Net Worth Ranker
What Is Robert Wagner’s Net Worth?
Robert Wagner, a celebrated American actor, boasts a net worth of $20 million. This figure represents the combined financial standing of Wagner and his wife, actress Jill St. John, who have been married for several decades. Wagner’s wealth is primarily derived from his extensive career in television and film, including prominent roles in series such as “It Takes a Thief,” “Switch,” and “Hart to Hart.”
Robert Wagner: Early Life and Career Beginnings
Robert John Wagner Jr. was born on February 10, 1930, in Detroit, Michigan. His mother, Hazel, worked as a telephone operator, while his father, Robert Sr., was a traveling salesman who amassed a small fortune by selling paint to the automotive industry and lacquer to Ford, used on their dashboards. When Robert Jr. was seven, the family relocated to Los Angeles, facilitated by his father’s successful career. The family built a custom home in Bel Air, overlooking the Bel Air Country Club, a project that took over a year to complete. Robert Jr. was sent to Hollywood Military Academy prior to the family move. He attended four military schools in Southern California, where many of his classmates were children of well-known actors. Wagner graduated from Saint Monica Catholic School in 1949.
In the 1950s, Wagner began his acting career as an extra. His uncredited film debut was in “The Happy Years” (1950). At the age of 20, he signed with Twentieth Century Fox. His first role for Fox was in the 1951 World War II film “Halls of Montezuma,” where he played a supporting role alongside Richard Widmark. He also played another supporting role in “The Frogmen” (1951), which also starred Richard Widmark. Wagner gained initial recognition for his portrayal of a shell-shocked soldier in “With a Song in My Heart” (1952). By 1953, he secured leading roles in films such as “Beneath the 12-Mile Reef,” “Prince Valiant,” and “A Kiss Before Dying”. In 1954, Wagner starred in the Western “Broken Lance.” In 1956, he was borrowed by Paramount for “The Mountain,” where he played Spencer Tracy’s brother. He starred in “Between Heaven and Hell” and “The True Story of Jesse James” for director Nicholas Ray. Both films were box office failures. In 1960, Wagner starred in then-wife Natalie Wood’s “All the Fine Young Cannibals”.
In 1961, Wagner and Wood established their own production company, Rona Productions. In 1962, Wagner starred in “The War Lover” with Steve McQueen, filmed in England. After his split with Wood, Wagner spent several years in Europe, appearing in “The Longest Day,” “The Condemned of Altona,” and “The Pink Panther”. From 1968 to 1970, he starred as Alexander Mundy in the hit series “To Catch a Thief” on ABC. In the mid-1970s, Wagner starred in another successful television series, “Switch”, as Pete Ryan. In the late 1970s, he starred in the “Hart to Hart” series. In the 1990s, Robert played Number 2 in the “Austin Powers” franchise.
Key Roles Contributing to Robert Wagner’s Net Worth
Wagner’s portrayal of Alexander Mundy in “It Takes a Thief” (1968-1970) was pivotal in reviving his career. As a suave art thief working for the government, Wagner brought charm and wit to the role, earning him an Emmy nomination for Best TV Actor. Although specific salary details from this era are not publicly available, the show’s popularity undoubtedly increased his market value. Similarly, his role as Pete Ryan in “Switch” (mid-70s) further solidified his status as a leading television actor. “Hart to Hart,” which ran from the late 1970s into the early 1980s, marked another high point in Wagner’s television career. Playing Jonathan Hart, a wealthy businessman and amateur detective, Wagner received four Golden Globe nominations for his performance. The success of “Hart to Hart” significantly boosted his income through salary, residuals, and potential profit participation.
Wagner’s roles in the “Austin Powers” franchise in the 1990s introduced him to a new generation of viewers and contributed to his ongoing earnings. His guest appearances on shows like “Seinfeld,” “Boston Legal,” “Two and a Half Men,” “Hustle,” and “NCIS” also added to his income. While the specific compensation for these guest roles varies, they reflect his continued presence in the entertainment industry and his ability to command fees based on his experience and reputation.
Real Estate Holdings: A Significant Component of Robert Wagner’s Net Worth
In 1983, Robert Wagner purchased a property in the Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles for $220,000. The property, spanning over one acre, originally served as the personal family residence of famed architect Cliff May, built in 1940. Wagner later acquired the adjacent property, creating a 1.6-acre compound with a large main house, guest house, tennis courts, and horse stables. He commissioned Cliff May to oversee a comprehensive renovation and expansion of the estate.
In August 2007, Wagner and St. John sold the Brentwood property for $14 million to Rita Hogan, an heiress to a Japanese video game empire, and her husband, Richard Edlund, an Oscar-winning cinematographer. However, Richard and Rita never occupied the house, which remained vacant for over 12 years. Following Rita’s death in 2019, the Wagner/St. John mansion was sold in January 2021 for $11 million. After selling the Brentwood mansion, Robert and Jill relocated to Aspen, Colorado, where they had owned a house since 1995. They also maintain a condo in Los Angeles.
Personal Life and Relationships
Wagner claimed in his memoirs to have had affairs with Joan Crawford, Elizabeth Taylor, Joan Collins, and other highly popular entertainers. He married Natalie Wood in December 1957, and they were divorced in 1962. Robert married Marion Marshall in July 1963 and had one daughter, Katie. They divorced in 1971. Wagner was engaged to Tina Sinatra from 1970 to 1972, and after they broke it off, Wagner rekindled his romance with Wood, and they remarried on July 16, 1972. They had a daughter, Courtney.
Natalie Wood died when she drowned near the yacht Splendour when it was moored near Catalina Island on November 29, 1981. Also on board were Wagner, Christopher Walken, and Dennis Davern, the captain of the Splendour. According to Wagner, when he went to bed, Wood was not there. The autopsy report revealed bruises on Wood’s body and arms and abrasions on her cheek, that her blood alcohol content was 0.14%, and that two types of medication, a motion sickness pill and a painkiller, were present. In his memoir “Pieces of My Heart,” Wagner said that he had had an argument with Wood before she disappeared. Two witnesses from a boat nearby stated they had heard a woman screaming for help during the night. The Los Angeles County coroner ruled her death an accident by drowning and hypothermia. The case was reopened in November 2011 when Davern, the captain of the boat, publicly stated that he had lied to police during the first investigation and that he had witnessed Wood and Wagner arguing that evening. He alleged that Wood had been flirting with Walken and that Wagner went into a jealous rage and that after Wood disappeared, Wagner had refused to let Davern turn on the searchlights and notify the authorities. Davern alleged that Wagner was responsible for Wood’s death. In February 2018, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department named Wagner as a person of interest in the investigation into Wood’s death. Robert has denied any involvement. After Natalie’s death, Wagner became the legal guardian of her then-11-year-old daughter, Natasha Gregson Wagner. A few months after Woods’ death, Wagner began dating actress Jill St. John. After eight years together, they married in 1990.
