Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/377629
44 SAG-AFTRA | Summer 2014 | SAGAFTRA.org JAMES GARNER, a talented performer, union officer and 2004 SAG Life Achievement Award honoree, died July 19 at the age of 86. The star of television and film secured his place in entertainment history as Bret Maverick in TV's Maverick and as private investigator Jim Rockford on The Rockford Files, but less known to the public was his dedication to his union and to helping others. Garner served as a SAG National Board member in 1959 and as the guild's second vice president from 1960 to 1961. A veteran of the Korean War, Garner used his star power to boost the morale of American troops during a 1967 tour of Vietnam. In a Stars and Stripes article published that year, Garner explained that sometimes he would encounter a service member skeptical of his motives. "They might ask if I was over here on some tax write-off, or how much I get paid. When I explain that I'm an ex-rifleman private with the 24th Inf. Div.'s 5th Regimental Combat Team and came over for nothing, everything is OK," he said. MICKEY ROONEY's death on April 6 drew the curtain on a career of perhaps unprecedented longevity in entertainment history: vaudeville, movies, radio, television, theater and nightclubs. From toddler to senior, he entertained from the age of 17 months in the era of silent films and the presidency of Calvin Coolidge to the age of the Internet, mobile entertainment and presidency of Barack Obama. He attained stardom in the 1930s and proved he could handle everything from comedy and musicals to heavy drama. Over his lengthy career, he was nominated for four Academy Awards, for Best Actor in a Leading Role in 1940 for the musical Babes in Arms, co-starring Judy Garland; in 1944 for The Human Comedy with Frank "The Wizard of Oz" Morgan; for Best Actor in a Supporting Role in 1957 for the World War II drama The Bold and the Brave; and in 1980 for The Black Stallion. In 1991, the diminutive entertainer released a well-received autobiography titled Life Is Too Short. Acting was such a integral part of his being that he never considered retirement. His motto in later years was "Don't retire. Inspire." MARK HILL New York Chicago Los Angeles actorsfcu.com In Memoriam honors the memory of members whose deaths were reported to SAG-AFTRA between April 1, 2014 – July 31, 2014.