/Aug/08
In "Cash McCall" big Jim is a tad shorter than 6'2" Dean Jagger. I peg Jim at 6'1" when he was young. Maybe 5'11" today looking at "Space Cowboys". Hugh says on 10/Jun/08
Heh eh very funny rob. Maybe you should put him back to his real height. Anonymous says on 23/Feb/08
Garner looks 4"shorter than 6'5"Connors in "Move over Darling"in the court scenes. MarkO says on 31/Oct/07
As I stated once before, if you're going to compare Coburn's height to Garners, Coburn was about 6 feet and 1/2 inches at best, when I met him in 1983. We stood right next to eachother on pavement. I have no clue what kind of shoes he had on, but if he was taller than me, it was just by a hair. AS says on 21/Oct/07
Rob is correct about height loss. While I've never heard of 16 inches, 5+ is common if there is a spinal condition (which can be fairly prevalent in older people). My uncle was 6'4.5" or so and now the top of his head is probably 5'10. His spine has fused and caused a "hunch".
Some older people keep their height. Its really a matter of posture and genetics. AS says on 18/Oct/07
Heres a photo of James Garner posing with the listed 6'6" Clint Walker. He doesn't look much shorter:
Click Here talker says on 30/May/07
I just saw Americanization of Emily,like Mike c says,Garner is clearly taller than Coburn in this flick.I always thought Coburn was 6'2"in his youth,but i dont buy more than 6'1" for Garner from his other movies.No way,6'3just look him up next to Doris,he doesnt look any more than 6'1".So,maybe mr.Coburn was shorter than i thought. Trev says on 5/Apr/07
Saw Garner in an episode of "The Rockford files" which guested a vey young Tom Selleck, he towered over Mr Garner, looked about 6'1" to me! Anonymous says on 30/Nov/06
Garner didn't look much taller than 5'10" Steve McQueen in "The Great Escape." CC-Tron says on 16/Oct/06
Garner said several times on the Rockford Files series that he was 6'1. So I wouldn't give him anymore than that. owlby says on 7/Oct/06
There's an old episode of
Rockford Files that shows an I. D. It states his height as six foot even. Being six foot tall, my self this seems very accurate. MarkO says on 28/Sep/06
Very interesting CaribbeanBlues...and I don't doubt you. But, at 6'0 myself, people often guess I'm 6'1 or a hair more. Nevertheless, interesting story. If, at 5'10, you noticed a significant height difference, Garner certainly was well over 6 feet. Seems like it was a friendly encounter. Cynna says on 27/Sep/06
Speaking of James Coburn (well, SOMEBODY was, a while back), he had a severe form of arthritis that gnarled his joints badly. This must certainly have cost him height as he got older. CaribbeanBlues says on 21/Sep/06
I'm a huge Garner fan, so imagine my surprise when I walked right by him on a back street in Westwood. I wanted so badly to say something and he must have realized it. After passing him by about 20 or 30', I stopped and turned around. There he was, turned around himself, staring at me. We both laughed hard. I WAS 5' 10" on the button. He was significantly taller than me. Even if I was wearing athletic shoes and he had on dress shoes, I noticed the difference and told everyone he had to be 6' 2" to 6' 4". That was about 1975 or so. We can all guess, but having passed within inches of him, I have to go with the taller estimates. MarkO says on 11/Aug/06
...Larry Linville (MASH) was always listed in articles as 6 feet. As a guest on Rockford, I waited for those coveted side by side scenes (assuming Linville was 6'0). Rockford's puffy hair made it hard to really compare, but I'd put Garner at least 1 inch taller, possibly a tiny bit more. This would go along with him being 6'1 or so, at the time. Martin says on 7/Aug/06
Most of you have got it right. Remember that the average guy loses about an inch of height for each decade over 50, some less, some more. MHouillon says on 6/Aug/06
I guess, he is a shade over 180cm, mabe 5'11.25.-5'11.5. Frank2. says on 3/Aug/06
Garner was 6'1". I know since I saw him many times. Now he's about 5'10". Brad says on 3/Aug/06
About 6'2". Universal screwed him for about 35 million on Rockford Files shared profits with his production company. Their in-house lawyers just ate him alive. He filmed with most of his body aching on tough location shoots and they still burned him with the cooked books. Jack Warner paid those Warner TV stars peanuts. Good guys like Garner got no respect in every decade. Roy's Nephew says on 25/Jul/06
James Garner used to appear on the Johnny Carson show a lot. His height was often a topic of conversation, since he was 6' 4", the same as Ed McMahon at that time. While doing "Rockford Files" Garner suffered a number of knee injuries, resulting in several surgeries on both legs. A few years later, discussing why he was leaving "Rockford", Garner said that as a result of the operations he was now down to 6' 3" or less, and the show was destroying him. It was pretty funny the way he was bitching .. uh ... complaining about it, but he did leave the show shortly after. MarkO says on 19/Jul/06
Look at Garner next to 6'4 Tom Selleck in the Rockford Files. He's clearly at least 3 inches shorter. I'd put him at 6'1 back then, myself. CC-Tron says on 31/May/06
He always said he was 6'1 on the Rockford files. Frank2 says on 29/Apr/06
Coburn wasn't 6'3". He was supposedly 6'2", but he shrunk as well and was down to just about 6' right before he died. He was another stick. I doubt he weighed more than 160 lbs. That made him looked much taller on screen. mike c says on 27/Apr/06
Just saw again The Americanization of Emily staring James Garner and James Coburn...James C is listed at 6'3" in a number of articles that I have read over the years..JG is at least 1" to 1.5" taller in the scenes where they are face to face...taking into account the shoes...JG was easy 6'2.5 to 6'3" tall in 1964...
