Robert Wagner

Biography for Robert Wagner

Born in Detroit, Robert Wagner's family moved to Los Angeles when he was seven. Always wanting to be an actor, he held a variety of jobs (including one as a caddy for Clark Gable while pursuing his goal, but it was while dining with his parents at a restaurant in Beverly Hils that he was "discovered" by a talent scout. He had a bit part in The Happy Years (1950) but it was a small part as a crippled soldier in the Susan Hayward film With a Song in My Heart (1952), that garnered him attention. His fresh, all-American loooks got him a contract with 20th Century-Fox, which put him in a succession of undemanding roles in Technicolor pictures where his looks were more important than his talent (_Beneath the 12 Mile Reef (1953)_ , Prince Valiant (1954)), but he did manage to show that he was indeed an actor of talent in several showy roles in smaller pictures (A Kiss Before Dying (1956), Between Heaven and Hell (1956), As he became one of Fox's rising young stars, the studio--as was customary back then--set him up with a host of nubile young actresses, among them Debbie Reynolds. While the pairing didn't lead to any romance, it did lead to a lifelong friendship. In 1956 Wagner, then 26, found the love of his life, actress Natalie Wood then 18. They married on December 28th, 1957, in Scottsdale, Arizona. Hollywood trumpeted their marriage as the most "glittering union of the 20th century". Robert (RJ as Reynolds called him) and Natalie quickly moved into a $150,000 mansion on Beverly Drive in Beverly Hills. He and Natalie were deeply in love and appeared to be the perfect couple, but were actually living on the edge and were strapped for cash. RJ was being overshadowed by new male leads like Marlon Brando and Paul Newman. Natalie was placed on a 14-month suspension with Warner Bros. for refusing to do a movie in England.

These problems led them to divorce on April 27, 1962. He took the divorce hard. Trying to escape his pain he went to Europe to make the movie The Longest Day (1962). In Europe, he met with his old friend Marion Marshall. They married in 1963 and had a daughter, Kate, but the marriage was short-lived. In 1968 he reluctantly went into television to star in "It Takes a Thief" (1968) (later he would say it was the right move). By 1969 he was thriving professionally, but his personal life wasn't. He was still in love with Natalie and kept in touch with her. However, she had married British producer Richard Gregson and they had a daughter, Natasha. In 1971 Natalie and RJ saw each other by accident in a restaurant and suddenly the old magic was back. Natalie divorced Gregson and RJ and Natalie remarried June 16, 1972, on their yacht "Splendour". In 1974 they had a daughter, Courtney Brooke. Their second marriage was full of love and happiness. They were a real family and loved raising their three daughters, Kate, Natasha and Courtney.

Wagner went on to a succession of successful television series ("Switch" (1975), "Hart to Hart" (1979), and his professional and personal lives seemed to be right on track. Then on November 29, 1981 his life was shattered by the news that Natalie had fallen off of "Splendour" and drowned. He was devasted and unconsolable, but insisted on arranging a funeral to honor the love of his life. He spent the next ten years raising Natalie's and his daughters alone. It was 1991 when he married Jill St. John. To this day he finds it difficult to talk about Natalie's death.

Wagner has since revived his career with a recurring role as the eyepatch-wearing henchman Number Two to Mike Myers' sinister Dr. Evil in the "Austin Powers" series of spy spoofs and as the host of Fox Movie Channel's "Hour of Stars" (2002), which shows recently discovered and restored episodes of the old TV anthology series "The 20th Century-Fox Hour" (1955), some of which Wagner himself had starred in.

Born in 1930, the young Robert Wagner left his hometown, Detroit, for the warmth of Hollywood and become an actor. In less than four years and ten films (including a Titanic in 1953 and a few with Richard Widmark), Robert Wagner won his first big role in Prince Vaillant of Henry Hathaway. He then filmed a dozen popular films, between westerns, thrillers and war films.

In 1963, it was discovered in a more relaxed register, in the pink panther of Blake Edwards. He turns a little more for cinema and then his choices will turn to television. He is the hero of a series for the first time in 1968, in It Takes a Thief, produced by Glen A. Larson. Later, they will rework together on Switch. Between the two collaborations, the actor will have participated in several TV movies and another series, Colditz. In the 1970s, he appeared in the cinema in large productions such as the hellish tower, the Battle of Midway or Airport: Concorde.

From the 1980s, the actor will play much less and over time, his reputation and prestige developed. Many young actors admire him and ask him to participate in their films. The most hilarious, and profitable case will remain its role as number two in the Austin Powers. We also saw him in The Player by Robert Altman, Dragon by Rob Cohen, sexcrimes alongside Kevin Bacon and Neve Campbell, head in the hats card with Melanie Griffith or the opponents with Woody Harrelson and Antonio Banderas. Between 1994 and 1996, he resumed the role of Jonathan Hart (which earned him 3 nominations at the Golden Globes) for seven TV movies. He is also famous for having married actress Natalie Wood twice.

