Robert Wagner celebrated his 36th wedding anniversary with wife Jill St John on Wednesday, sharing a rhapsodic Instagram message and a photo of himself kissing her cheek. The 96-year-old actor wrote: '36 years of love and laughter with my beautiful Jill. Happy Anniversary, my love.' The post drew congratulations from fans and celebrities, including Mia Farrow, who sent 'very much love.'
A Relationship Born from Tragedy
Wagner and St John began their romance just two months after the tragic death of Wagner's previous wife, actress Natalie Wood. Wood drowned after falling from Wagner's yacht, the Splendour, over Thanksgiving weekend in 1981. At the time, Wagner and Wood were married for the second time. Despite the shadow of that tragedy, Wagner and St John married in 1990, marking the fourth and longest-lasting marriage for both.
Early Connections
The couple first met as contract players at 20th Century Fox in the 1950s, but their paths crossed professionally in 1967 when they starred together in the TV film How I Spent My Summer Vacation, while Wagner was still married to actress Marion Marshall. Wagner is renowned for TV roles in Hart to Hart and Two and a Half Men, while St John is best known as the first American Bond girl in Diamonds Are Forever (1971).
Natalie Wood's Death and Aftermath
Wood's drowning at age 43 remains a subject of speculation. She had been drinking on the yacht with Wagner, actor Christopher Walken, and captain David Davern. Wagner admitted to a heated argument with Walken about Wood's career that evening. The case was reopened in 2011, and Wagner was named a person of interest in 2018 due to inconsistencies in his account and bruises found on Wood's body. However, the case was declared cold in 2022, officially clearing Wagner.
Family Dynamics
Wagner adopted Wood's daughter, Natasha Gregson, who now goes by Gregson Wagner and affectionately calls him 'Daddy Wagner.' In contrast, Wood's sister, Lana Wood, has had a strained relationship with Wagner. In 2016, she reportedly crashed an event honoring St John to demand Wagner speak to police about the reopened investigation.
St John's co-star in Diamonds Are Forever included Lana Wood, and the two women allegedly had overlapping affairs with Sean Connery, fueling a decades-long feud. Despite the complexities, Wagner and St John have built a lasting marriage, celebrating 36 years of love.