[Editor Rob: so maybe garner is really telling truth and has shrunk more than most...I'll keep an eye on movie channels for this flick] mike c says on 17/Apr/06
Hi Larry!...was that a typo?..feel between the cracks... been very busy lately to respond..this is crunch time in elementary ed....as principal of a 480+ students school, everything falls on my shoulders... so when I read and would like to respond, time is the obstacle. First, I respect your service to our country in Viet Nam..lost a first cousin and two friends in that useless war...second, I respect your background and degrees....were we to compare, you would agree that we are very similar...but this is not the place for resumes..on one level I agree with you that one doesn't loose height without a trauma...my mother had a total hip replacement...she's 1.5 inches shorter..and for a very tiny woman, this is a lot! My hunting partner and former police officer was involved in a tragic accident where a few people lost their lives...he spent 8 months in the hospital...ergo....one foot is 1 inch shorter than the other..When I read that James Garner has had a number of traumas to his back and, at 59 with an excellent memory and having seen most of his movies, I find it very difficult to believe he was ever below 6'2"-6'3" in his prime..just as I argued regarding Wayne's height and used math to show his height in his youth....bottom line, let's have fun...ps. I'm the first in my family to get a college degree..both my parents never went beyond third grade!Glad you didn't lose height...my principal, when I was a teacher, lost 1/2 inch when he had both knees replaced...but that was in late 80's...surgery is better now....enjoy reading what you and Frank 2 write...with all the crap happening around us, let's keep this page open for good ol' fun..Mike larry says on 16/Apr/06
Just to be concise: watching HOUR OF THE GUN, Garner looked 6'2" then. How tall is Frank Converse who played VIRGIL EARP? They looked the same height. Frank2 says on 15/Apr/06
Poitier was 6'3". I know since I worked on two of his films. He told me he was 6'2.5" but I could tell he was taller. One guy who I worked with who claimed to be 6'2" and looked a couple of inches taller than me was an inch shorter than Poitier. By the way, Sidney is one of the nicest people in showbiz. A true gentleman. Stanley says on 15/Apr/06
I noticed when James Garner joined the cast of 8 simple rules that he had lost a lot of height. I remember whe he was on Maverick he was supposed to be 6'3.
Clint Eastwood did an episode of Maverick, and I noticed Clint seemed more than an inch taller than Garner. All of the Warner Bros Western stars were all well over six feet. Maybe James Garner was only 6'0 or 6'1 and wore those lifts to help him out. Wayde Preston (Colt .45) was 6'4, John Russell (Lawman) was listed as 6'4 Clint Walker (Cheyenne) was 6'6. Maybe Garner was never 6'3.
All the listings I've seen for Sydney Poitier's height is 6'2. Gotxo says on 14/Apr/06
Frank:
Poitier was like 189-190cm a true tall guy, if you tell us that he was like 2 inch sorter that made of him a shade over six feet, six feet one possible but no more.
We have been put through greater exaggerations on many stars height.
Sorry Rob, i can buy that a 6'2" guy can shrunk to 5'11.5", in fact Gramps have told us about even worse shrunkments, but i think that in this occasion it is not the case. Frank2 says on 14/Apr/06
When Garner talked with Poitier in my presence he was a good two inches shorter and that was about thirty years ago. I doubt he had lost two inches by then. He still looked great. Then remember, I had met him back in the sixties and he looked about the same height back then. Now we're talking almost forty years ago. Gotxo says on 14/Apr/06
It's obvious that he's no more the 6'3" footer he was.
