The Only Major Actors Still Alive From The Rockford Files
As far as investigators go, Jim Rockford (James Garner) is a bit of a departure from the mostly-polished (Columbo excepted) detectives of television's first decade. A slouchily dressed detective who lived in a trailer and served time in San Quentin, Rockford was cool — if not always collected. "The Rockford Files" ran for six seasons on NBC beginning in 1974 and was later resurrected for a series of '90s TV movies. In that time, audiences were introduced not only to Rockford, but to a cast of supporting characters including his truck driver dad Rocky (Noah Beery Jr.), LAPD pal Becker (Joe Santos), and the con artist Angel (Stuart Margolin).
Garner passed away in 2014, and only a few "Rockford Files" castmates are still with us today. Those who are still around include notable recurring guest stars like famously mustachioed "Blue Bloods" star Tom Selleck, EGOT-winning multi-hyphenate Rita Moreno, and "Happy Gilmore" director and frequent Adam Sandler collaborator Dennis Dugan. Series stars Gretchen Corbett and Tom Atkins are also still working in Hollywood today.
Gretchen Corbett (Beth Davenport)
Corbett played lawyer Beth Davenport in 33 episodes of "The Rockford Files," and appeared in 3 "Rockford" TV movies after the show ended. An ally and on-and-off love interest for the titular detective, Corbett made a strong impression in the series and continued a fruitful acting career in the decades since. A year after the show ended, she starred in the occult creature feature "Jaws of Satan," and she's since appeared in movies ranging from the Angelina Jolie drama "Without Evidence" to Michael Sarnoski's poignant 2021 film "Pig."
On the small screen, Corbett has guest starred in memorable TV episodes, including the "Cheers" storyline in which Sam sets Diane up with a murderous ex-con, and a "Murder, She Wrote" episode involving a reporter who's killed after questioning the reputation of a newspaper tycoon. Corbett also appeared in the Hulu series "Shrill" and played three different characters in the wacky comedy "Portlandia."
Mostly, though, Corbett's post-"Rockford" interests seem to lie in the theater world. The actress got her start in theater and has continued working on stage in recent decades, appearing in plays including "One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest" (she played Nurse Ratched!) and "Anna Karenina" while directing regional productions including "Bo-Nita" and "Not Madea." According to a profile in PDX Monthly from 2011, Corbett at one point served as the artistic director at a theater program for underserved communities called the Haven Project.
Tom Atkins (Alex Diel)
Horror fans will likely recognize actor Tom Atkins not from his role on "The Rockford Files" — in which he played the boss who bristled at Rockford's investigative process, Lieutenant Alex Diel — but from his roles in stone-cold genre classics like "Escape From New York," "Creepshow," and "The Fog." Atkins transitioned mostly to horror and sci-fi pretty quickly after his time on "The Rockford Files," and became one of the most recognizable faces in '80s horror. He's played investigators in flicks like "Maniac Cop" and "Night of the Creeps," had his viscera flung at the audience in "My Bloody Valentine 3D," and led the cast of "Halloween III: Season of the Witch," a franchise departure that's built a major cult following since its release.
Atkins typically appears in the role of a cop, though he plays a civilian in the hugely popular buddy cop comedy "Lethal Weapon" (that film's director, Shane Black, would later sneak some "Rockford Files" references into 2016's "The Nice Guys"). He's worked multiple times with several highly regarded filmmakers, including Black, John Carpenter, and George A. Romero. Other notable film credits of Atkins' include "Drive Angry," "The Ninth Configuration," and "Two Evil Eyes," while he's also appeared in shows including "Oz" and "City on a Hill."
Now in his late '80s, Atkins shows no signs of stopping: he most recently appeared in a 2023 episode of Shudder's "Creepshow," and he currently (and perhaps unknowingly) has Twitter abuzz this week as fans of the "Terrifier" franchise speculate that he could join the cast of the splatter saga's third installment.