James Garner, who was hospitalized late last week after suffering a minor stroke, is doing well and should be going home shortly, the veteran television and film star's publicist said Tuesday. The star of such TV shows as "Maverick" and "The Rockford Files" went to the hospital after becoming ill at home Friday, said his publicist, Jennifer Allen. "He's still in the hospital but my understanding is he is doing well and will be going home soon. When, exactly, we have not been told yet," Allen told The Associated Press.

Garner, who turned 80 last month, rose to prominence in the 1950s as the star of "Maverick," playing a wry riverboat gambler who was quicker with a quip than a gun and, unlike his Western counterparts, was faster still to run from trouble than to face it. The show aired from 1957 to 1962 but Garner, who was nominated for an Emmy as Bret Maverick, left in 1960 to pursue a film career.

He has appeared in such films as "The Children's Hour,""Victor/Victoria,""The Great Escape" and was nominated for an Oscar in 1985 as the small-town pharmacist opposite Sally Field in "Murphy's Romance."

Garner returned to television full-time in the mid-1970s, playing Jim Rockford, a modern-day private detective who, like his "Maverick" character, also was not afraid to run instead of fight. He won an Emmy for the role in 1977.

Garner also reprised his Maverick role in the short-lived "Bret Maverick" series in the 1980s.

More recently, he played Katey Sagal's father in the sitcom "8 Simple Rules ... For Dating My Teenage Daughter." Garner joined the cast in 2003 after John Ritter, who played Sagal's husband, died during the show's second season.

Written By JOHN ROGERS

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