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Robert Wagner

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For other people named Robert Wagner, see Robert Wagner (disambiguation).
Robert Wagner
in Broken Lance (1954)
Born
Robert John Wagner

(1930-02-10) February 10, 1930 (age 94)
Detroit, Michigan, United States
Occupation(s)Actor, producer
Years active1950–present
Spouse(s)Natalie Wood (1957–62;
1972–81)
Marion Marshall (1963–71)
Jill St. John (1990–present)
AwardsBest Ensemble - Method Fest Film Festival
2007 Man in the Chair

Robert John Wagner (born February 10, 1930) is an American actor of stage, screen, and television.

A veteran of many films in the 1950s and 1960s, Wagner gained prominence in three American television series that spanned three decades: It Takes a Thief (1968–70), Switch (1975–78), and Hart to Hart (1979–84). In movies, Wagner is known for his role as Number Two in the Austin Powers films (1997, 1999, 2002). He also had a recurring role as Teddy Leopold on the TV sitcom Two and a Half Men.

Wagner's autobiography, Pieces of My Heart: A Life, written with author Scott Eyman, was published on September 23, 2008.

Early life and career

Wagner (right), with Jean Peters in the 1954 film Broken Lance

Born in Detroit, Michigan, the son of a steel executive,[1] Wagner made his film debut in The Happy Years (1950), but played minor characters in several military themed films until With a Song in My Heart (1952). His performance in this film, which starred Susan Hayward, led to a contract with 20th Century Fox. Wagner starred in a series of films including Beneath the 12-Mile Reef (1953) and Prince Valiant (1954), and White Feather (1955, with Debra Paget and Jeffrey Hunter), and was cast in smaller roles for A Kiss Before Dying (1956) and Between Heaven and Hell (1956).

Wagner appeared with veteran actor Clifton Webb in Stars and Stripes Forever (1952) and Titanic (1953). Wagner starred opposite Steve McQueen in The War Lover (1962). Roles soon followed in The Condemned of Altona and The Pink Panther.

Career rises

In 1967, Wagner signed with Universal Studios. In 1968, Lew Wasserman convinced Wagner to make his television series debut in It Takes a Thief. While the success of The Pink Panther and Harper began Wagner's comeback, the successful two and a half seasons of his first TV series completed it. In this series. he acted with Fred Astaire, who played his father. Astaire was a long-time friend of Wagner's, who had gone to school with Astaire's eldest son, Peter. Wagner was suggested to play James Bond after On Her Majesty's Secret Service was released.[2]

In 1972, he produced and cast himself opposite Bette Davis in the television movie Madame Sin, which was released in foreign markets as a feature film.[3] and was a regular in the BBC/Universal World War II prisoner-of-war drama Colditz until its end in 1974. He reunited with McQueen, along with Paul Newman and Faye Dunaway, in the disaster film The Towering Inferno released in the same year.

By the mid-1970s, Wagner's television career was at its peak with the television series Switch opposite Eddie Albert, after re-signing a contract with Universal Studios in 1974. Before Switch, Albert was a childhood hero of Wagner's, after watching the movie Brother Rat along with a few others. The friendship started in the early 1960s, where he also co-starred in a couple of Albert's movies. After the series' end, the two remained friends until Albert's death on May 26, 2005. Wagner spoke at his funeral, and gave a testimonial about his longtime friendship with him.

In part payment for starring together in the Aaron Spelling and Leonard Goldberg production of the TV movie The Affair Wagner and Wood were given a share in three TV series that the producers were developing for ABC.[4] Only one reached the screen, the very successful TV series Charlie's Angels for which Wagner and Wood had a 50% share, though Wagner was to spend many years in court arguing with Spelling and Goldberg over what was defined as profit.[5]

Wagner and Wood acted in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (as part of the UK television series Laurence Olivier Presents). Wood also made a small cameo appearance in the pilot episode of Wagner's own television series, Hart to Hart.