I think the question here is: How far he was from that when young?
As Frank has pointed out, it's terrible difficult to find one guy that has shrunk 4-5 inches, with mayor surgery or not (unless they saw him a leg LOL).
A revealign drawback to achieve this is that we can't agree even for his current height 5'10" to 6'....Any idea of his real possible height when young Rob?
[Editor Rob: 6ft 2 is possible, 6ft 3...hmm, I start to wonder. He has commented upon his surgeries. I know a few men in their 70's who have lost 3 inches. A lot of it might be more spine curvature...] Frank2 says on 13/Apr/06
Looking at the photos Rob published from Space Cowboys, there's no way Garner went from 6'3" to 5'10" which is what he is these days. Nobody, but nobody loses five inches unless their legs are cut off! Frank2 says on 13/Apr/06
When Garner met Sidney Poitier he was about two inches shorter. I saw it as did several others who were in the Universal editorial building at the time. I knew Garner going back to the 1960's when he showed up on Mulholland Drive to race cars and he was always about 6'1". He was a BIG 6'1". I doubt he was ever under 200 lbs. But all muscle, not flab. One night he was standing talking to Steve McQueen and McQueen who weighed about 155 to 160 lbs looked like a stick. And Steve was muscular as well, only on a much smaller scale. Back then Garner looked about three inches taller than Steve. Frank says on 11/Apr/06
I wonder if Garner lost two inches. I first met him in the 1960's when he and McQueen and a bunch of crazy guys met up on Mulholland Drive after midnight to race cars on its tightly curved roadway. He looked to be about 6'1" back then, maybe, just maybe 6'2". Then later when I worked with him On The Rockford Files he was definitely 6'1". One day Sidney Poitier was looking for him and I knew Sidney from working on both Buck and the Preacher and Brother John so I escorted him to where Garner was hanging out. I saw both men standing right next to each other and Sidney was definitely two inches taller. And Sidney is roughly 6'3". larry says on 11/Apr/06
mike c - What makes you think I have trouble believing humans can lose height due to trauma or surgery. I'm SURE they can. My mother lost 1.5 inches after 3 back surgeries. I HAVE had a knee replacement as has my first cousin. Neither one of us lost any height, but I'm sure it happens. Not sure you understood my post. The fact is that PRE 80 year old height loss OF SIGNIFICANCE (NOT including trauma) is more common in slightly built females. Are you under-nourished? Many Americans ARE even if they over-eat. "Common"? I was a lower-middle class kid from Texas. I am just a working class person; MOST scientists are. I was drafted AND sent to "lovely" Viet Nam because I couldn't afford to go to graduate school, even with a 4.0 GPA. Vet benefits paid for me to go to graduate school after Nam. My Dad was a Methodist minister in a relatively poor district. He wasn't a "televangelist", so we lived in a small parsonage. I live in a middle class neighborhood in Austin. I'm be embarrassed to admit how little money I make. But, I don't do it for the money. The WWF and the Wildlife Services pay me very little to teach grad students one-on-one in the field. UT pays me a meager consultants fee. We scientista are by-and-large not highly paid like physicians or lawyers. Don't know WHERE anyone would get that idea? Never actually met a real scientist, I would guess? I drive a 1998 Impala. I EARNED my 2 PhDs the hard way, while working full time. I have a cousin with PhD's in physics & math who barely gets by. Ego? Do you mean the Id or the Ego? :-) Both are antique terms for aspects of the conscious/subconscious mind. I deal with wild animals most of my time and I've seen things that would make most humans lie awake at night. So, dealing with "reality" is not a problem for me. It's just part of my job. Please READ or REREAD my earlier posts. Don't skim. I AM a developmental zoologist, so I certainly know about growth. Frank2 strikes me as an honest man and we often disagree. mike c says on 23/Mar/06
Larry, you're a scientist and you have trouble accepting the fact that people lose inches after traumas, bad knees, back surgeries, etc....? Guess you've never had hip surgery or knee replacement or had disks removed...interesting. Also, egos can PEEL away common sense and a sense of reality. Guess all of us undernurished and common folk have no sense of height, have poor memory, and really can't tell a 6 footer from 6'3+ actor...oh, I forgot, lifts....just like Wayne, lifts! I guess you and Frank just have all it takes to be right every time. And, forget about gravity! Frank2 says on 20/Mar/06
Garner never looked any taller to me in person than 6'1". But he could have been taller when he was much younger. I started seeing him in person back in the mid-1960's. You just have to remeber that many actors he co-starred with were relatively short. He towered over Brando in Sayonara, but Marlon was only 5' 8-1/2" at best. Brando was only slightly more than an inch taller than Sinatra in Guys and Dolls. And in that film, Frank didn't wear lifts. larry says on 19/Mar/06
I think 6'1" at his prime was about right. Back surgeries, bad knees, car wrecks and other skeletal traumas can PEEELLL the iches off. Men don't shrink as much as women as they age and petite (as a scientist, I HATE that term!) women who are of European extraction are more prone to lose bone mass. This means they lose height AND structure. In advanced (> 80 years) some men can lose several inches, but poor posture contributes to that a lot. So, eat your leefy, green vegetables and take your daily vitamins AND exercise!
