‘The Rockford Files’ Turns 50, Do You Remember All These Guest Stars?
Always in demand by women, if not clients, the (falsely imprisoned) ex-con turned detective Jim Rockford might have famously charged “$200 a day, plus expenses,” but he earned his money, trading insults for injuries from the bad guys. Never above helping clients down on their luck (he lived in a house trailer on the beach, after all), “Jimbo” patiently solved cases with wit and style from 1974 to 1980. But as any fan of the show knows, you watched because of ex-Maverick star James Garner, who brought a whole new level of laid-back cool to the gumshoe genre.
The Rockford Files, like many TV Westerns before it, also brought a host of special guest stars some veteran actors and some just starting out. For the 50th anniversary of this beloved crime drama, we cover some of the most notable actors who shared the screen with Garner & gang.
Tom Atkins
S1.E3 “The Countess” (1974) – Alex Diel
S1.E15 “Sleight of Hand” (1975) – Alex Diel
S1.E20 “The Four Pound Brick” (1975) – Alex Diel
S2.E7 “The Real Easy Red Dog” (1975) – Alex Diel
S2.E16 “A Portrait of Elizabeth” (1976) – Alex Diel
S2.E20 “Where’s Houston?” (1976) – Alex Diel
S4.E3 “The Battle of Canoga Park” (1977) – Lt. Thomas Diehl
S4.E6 “Requiem for a Funny Box” (1977) – Alex Diel
Lauren Bacall
NBC/Everett Collection
S6.E2 “Lions, Tigers, Monkeys and Dogs” (1979) – Kendall Warren
Ned Beatty
S1.E12 Profit and Loss, Part 1: Profit (1974) – Leon Fielder
S1.E13 Profit and Loss, Part 2: Loss (1974) – Leon Fielder
S3.E9 Return to the 38th Parallel (1976) – Al Brennan
Tara Buckman
S4.E12 The Queen of Peru (1977) – Girl
Jackie Cooper
S1.E17 “Claire” (1975) – Capt. Highland
S4.E21 “The House on Willis Avenue” (1978) – Garth McGregor
Linda Evans
NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images
S1.E17 “Claire” (1975) – Claire Prescott
S2.E2 “The Farnsworth Stratagem” (1975) – Audrey Wyatt
William Daniels
S2.E19 “The Italian Bird Fiasco” (1976) – Thomas Caine
S3.E7 So Help Me God (1976) – Gary Bevins
Louis Gossett Jr.
S2.E21 “Foul on the First Play” (1976) – Marcus Aurelius ‘Gabby’ Hayes
S3.E17 “Just Another Polish Wedding” (1977) – Marcus Aurelius ‘Gabby’ Hayes
Larry Hagman
S4.E11 “Forced Retirement” (1977) – Richard Lessing
Sid Haig
S1.E11 “Caledonia – It’s Worth a Fortune!” (1974) – B.J.
Ed Harris
S5.E5 “Kill the Messenger” (1978) – Rudy Kempner
Kathryn Harrold
NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images
S5.E9 “Black Mirror” (1978) – Megan Dougherty
S6.E5 “Love Is the Word” (1979) – Megan Dougherty
Isaac Hayes
NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images
S2.E14 “The Hammer of C Block” (1976) – Gandolph Fitch
S3.E17 “Just Another Polish Wedding” (1977) – Gandolph Fitch
S4.E4 “Second Chance” (1977) – Gandolph Fitch
Howard Hesseman
S4.E21 “The House on Willis Avenue” (1978) – Al Steever
Kathy Hilton (as Kathie Richards)
S4.E20 “The Prisoner of Rosemont Hall” (1978) – Judy
Richard Moll
S5.E7 “Three Day Affair with a Thirty Day Escrow” (1978) – Ludes
Lara Parker
S1.E15 “Sleight of Hand” (1975) – Diana Lewis
Stefanie Powers
S2.E7 “The Real Easy Red Dog” (1975) – Christine Dusseau
Rita Moreno
Everett Collection
S4.E16 The Paper Palace (1978) – Rita Capkovic
S5.E2 “Rosendahl and Gilda Stern Are Dead” (1978) – Rita Capkovic
S6.E8 “No Fault Affair” (1979) – Rita Capkovic
Bill Mumy
NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images
S1.E10 “Backlash of the Hunter” (1974) – Nick Butler
S1.E14 “Aura Lee, Farewell” (1975) – Trask
Pernell Roberts
S4.E21 “The House on Willis Avenue” (1978) – B.J. Anderson
John Saxon
S2.E16 “A Portrait of Elizabeth” (1976) – Dave Delaroux
Tom Selleck
Everett Collection
S5.E4 “White on White and Nearly Perfect” (1978) – Lance White
S6.E6 “Nice Guys Finish Dead” (1979) – Lance White
Suzanne Somers
S1.E7 “The Big Ripoff” (1974) – Ginny Nelson
Rick Springfield
S4.E17 “Dwarf in a Helium Hat” (1978) – Keith Stuart
Joan Van Ark
Larry Barbier/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images
S1.E8 “Find Me If You Can” (1974) – Barbara Kelbaker
S2.E8 “Resurrection in Black & White” (1975) – Susan Alexander
S3.E12 “There’s One in Every Port” (1977) – Christina Marks
Abe Vigoda
S1.E1 “The Kirkoff Case” (1974) – Al Dancer
S5.E2 “Rosendahl and Gilda Stern Are Dead” (1978) – Phil ‘The Dancer’ Gabriel
Lindsay Wagner
Everett Collection
S1.E0 “Backlash of the Hunter” (1974) – Sara Butler
S1.E14 “Aura Lee, Farewell” (1975) – Sara Butler
Dionne Warwick
Everett Collection
S4.E4 “Second Chance” (1977) – Theda Moran / Theda Best
Of course, this is just a taste of all the notable stars who appeared on the show. If you want to try and catch more you can stream The Rockford Files on Roku.
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