His third successful series was Hart to Hart, which co-starred Stefanie Powers. Before those roles, Wagner also made guest appearances in the pilot episode of The Streets of San Francisco. He would later be nominated for an Emmy Award for Best TV Actor for his performance in It Takes a Thief and for four Golden Globe awards for his role as Jonathan Hart in Hart to Hart.

Return to film and TV

Wagner's film career received a revival after his role in the Austin Powers series of spy spoofs starring Mike Myers. Wagner played Dr. Evil's henchman Number 2 in all three films: Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997), Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999) and Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002).

He also became the host of Fox Movie Channel's Hour of Stars, featuring original television episodes of The 20th Century-Fox Hour (1955), a series which Wagner had appeared on in his early days with the studio.

In 2005 Wagner became the television spokesman for the Senior Lending Network, a reverse mortgage lender and in 2010 began as a spokesman for the Guardian First Funding Group, also a reverse mortgage lender. As of June 2011, Guardian First Funding was acquired by Urban Financial Group, who continue to use Mr. Wagner as their spokesperson.[6][7]

In 2007, Wagner had a role in the BBC/AMC series Hustle. In its fourth season premiere, Wagner played a crooked Texan being taken for half a million dollars. As Wagner is considered "a suave icon of American caper television, including It Takes a Thief and Hart to Hart",[8] Robert Glenister (Hustle's fixer, Ash Morgan) commented that "to have one of the icons of that period involved is a great bonus for all of us".[8]

Wagner also played the pivotal role of President James Garfield in the comedy/horror film Netherbeast Incorporated (2007). The role was written with Wagner in mind. He had a recurring role of a rich suitor to the main characters' mother on the sitcom Two and a Half Men. His most recent appearances on the show were in May 2008.

On November 2, 2009, it was announced that Wagner would guest-star as Tony's father, Anthony DiNozzo Sr, in the 150th episode of NCIS, TVGuide.com has confirmed. Tony and his dad would reunite in the episode, which is slated for January.[9] Wagner would return for an encore appearance on NCIS on November 9, 2010 in an episode called "Broken Arrow".

Robert Wagner's radio and television career was recognized by the Pacific Pioneer Broadcasters on January 30, 2009 when they presented him with their Art Gilmore Career Achievement Award.

Wagner was set to star as Charlie in the 2011 reboot of Charlie's Angels, but due to scheduling conflicts had to exit the project.[10]

Personal life

Marriages and relationships

Wagner had a four-year romantic relationship with Barbara Stanwyck after they acted together in the movie Titanic.[11] Because of the age difference – he was 22, she was 45 – they kept the affair secret to avoid damage to their careers.[12]

At 27, Wagner became involved with teenage actress Natalie Wood and married her on December 28, 1957. The couple soon became involved in financial troubles.[citation needed] At Fox, Wagner's career was slowly being overtaken by actors such as Marlon Brando and Paul Newman. Wagner and Wood separated in September 1961 and divorced on April 27, 1962. Wagner, with his career stalled because of a lack of studio support, broke his studio contract with 20th Century Fox[13] and moved to Europe in search of better film roles.

While in Europe he met an old friend, actress Marion Marshall. In the spring of 1963, after a brief courtship, Wagner, Marshall, and her two children from her marriage to Stanley Donen moved back to America.[2] Wagner and Marshall married on July 22, 1963 in the Bronx Courthouse. Soon after, they had a daughter, Katie Wagner (born May 11, 1964). The two were together for nearly nine years before they separated in late 1970. They were divorced on April 26, 1971. He then had a relationship with Tina Sinatra in 1971.[2]

