Robert Wagner's most memorable roles, from 'Hart to Hart' to 'Austin Powers'
Robert Wagner's birthday gave fans the perfect opportunity to look back at the acclaimed actor’s career.
Robert Wagner celebrated his 94th birthday with a night on the town with his wife, Jill St. John, and a reunion with his "Hart to Hart" co-star, Stefanie Powers.
On Feb. 10, Wagner’s birthday, the actor made a rare public appearance at the celebrity favorite Italian restaurant Giorgio Baldi in Santa Monica with St. John by his side.
Wagner wore a yellow sweater with a blue puffy vest accentuated with rainbow stripes, while St. John opted for a sleek black coat and a white, ruffle-collared shirt.
In a video shared on Wagner’s social media, the star toasted his friends and family.
ROBERT WAGNER'S MOST MEMORABLE ROLES, FROM 'HART TO HART' TO 'AUSTIN POWERS'
Jill St. John and Robert Wagner stepped out for his 94th birthday in Santa Monica Feb. 10. (JAST/BACKGRID)
"I have seen a lot of things in my life. A lot. But I’ll never forget this night. This has absolutely been wonderful for me. And I appreciate so much all of you coming, paying tribute to me and my birthday. It means a great deal. And I love you all," he told the gathered group.
After thanking his children, including Katie, from his marriage to Marion Marshall; Courtney, from his marriage to Natalie Wood; and his stepdaughter Natasha Gregson Wood (from Wood’s relationship with Richard Gregson), Wagner added, "I’ll never forget this night ever. It’ll always be in my heart, my soul, forever, and I thank you for being here."
He also gave a special shout-out to St. John, saying, "I’d like to make one more very special toast to the lady that I love so much and who made this party tonight and put this all together and brought us all together. I love you with all my heart [I love you]. I wouldn’t be here without you. Thank you all. Thanks so much!"
Wagner’s "Hart to Hart" co-star Stefanie Powers also shared birthday wishes on her social media.
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"Happy Birthday (2/10) to our dear Robert Wagner. 94 and still going strong!" she wrote in the caption of a photo of the pair, adding, "Our latest Hart to Hart moment."
The duo starred on the popular ABC series from 1979 until 1984, chronicling the globe-trotting adventures of wealthy couple Jonathan (Wagner) and Jennifer Hart (Powers), as they solved crimes as amateur detectives.
In a 2019 interview with the Daily Mail, Powers recalled, "We loved each other. We adored everything about each other — I’m talking about Jonathan and Jennifer. … It was a fantasy. An escapist romantic comedy adventure. We just had to keep that bubble in the air. … You didn’t have to worry about bad language or X-rated [scenes]. The whole family enjoyed it."
The co-stars have remained friends over the years, with Powers noting at the time, "We can push each other’s buttons today. We laugh all the time."
Wagner's "Hart to Hart" co-star Powers said the pair are still friends today, telling the Daily Mail, "We can push each other’s buttons today. We laugh all the time." (ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images)
During the early years of the show, both Wagner and Powers were in relationships. Wagner was married to Wood, and Powers was in a relationship with actor William Holden.
In November 1981, both Wood and Holden died. The "Rebel Without a Cause" actress drowned at age 43 while she was on a weekend sailing trip with Wagner. Holden, a known alcoholic, was found dead in his home at age 63 after tripping and gashing his head.
Powers told the Daily Mail it was a difficult time for both actors, saying, "That was a very, very tragic period."
She noted they relied on each other as they continued working on the show and managing their own grief.
Powers said she and Wagner "held each other up" after losing their spouses around the same time while starring in "Hart to Hart." (ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images)
"We were very close anyway," she explained. "We held each other up."
Wood’s death generated intense scrutiny of Wagner. He had been married to her twice, first from 1957 until 1962, and from 1972 until her death.
Years later, in 2018, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said Wagner was a "person of interest" in the case. The family was adamant that Wagner wouldn’t have harmed their mother in any way. In 2022, Wagner was cleared in the investigation.
Wagner still shares touching memories of his relationship with Wood.
ROBERT WAGNER'S REP CALLS CLAIMS HE WAS INVOLVED IN NATALIE WOOD'S DEATH 'DESPICABLE'
Wagner with Natalie Wood in 1981. She later drowned while on a sailing trip with her husband. (Bret Lundberg/Images/Getty Images)
In 2017, he told Fox News Digital, "You know, Natalie was such a special, marvelous woman, and we found each other twice in our lives. … How lucky I was. I just had such wonderful times with her. We have our daughter, and we were lucky to have that happen to us. She was just a marvelous, marvelous light. My light and the light for our children. She was just such a special person. … You know, so many people grew up with Nat. She was one of the most special women that I’ve ever met."
Following Wood’s death, Wagner rekindled a past friendship and eventual romance with Bond Girl St. John, who had been married three times before, first to Neil Dubin, then Lance Reventlow and Jack Jones.
St. John and Wagner reconnected in 1982, following the death of Natalie Wood, Wagner's wife and St. John's friend. (Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)
According to a 1982 People report, St. John had sent Wagner flowers and a note of condolence after Wood’s death, having known Wood since childhood and having been friends with Wagner when they worked at Fox Studios in the 1950s.
According to People, St. John and Wagner crossed paths at a party two months later, and St. John’s friend and business partner Jayne Smith told the outlet, "R.J.(Wagner) just started calling. They started dating and have been ever since. She’s really in love."
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The couple married in 1990 and revealed later that their first date was on Valentine's Day. (Albert L. Ortega/Getty Images)
The couple later married in 1990, the fourth marriage for both.
They’ve collaborated on several projects, beginning in 1967 with the film "How I Spent My Summer Vacation," and later cameos in 1992’s "The Player," and the infamous "Yada Yada" episode of "Seinfeld."
Wagner and St. John appeared in a 2010 YouTube cooking show, "Cooking with Anton Uhl," revealing their first date was on Valentine’s Day. "It’s the anniversary of our first date, which is decades ago, but it worked," she said at the time.
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The couple now spends most of their time in Aspen, with the occasional trip to Los Angeles.
Wagner often posts tributes to his wife on her birthday and their wedding anniversary, sharing photos and always referring to her as "my rock and my magic."
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