Robert Wagner is an American actor known for his work in films, television and theater. He was born on February 10, 1930 in Detroit, Michigan, and grew up in Los Angeles, California. Wagner began his career in the 1950s and played in many popular films, such as "Le Kid de Cincinnati" and "Beauty and the Beast". He was also one of the first actors to play in the television series "The fourth dimension".

During his career, Wagner worked with many great directors, such as Alfred Hitchcock and Blake Edwards. He was also one of the most popular players in Hollywood in the 1950s and 1960s, thanks to his performances in films such as "Le Faucon Maltais" and "Le Pont de la Rivière Kwaï". Wagner also played in the successful television series "Les Incorruptibles" in the 1980s.

Apart from his acting career, Wagner is also known for his marriages with Natalie Wood and Jill St. John actresses. His marriage to Wood, in particular, was largely covered by the media, and the two were considered one of the most glamorous couples in Hollywood. Unfortunately, their relationship ended tragically in 1981 when Wood died in an accidental drowning while she was on a yacht with Wagner and other people.

Despite this tragic event, Wagner continued to work in the entertainment industry. He continued to play in movies and television series, and also wrote several books, including an autobiography entitled "Pieces of My Heart". In addition to his achievements in the entertainment world, Wagner was also involved in philanthropic causes and was rewarded for his contributions to the entertainment industry. Today, at the age of 91, Wagner continues to be active in the entertainment industry and is considered to be one of the most respected and loved players in Hollywood.

Photos

Filmography

Trivia

• Best known as Jonathan Hart on TV's "Hart to Hart" (1979).
• Made 4 movies with wife Natalie Wood All the Fine Young Cannibals (1960) The Affair (1973) (TV), Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1976) (TV), Hart to Hart (1979) (TV).
• He sued Aaron Spelling Productions for $20 million in June 2000, charging that he was cheated out of profits on the Fox series "Beverly Hills, 90210" (1990). He claimed that he was entitled to profits as part of a ten-year-old settlement between producer Aaron Spelling and Fox that gave Spelling the right to produce "90210" in exchange for "Angels 88," a never-produced series in which Wagner had a stake. According to the suit, the conflict dates back to 1973 when he and his wife, Natalie Wood, made a deal with Spelling to submit ideas for pilots to ABC. One idea that the couple submitted led to the show _"Charlie's Angels" (1975)_ . Following the terms of their deal, Spelling, Wagner and Wood equally shared profits from the series. In 1988 Spelling developed a new series, "Angels 88." According to the terms of their contract, Wagner was to receive 7.5% profit participation -- whether or not he rendered services. Fox committed to the series, without his knowledge, and then reneged, giving Spelling "90210" instead. Since Spelling was given "90210" in exchange for an asset in which Wagner had an interest, Wagner claimed that he is entitled to the same profit participation on "90210" as he had on "Angels." The suit alleges breach of contract and fraud and seeks 7.5% of gross profits from "90210" as well as damages of not less than $20 million.
• Due to the publication of a memoir by Lana Wood on her sister's life, Wagner refuses to speak and/or communicate with his late wife's family, after it was implied in the book that Wagner probably played a role in Natalie Wood's tragic drowning off the coast of Catalina Island in 1981. In spring 2000, a Vanity Fair cover shoot featuring all actresses playing Bond girls in every Bond film was broken up after an encounter by Lana Wood and Wagner's present-day wife Jill St. John got into a major argument on the set.
• Wagner's present-day wife, Jill St. John, starred in the James Bond film Diamonds Are Forever (1971) which also starred his late-wife's real-life sister, Lana Wood.
• After being submerged at one point in an industrial strength foaming agent during the bathtub scene in The Pink Panther (1963), went blind for four weeks.

Quotes

About his grief on wife's Natalie Wood's death (1988). "When Natalie died, I was embittered. I still get angry about it and I wonder why it had to happen. I have all those feelings of grief and anger that people who've lost someone they love always have. I had lived a charmed life, and then I lost a beautiful woman I loved with all my heart".

Family

• Spouse : Jill St. John (26 May 1990 - present), Natalie Wood (16 June 1972 - 29 November 1981) (her death) 1 child, Marion Marshall (22 July 1963 - 1970) 1 daughter, Natalie Wood (28 December 1957 - 27 April 1962) (divorced).
• Father of Katie Wagner (with Marion Marshall) and Courtney Brooke Wagner (with Natalie Wood).
• Step-father of Natalie's daughter, Natasha Gregson Wagner.

Author of the card

• Creation date: 01/07/2003 by stals
• Last update: 01/05/2007 by jcmitchdus