A Look at Robert Wagner's Life in Photos as the Actor Celebrates His 96th Birthday Today
- - A Look at Robert Wagner's Life in Photos as the Actor Celebrates His 96th Birthday Today
Alex Apatoff, Beth Perry, Brendan LeFebruary 10, 2026 at 6:30 AM
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Robert Wagner circa 1955
Silver Screen Collection/Getty
Hollywood star Robert Wagner has had a remarkable seven-decade journey in the industry.
The actor, who celebrates his 96th birthday on Feb. 10, 2026, has been acting since the '50s, and he has starred in shows and franchises such as the mystery series Hart to Hart as well as the Austin Powers films. Through his television career, he has earned five Golden Globe nominations and one Emmy nomination.
Away from the screen, Wagner is most known for his marriage to Natalie Wood, who tragically drowned at age 43 while out on a boat in the Pacific Ocean with costar Christopher Walken and their longtime skipper, Dennis Davern. After his wife's death, the actor became the legal guardian of Wood's daughter Natasha Gregson, whom he raised alongside his two daughters Katie and Courtney.
Wagner later married Jill St. John in 1990 and the two have been together since.
As he turns 96, look back at Wagner's life and career in photos.
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Robert Wagner as a Child
Robert Wagner in 1934 Hulton Archive/Getty
Robert John Wagner Jr. was born on Feb. 10, 1930, in Detroit to former telephone operator Thelma Alvera and traveling salesman Robert Wagner Sr.
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Robert Wagner and His Sister
Mary Scott and Robert Wagner Robert Wagner/instagram
In an excerpt from his memoir, Pieces of My Heart, Wagner recalled his close relationship with his sister, who was four years older: "Mary Lou was the valedictorian of her class, but she wanted a quiet, domestic life, and she got it. She's a wonderful woman, with a totally different life than mine. She's had five children and numerous grandchildren. She's lived in the same house in Claremont for decades and doesn't venture out that much."
Mary died on March 4, 2023, at age 96.
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Robert Wagner's Early Career
Robert Wagner in 1955 Silver Screen Collection/Hulton Archive/Getty
The star's family moved to California when he was young, and he broke into acting in his late teens with an uncredited role in 1950's The Happy Years. By 1955, when this photo was taken, he embraced his teen heartthrob status. "I was a bobby-sox idol at that time," he told PEOPLE in 2008. "I had it made. I've always carried a little anxiety about my next step, but I was pretty secure then."
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Robert Wagner's First Marriage to Natalie Wood
Robert Wagner and Natalie Wood in 1957 Earl Leaf/ Michael Ochs Archives/Getty
In his memoirs, the actor says he dated many of Hollywood's most famous women (including Elizabeth Taylor and Joan Collins). He tied the knot with a teenage Natalie Wood in Scottsdale in 1956. "We were kids," he recalled to PEOPLE. "She was the first big love of my life."
The newlyweds looked like Hollywood royalty at the Academy Awards in 1957, just months after they had wed.
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Robert Wagner and Natalie Wood's Divorce
Natalie Wood and Robert Wagner Kobal/REX/Shutterstock
The couple (pictured in 1959) called it quits in 1961 and were officially divorced in 1962.
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Robert Wagner in 'The Pink Panther'
Claudia Cardinale, David Niven, Peter Sellers and Robert Wagner in 'The Pink Panther' Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty
The actor (on set in Rome with costars Claudia Cardinale, David Niven and Peter Sellers) had a starring role in the popular 1963 action comedy.
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Robert Wagner's Second Wife
Robert Wagner and Marion Marshall, circa 1965.
Hulton Archive/Getty
After his divorce, Wagner and actress Marion Marshall dated for several years before marrying in 1963. They had one daughter, Katie, and were together for about a decade before divorcing in 1971.
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Robert Wagner in 'It Takes a Thief'
Bette Davis and Robert Wagner Kobal/REX/Shutterstock
"My hair — that was the look in the early '70s," the actor recalled to PEOPLE of the shellacked look he sported in this late-'60s television series. "I loved Bette [Davis] dearly."
