Robert Wagner Biography

Soon, a talent scout noticed Wagner, and he made his debut in 'The Happy Years' in 1950, then he signed with 20th Century Fox. He played romantic leads with ease, but it wasn't until he took on the role of a shell-shocked war veteran, in 'With a Song in My Heart', that studio executives recognized his potential as a dramatic actor.

He went on to play the title roles in 'Prince Valiant' and 'The True Story of Jesse James', and then, in contrast, a cold-blooded murderer, in 'A Kiss Before Dying', in 1955.

In the early 1960s, however, Wagner suffered a series of personal and professional misfortunes. His marriage to actress Natalie Wood had dissolved, and his film career faltered after 'The Pink Panther' in 1964.

He made a respectable comeback as star of the light-hearted TV espionage series, 'It Takes a Thief', in 1968. For the rest of his career, Wagner enjoyed his greatest success on TV, most memorably opposite Stefanie Powers in the 1970s detective show, 'Hart to Hart'.

On the domestic front, Wagner was briefly married to actress Marion Marshall before remarrying Natalie Wood in 1972; after Wood's death in 1981, Wagner found lasting happiness with his third wife, Jill St. John, a long-time friend and co-worker.

Robert Wagner continued to successfully pursue a leading man career into his sixties; he has also launched a stage career, touring with his 'Hart to Hart' co-star, Stefanie Power, in the "readers' theatre" presentation, 'Love Letters'.

His film career received a revival through his role in Mike Myers's Austin Powers series with his role as Dr. Evil's henchman known only as Number 2 as well as becoming 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 2007, Wagner had a role in the BBC series Hustle, where he played a crooked Texan being taken for half a million dollars.