New Line Cinema

The original Bret Maverick is gunning for a full recovery.

James Garner, who embodied the riverboat gambler long before Mel Gibson tried his hand at it, was hospitalized Friday after suffering a minor stroke at his Los Angeles home, according to the actor's rep.

"He's still in the hospital, but my understanding is he is doing well and will be going home soon," publicist Jennifer Allen told the Associated Press Tuesday. "When, exactly, we have not been told yet."

Garner, who's best known to younger generations for his more recent roles in films such as The Notebook, Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood and Space Cowboys and the sitcom 8 Simple Rules, turned 80 last month.

The veteran actor starred in the first three seasons of the 1957-1962 TV series Maverick—and later turned up in the 1994 film—and won an Emmy for his lead role in the 1970s-era detective drama The Rockford Files.