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Robert Wagner's Remarriage to Natalie Wood
Robert Wagner and Natalie Wood, circa 1972.
Silver Screen Collection/Getty
After his engagement to Tina Sinatra ended, Wagner and Wood reconnected and were married again in 1972 on a boat off the coast of Malibu. They had a daughter together, Courtney, and he raised Natasha, Wood's daughter from a previous relationship, after her death by drowning in 1981.
Wood's death was ruled an accident, but decades later, the investigation was reopened and Wagner was named a "person of interest." Natasha told PEOPLE the allegations were "outrageous" and painful for her family: "I know that if my mom had been in any kind of distress he would have given his life for her. I know that as well as I know my name."
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Robert Wagner Marries Jill St. John
Jill St. John and Robert Wagner in 1967 Silver Screen Collection/Getty
In 1982, the actor began dating an old friend and fellow actor, Jill St. John (pictured here with him in a 1967 publicity still for How I Spent My Summer Vacation). They dated for eight years before tying the knot in 1990.
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Robert Wagner in 'Hart to Hart'
Robert Wagner in 'Hart to Hart'
ABC Photo Archives/Disney/Getty
The star had a massive TV hit in Hart to Hart with Stefanie Powers, in which they played a glamorous married couple who often found themselves solving crimes. The writers "always wanted us to fight, but we resisted it," he recalled to PEOPLE.
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Robert Wagner and His Family
Katie Wagner, Jill St. John, Courtney Wagner, Robert Wagner and Natasha Gregnon Wagner Ron Galella/getty
In 1983, he, Jill and his daughters Katie, Courtney and Natasha — whom he became the legal guardian of after Woods' death — attended a Hart to Hart charity softball game.
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Robert Wagner in 'Austin Powers'
Robert Wagner and Mike Myers in 'Austin Powers International Man of Mystery' Mary Evans/Ronald Grant/Everett Collection
The actor enjoyed a career resurgence in the late 1990s with his role as Number 2 in the Austin Powers films. "One of the biggest breaks I ever got," he recalled to PEOPLE of his casting in the film alongside Mike Myers. "I was on [Saturday Night Live] with Mike, and he wrote the part for me."
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Robert Wagner on 'Two and a Half Men'
Robert Wagner and Charlie Sheen in 'Two and a Half Men' Mitchell Haddad/Kobal/Shutterstock
His Two and a Half Men character (seen with Charlie Sheen) died in bed with Jenny McCarthy's character, but "what a way to go!" he told PEOPLE.
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Robert Wagner and His Family
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For his 90th birthday in 2020, the star's children arranged a family portrait. Pictured alongside Wagner and St. John are Natasha Gregson Wagner and her daughter, Clover; Katie Wagner and her son, Riley; and Courtney Wagner.
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Robert Wagner and Jill St. John's Love Story
Robert Wagner and Jill St. John in 2017 Patrick McMullan/getty
The couple (pictured in 2017) were each other's fourth and longest marriage, and have acted together in six films and a theatrical production of Love Letters.
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Robert Wagner as a Grandfather
Robert Wagner with his kids and grandkids Robert Wagner/instagram
Wagner and St. John live most of the year in Aspen, and enjoy working and spending time with their family. "Happy Father's Day to Me. I am blessed to be a dad and grandfather to these incredible people," Wagner captioned this photo in 2020.
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Robert Wagner Today
Robert Wagner in October 2019
Amy Sussman/Getty
Though he has mostly stepped away from acting, the actor has written several memoirs and shares many memories and glimpses into his personal life on his Instagram.
For his 93rd birthday, Wagner shared a message to his fans via Instagram, thanking them for making his day "extra special."
"I'm here in Aspen, at my home, and I have all my girls with me and my son-in-law and my granddaughter…" he said. "It's been a wonderful birthday for me and you all have made it extra special, and I appreciate it so much. You're thinking of me in such a special way."
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
