Robert Wagner Reflects on Enduring Marriage to Jill St. John
The veteran actor shares insights into his long-term relationship as the anniversary of Natalie Wood's death approaches.
Robert Wagner, 96, has attributed the longevity of his marriage to actress Jill St. John, 86, to maintaining mutual interest and an active engagement with life and their relationship. His comments come weeks before the 45th anniversary of the mysterious death of his former wife, Natalie Wood.
Wagner told Entertainment Weekly that a key to a lasting relationship is finding one's partner to be an "interesting person." He and St. John first met as contract players at 20th Century Fox in the late 1950s. Their professional paths crossed again in 1967 when St. John appeared in the film "Banning," in which Wagner starred, and they also shared the screen in the television film "How I Spent My Summer Vacation."
Following Wood's death in November 1981, St. John reached out to Wagner with a sympathy card. The two began dating on Valentine's Day in 1982 and married in 1990. The couple relocated from Los Angeles to Aspen, Colorado, in 2007, where they have resided full-time.
Wagner frequently commemorates their milestones on social media. In April, he posted a photo of himself kissing St. John's cheek, captioning it: "36 years of love and laughter with my beautiful Jill. Happy Anniversary, my love." For St. John's 86th birthday in August, he shared a throwback photo and wrote, "Wishing the happiest of birthdays to my beautiful wife Jill. I'm so blessed to love you and to do life with you. Happy Birthday, beautiful."
Wagner has also honored Wood's daughter, Natasha Gregson Wagner, sharing a photo for her 56th birthday. He helped raise Natasha from a young age and legally adopted her after Wood's death. She affectionately refers to him as "Daddy Wagner."
Wagner has also shared tributes to Natalie Wood, marking past wedding anniversaries, including those from their 1957 and 1972 marriages.
Natalie Wood disappeared from the yacht Splendour on Thanksgiving weekend in 1981 while on an excursion with Wagner and Christopher Walken. Her body was recovered from the Pacific Ocean the following morning. Initially ruled an accidental drowning, the case was reopened in 2011 after the boat's captain, Dennis Davern, stated he had lied to investigators and that Wood and Wagner had argued before her disappearance. The coroner amended Wood's death certificate to list the cause as "undetermined," noting bruises and scratches on her body. Wagner was named a person of interest in 2018 but was later cleared of criminal involvement due to insufficient evidence.
