‘Rockford Files’ Star James Garner Would Secretly Do Something Incredible Every New Year’s Eve

While people have been ringing in the new year in various ways over the years, James Garner spent it in a pretty incredible way.

The daughter of the late The Rockford Files star shared on X the tradition that her father did every New Year’s Eve.

“I have never shared this with another soul but…. On New Years Eve we would go out to dinner and my dad would stop at every homeless person he saw on the way home and give them several hundred dollar bills,” Gigi said. “He was simply the kindest human being I have ever known.”

Garner, who passed away in 2014 at 86 following a heart attack caused by coronary artery disease, shares Greta “Gigi” with his wife Lois Josephine Fleischman Clarke, whom he met at a party in 1956 and married just over two weeks later. They welcomed Gigi a year and a half later. Gigi now keeps her father’s legacy alive on social media and through the 501(c) (3) charity, James Garner Animal Rescue Fund. And now she’s sharing stories she’s never told before.

Throughout his career, Garner played the lead role in over 50 theatrical films, including The Great Escape, Cash McCall, Grand Prix, and Marlowe, and starred in several television shows, including Maverick and The Rockford Files. So the fact that he still made the time to give back to those in need on a night where mostly everyone is celebrating is incredible. Gigi didn’t reveal how long the tradition went on for or if it was just a one-time thing, but it was happening anyway, regardless of how long it is, all that matters.

Meanwhile, Garner has done some pretty surprising things during his career. At the height of his success in the ‘60s and ‘80s, he was involved in multiple lawsuits as he fought back against studios, helping expose the industry’s creative accounting. Filming also wasn’t always so glamorous, as Garner injured himself more than a few times during The Rockford Files, since he did all of his own stunts on the NBC detective drama. But that didn’t seem to take away from what’s important, and that is giving back.

James Garner left a lasting legacy on film and television, and that will continue until the end of time. And with even more stories being shared about him, who knows what other impact he’s made on the world, no matter how small.