James Garner to Guide Post-Ritter 'Rules'

Thursday, October 16, 2003

(6:06 PM ET)

The Associated Press

Actor James Garner poses for a portrait in a Los Angeles hotel in this Oct. 16, 2000 file photo. Garner is taking on one of the television season's most challenging roles: steering ABC-TV's ``8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter'' through the transition of John Ritter's death. Garner, the 75-year-old star of ``Maverick'' in the 1950s and 1960s as well as the Emmy-winning performances in ``The Rockford Files'' in the 1970s, will guest star in four episodes of ``8 Simple Rules,'' Garner publicist Jennifer Allen said Thursday, Oct. 16, 2003.

Image Credit: Michael Caulfield -- AP file photo

LOS ANGELES -- AP
James Garner is taking on what is likely one of the television season's most challenging roles: steering ABC's ``8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter'' through the transition of John Ritter's death.

The 75-year-old Garner, who starred in the '50s ``Maverick'' TV series, will guest star in four episodes, his publicist, Jennifer Allen, said Thursday.

Ritter, who died of a heart ailment last month, played a harried dad and newspaper columnist on the show. Garner will help the transition to a new focus - a family coping with the sudden loss of its patriarch.

He'll play the father of Katey Sagal's widowed Cate Hennessy, who comes to support his daughter and three teenage grandchildren as they face the realities of becoming a single-parent family.

Production on the first post-Ritter episode will begin Monday, and the first Garner episode will air during the November ratings sweep period.

Garner won an Emmy for the '70s drama series ``The Rockford Files.''

His films include ``Space Cowboys'' and ``Murphy's Romance.''
(Source: Netscape Network News with CNN)
2003 © The Associated Press.

Dan