Wagner kept in contact with Natalie Wood, whose short-lived marriage to Richard Gregson ended in early 1972. Wagner remarried her on July 16, 1972. Their only child, Courtney Wagner, was born on March 9, 1974. On November 29, 1981, Wood drowned near their yacht Splendor while moored near Catalina Island with Wagner and Christopher Walken, who was co-starring with her in the motion picture Brainstorm. Wagner subsequently became the legal guardian of Wood's daughter Natasha Gregson. He is estranged from Natalie Wood's sister Lana Wood,[14] who claims Wagner refused to let her see her nieces after Natalie Wood's death.[15]

In early 1982, Wagner began a relationship with actress Jill St. John, who coincidentally was a childhood acquaintance of Natalie Wood and Wagner's Hart to Hart co-star Stefanie Powers, as well as starring alongside Natalie's sister Lana Wood in Diamonds Are Forever. The couple had first met years earlier on a film set when St. John was a teenager. After an eight-year courtship, they were married on May 26, 1990. On September 21, 2006, he became a first time grandfather when his daughter, Katie, gave birth to a son, Riley Wagner-Lewis.

Filmography

Selected roles on television

  • As himself in Jukebox Jury (1953)
  • Kenny Walsh in the episode "And God Created Vanity" in the NBC medical drama about psychiatry, The Eleventh Hour (1963)
  • Alexander Mundy in It Takes a Thief (1968–70)
  • Flight Lieutenant Phil Carrington on Colditz (1972–74)
  • Jonathan Hart in Hart to Hart (1979–1984)
  • Jack Gates in Delirious (1991) (uncredited)
  • Mickey Abbot's dad, Mr. Abbot, in Seinfeld episode "The Yada Yada" (1997)
  • Jack Fairfield in Hope & Faith (2003)
  • Alex Avery in the TV series Las Vegas episode "Cash Springs Eternal" (2006)
  • Barry Gold, in Boston Legal; two episodes in 2006.
  • Guest starred as Teddy, the boyfriend of Alan's and Charlie's mother, of Two and a Half Men (2007–08)
  • Guest starred twice as Anthony DiNozzo Sr. on NCIS (2010)
  • Narrated two episodes of The Jacques Cousteau Odyssey (1980–1982)

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Robert Wagner.
  1. ^ Robert Wagner Biography (1930-)
  2. ^ a b c Wagner, Robert (February 19, 2009). "I blamed myself for Natalie Wood's death: Robert Wagner on the night his wife disappeared". Daily Mail. {{cite news}}: Text "accessdate-2010-03-02" ignored (help)
  3. ^ Wagner. Page 216.
  4. ^ Wagner. Page 205.
  5. ^ Wagner. Page 208.
  6. ^ http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001822/bio
  7. ^ "Robert Wagner Becomes Spokesman for Senior Lending Network; Senior Lending Network To Embark on Nationwide Marketing Campaign". Business Wire. February 14, 2005.
  8. ^ a b http://www.cnn.com/2007/SHOWBIZ/TV/04/17/apontv.hustle.ap/index.html. {{cite news}}: Missing or empty |title= (help) [dead link]
  9. ^ Natalie Abrams. "NCIS: Robert Wagner to Play Tony's Dad". TVGuide.com.
  10. ^ http://insidetv.ew.com/2011/07/21/wanted-new-charlie-for-charlies-angels/]]. Retrieved May 20, 2011. {{cite news}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  11. ^ Wagner Page 58
  12. ^ Friedman, Roger (August 2, 2002). "Robert Wagner on Natalie Wood, 'Tadpoling' and Survival". Fox News.
  13. ^ Wagner. Page 145.
  14. ^ Wallace, David (October 18, 1983). "A Sister Remembers". People. Retrieved March 2, 2010.
  15. ^ Graham, Caroline (December 6, 2009). "LANA WOOD: Ever since my sister Natalie's death, Robert Wagner has never given me a straight answer". Daily Mail. {{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); External link in |accessdate= (help)

Further reading

  • Wagner, Robert (2008). Pieces of my Heart - A Life. New York: Harper Collins. pp. 324 pages. ISBN 978-0-06-137331-2.

External links

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