P.S.: It seems to me that James Coburn's height was exaggerated too.
Chuck Connors could become a good "yard stick'! :-) mike c says on 11/Mar/06
I watched an interview in the early sixties...James stated that people don't usually mess with a almost 6'3" man...conversation regarded safety walking at night...can't recall the host...old age setting in and memory starting to go...JG was tall, between 6'2.5" and 6'3"..wish I had the vintage photos I've seen of him...he's chunkier now and has had lots of surgeries to reduce the pain he feels from the earlier years of acting and doing many of his own stunts. In Space Cowboys he does appear to be the same height as Lee..but JG has lot of yrs. on the younger actor.(he's pushing 75 or better!)..Glad you're providing specific quotes, Tiger..not just, my uncle's brother's friend's neighbor said....good research. Frank2 says on 8/Mar/06
Carson wasn't 5'11" but was just under 5'10". I saw him several times when I visited NBC in Burbank. Here's a little story for you. Back in the late sixties there used to be a group called the Mulholland Racing Association. It was made up of various people who liked to race Mulholland Drive late at night. That highway has a lot of twists and turns so you'd see Mini Coopers racing each other and I'm talking about the original Mini, not the new ones, as well as Corvettes, Jaguars and even a Ferrari or two. James Garner was an unofficial member as was Steve McQueen. One night when I was there as a spectator (a friend of mine was racing in his Mini) we were all gathered at a spot where there was dirt area just off the highway. Along came a big, white Rolls Royce Silver Cloud with Rod Taylor driving along with two very pretty women in tow. He yelled at us in a slurred voice that he'd race anyone in his Roller for pink slips! Garner looked at him, laughed saying, "Go Home Rod, you're drunk!" True story. I went up there several times and even watched a race where a Corvette went off the highway and into a ditch. Mulholland is high up looking down onto the San Fernando Valley so at first we all thought the car had going off the cliff! McQueen was there at that time and was standin right by me and yelled...well...I can't repeat it here.
[Editor Rob: keep your stories coming and do please throw in more of your encounters with guys from the golden era who aren't already listed on the site] Frank2 says on 27/Feb/06
Garner was never six foot three. More like six foot one, max. Many years ago I was with him along with Sidney Poitier who's almost six three and Garner looked to be at least two inches shorter than Poitier. Cartoonistguy says on 7/Jan/06
I just saw Garner on an old LAUGH IN clip, with Johnny Carson. I've read, repeatedly, that Carson was 5'11. When Garner stodd right next to him, he was no more than 2 inches taller....6'1. sam says on 14/Dec/05
I'm sorry, but this guy never looked 6'3" to me. I always thought he was 6'1" or a little over at his peak and about 5'11" these days. Gramps says on 2/Dec/05
Jack Elam is listed as 6'2". CartoonistGuy says on 25/Jul/05
Now hold the phone here gang. Garner claims he used to be 6'3. But if you look at him in MOVE OVER DARLING(made before Garner had any height shrinking injuries, I assume), he's clearly a good 3 or more inches shorter than Chuck Connors, who I'd always read was 6'5. And, he doesn't appear THAT much taller than Don Knotts than Andy Griffith was, who I'd always heard was 6'0. So my guess is Garner was 6'1 and a half. 6'3 just seems SO tall, for a guy who looked tall, but not in the way that most 6'3 guys look...kind of lanky. McFan says on 21/Jul/05
I'm surprised he's less than 6ft. He looked so tall on the Rockford Files. I would have guessed 6'1, but 5'11 would mean he's shrunk considerably.
[Editor Rob: injuries and old age seems to have taken their toll. I think 182cm is reasonable for his height now...I mean sometimes on 8 simple rules he really doesn't look tall anymore...] Danjo says on 5/Jul/05
I had noticed this one myself. I'm a huge Garner fan and saw that he used to be the tallest one in his movies. Then , When making Rockford Files, he claimed to be 6'1" tall. Now, he seems to be much shorter. |
