In today’s time, marriages don’t last for long. However, this fact was proven wrong by the lovable couple- Lois Clarke and James Garner. Today, we will read about the love story and the life of Lois and James, who are an example of life-long love in this era of small-lived relationships!
Who is Lois Clarke?
Lois Josephine Fleischman Clarke was born in 1927 in Los Angeles. She was a common girl who completed her schooling and further studies at the local school. She is a Caucasian and an American national who became so famous because of her association with James Garner- his husband.
Lois was a Jew by religion. Even after her marriage to a German American man, she continued practicing Judaism.
Who was James Garner?
James Garner was born on April 7, 1928, as James Scoot Bumgarner. He was a great American actor with an extensive career in which he played the lead role in over 50 films. James belonged to the state of Oklahoma in the US.
James’ parents were German Americans who died when he was just five years old. He had one elder brother who took care of him throughout his life. After completing high school, Garner enlisted in the California Army National Guard. He served for seven months in California and went to Korea for 14 months in the Korean War.
During his time in the army, he received multiple awards, such as the National Defense Service Medal, UN Service Medal for Korea, Korean War Service Medal, etc. However, in 1954, Garner got interested in Broadway shows which his friend insisted he does.
Subsequently, he moved to television commercials, then television roles, and eventually to the big screen. Garner received immense love, appreciation, and success in the film industry. Some of his most famous films include-
- Sayonara (1957)
- Maverick (TV Series) (1957-1960)
- Darby’s Rangers (1958)
- Boys’ Night Out (1962)
- The Great Escape (1963)
- The Castaway Cowboy (1974)
- The Rockford Files (series) (1974-1980)
- Barbarians at the Gate (1993), and much more.
In 2002, he appeared in a television sitcom with David Spade– 8 simple rules. In his journey, he was nominated for 15 Emmy Awards! He also received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He continued playing side roles in recent famous movies such as The Notebook. In 2010, he was also entitled to the TCA Career Achievement Award.
The Love Story of James and Lois
Lois was already married once before she met James. We don’t know what happened to her first husband, but she had one daughter named Kimberly Clarke from her first husband.
In 1956, Garner met Lois for the first time at a party. On their first meeting, they instantly clicked, and Garner went crazy about her.
Garner was awe-struck, and thus he asked Lois out for a date. For the next 14 days, he went out to take her on a date to a fancy restaurant for dinner. He was not well-established or successful at that time, and thus, this made him broke!
It was only within the time span of 14 days that they knew they were made for each other. With this belief, Garner and Lois married each other after only a fortnight of dating and knowing each other! Lois’ family did not approve of this marriage because of the difference in their faiths and religions, but this did not stop her from going forward with the marriage.
The marriage of Loise and James was held on August 17, 1956. They got married in a small courthouse in Beverly Hills, California. After marriage, Garner took his wife for a honeymoon, where he spent $77, and was then left with no money at all!
However, Lois supported him throughout his journey until his career started blooming, and he began getting roles in television series. Despite the success, the love story of the two was intact. In fact, Lois’ first daughter Kim had polio, and Garner took care of her as her own. The marriage gave them another blessing- a daughter named Gigi Garner.
The Troubles in Marriage
In 1970, Garner and Lois decided to separate. They started staying apart and focussing on their own lives. However, they couldn’t stay far from each other for more than three months, and after three months, they reunited.
Again in 1979, they experienced some stress and trouble in their life and relationship and decided to part ways. They started living in separate homes and continued doing so for around eighteen months. However, in 1981, they reunited yet again.
While talking to the media and the public about this, Lois once clarified that the separation was not a result of the problems in their marriage but was caused due to career and stress-related problems. She said that James had a lot of movies and work-related stress in his life, because of which he decided to stay aloof for some time.
With old age, Garner also experienced multiple health-related issues. He had six or seven knee operations in the 1970s. He even underwent knee replacement surgeries in 2000.
In 1988, Garner had to go through a quintuple bypass heart surgery. He had to undergo another surgery in 2008 after a severe stroke. During all this time, his wife Lois was a constant support for him.
The Ending of Their Love Story
After trying to separate twice, Lois and James understood that they were soulmates and could not live without each other. Both of them spent their lives together and stayed married for a whopping period of 57 years!
It was only due to Garner’s demise in 2014 that they were finally separated. They enjoyed the ups and downs in their life, along with their successes and failures together. They also enjoyed a lavish lifestyle together, where they accumulated many properties around the world, went to exotic destinations, accumulated a collection of their favorite cars, and wore the most expensive attires and accessories.
Gigi Garner, the daughter of James Garner and Lois Clarke, is a published author, songwriter, artist, and philanthropist today. Lois Clarke is 95 years old now and is living a life of luxury with her children.
Final Thoughts
The love story of Lois Clarke and James Garner is an inspiration for all couples that despite troubles and hindrances such as fame or career, you must not part ways with your partner. Lois was a part of Garner’s struggles and her success. They lived through the problems of their lives together and realized the phrase “Till death do us part!”
