James Garner Married Lois Clarke 2 Weeks After Meeting And Loved Her Until His Passing 58 Years Later

Dec 13, 2022

Stories about love at first sight always seem like something out of a fairytale. Few love stories are as special as that of James Garner and Lois Clarke. These two fell in love quickly, but that love withstood their marathon of a marriage, which lasted for almost 58 years. Tragically, Garner passed from a heart attack in 2014, and Clarke stayed a widow until her passing. 

Garner was an American actor and producer, but he also served in the United States Army National Reserve and the Merchant Marines. His acting career came after his military service and spanned over five decades. Garner is best known for his role as Bret Maverick in the Western television series "Maverick," as well as for playing private detective Jim Rockford in "The Rockford Files." 

The incredible actor also played the leading role in over 50 feature-length films during his legendary career, including "The Great Escape" alongside Steve McQueen and "The Americanization of Emily" with Julie Andrews. Garner performed with Andrews again in Blake Edwards's "Victor/Victoria" in 1982. 

Garner met Clarke in August of 1956 and married her just two weeks later. The pair had dinner together every night for 14 nights, and that was all the time they needed to know this was a love for the ages. While they did have ups and downs like in any marriage, these two were together until Garner passed right before their 58th wedding anniversary. They were the epitome of true love. Read on to learn more about Garner and Clarke's beautiful love story. 

In 1970 and again in 1979, Garner and Clarke were separated for a brief time while Garner worked on some personal issues, though he claimed they were not marital problems. "Lois and I were never in serious trouble. Ninety-nine percent of the problem was the pressures of 'Rockford.' It wasn't us, it was me needing to get away to get my head together," Garner told People in 1985. 

There were rumors that Garner was seeing other women while he was working on the show "The Rockford Files," but he has always denied them. "I've worked with a lot of great-looking actresses, and I make it my business not to dislike any of them," he explained. "I also make it my business not to fall in love with them either." The actor has only ever had a love for his wife, Clarke. 

Garner had a history of health issues. He told People in 1980: "I'm constantly in pain. I have arthritis in my back and my knees and my hands. I had ulcers this year — and once an ulcer patient, always an ulcer patient. I get depressed. Very." However, he was able to overcome these hardships and lived to the age of 86.

Clarke stayed by Garner's side through all of life's many challenges. "She's just stuck with me all these years," he said. "I guess she's stubborn too." That stubbornness is what these two needed to stay together for so long in spite of so many difficulties. 

Clarke defended her husband, saying to People, "Jim is a rather complicated man and is covering up lots of hurt. Growing up, he was abused, lonely, and deprived." Garner had spoken publicly about the physical abuse he suffered at the hands of his stepmother when he was a child.

Garner wrote about his and Clarke's love story in his own words in his memoir titled "The Garner Files." He wrote: "I fell in love for the first and last time on Aug. 1, 1956 at an Adlai Stevenson for President barbeque. That's where I met Lois Clarke. It was love at first sight. The 'thunderbolt.' She was as beautiful as she was sweet. … It was a barbecue and I ended up in the pool with the children."

Garner continued: "That's how I got to talk to Lois. Within the first few minutes, she told me she had a daughter from her first marriage, Kimberly, who had polio. Lois and I saw each other every day until August 17, when we were married in the Beverly Hills courthouse. My family was against the marriage. They pointed out that Lois and I had little in common."

Differences can be a challenge in any relationship, but they are especially difficult to overcome when you have only known the other person for two weeks. "I was six feet three inches tall and Lois was petite. I was the outdoor, athletic type and she was the indoor type. I was practical and she was a dreamer," Garner wrote in his memoir.

On the surface, it doesn't seem like these two didn't have anything to talk about. Instead of being overwhelmed by their differences, Garner was inspired by them. He wrote in his book: "None of the naysayers had stopped to consider that Lois and I complemented each other. What they saw as weaknesses, we saw as strengths."

Heartbreakingly, Garner passed away in July 2014. Garner suffered from a heart attack and passed away at the age of 86. Following the star's sad death, many stars paid tribute to the famous actor. Actor Clint Eastwood said Garner "opened the door for people like Steve McQueen and myself." 

Garner's daughter, Gigi, has continued to post many touching tributes to her father via Twitter. The famous couple's daughter has created a social media page for the couple that has over 23,000 followers. On Father's Day in 2022, she posted this sweet caption alongside a picture of her and her dad, "#HappyFathersDay to my dear father in heaven... I miss you so much," she posted. When Garner passed, he and Clarke had been together for 58 years when he passed away.

Seven years after his death, his wife would pass away. Clarke joined her husband in heaven on Oct. 21, 2021. Gigi posted to Twitter with this caption, "Please excuse my absence but, my mother Lois Garner, born July 6, 1923, has passed." The post received over 21,000 likes and nearly 1,000 retweets. Internet users commented how sad they were to see the passing. 

"I’m so sorry for your loss," one Twitter user wrote. Another Twitter user commented and wrote, "I am so sorry for your loss. Losing one's Mom is a special hell, and losing the 2nd parent is another hell. I firmly believe 2-way bonds of love endure through space, time, life, and death--every dimension. Wrap yourself in her love for you. It's there by you. I send a big hug." 

What do you think of this lifelong love story? Were you a fan of Garner's work? Let us know your opinions, and be sure to pass this on to your loved ones.