Robert Wagner (actor)

Robert John Wagner Jr. (born February 10, 1930) is an American actor of stage, screen, and television. He is known for starring in the television shows '' It Takes a Thief'' (1968–1970), ''Switch'' (1975–1978), and ''Hart to Hart'' (1979–1984). He later had a recurring role as Teddy Leopold in the TV sitcom ''Two and a Half Men'' (2007–2008) and made twelve guest appearances (2010–2019) as Anthony DiNozzo Sr. in the police procedural '' NCIS''.

In films, Wagner is known for his role as Number 2 in the ''Austin Powers'' trilogy of films (1997, 1999, 2002), as well as for '' A Kiss Before Dying'' (1956), ''The Pink Panther'' (1963), '' Harper'' (1966), ''The Towering Inferno'' (1974), '' The Concorde ... Airport '79'' (1979) and many more.

Early life

Wagner was born on February 10, 1930, in Detroit, Michigan. He is the son of Hazel Alvera ('' née'' Boe), a telephone operator, and Robert John Wagner, a travelling salesman who worked for the Ford Motor Company. Robert Wagner's paternal grandparents were from Germany.

Career

20th Century Fox and Columbia Pictures

Wagner became interested in acting, and after an unsuccessful screen test directed by Fred Zinnemann for his film ''Teresa'' (1951), was represented by Albert R. Broccoli. He made his uncredited film debut in ''The Happy Years'' (1950); was signed by agent Henry Willson and put under contract with 20th Century Fox.

"I started off as an ingenue", recalled Wagner. "I was 19 years old. I was the boy next door. But you always felt you could work your way up, that you could have a better part in the next picture. ead of FoxDarryl Zanuck was always placing me in different positions."

Wagner's first film for Fox was '' Halls of Montezuma'' (1951) a World War II film. Wagner had a supporting role, with Richard Widmark as the star. The studio then had him perform a similar function in another war movie, ''The Frogmen'' (1951), again with Widmark; the cast also included another young male under contract to the studio, Jeffrey Hunter, with whom Wagner would often work. '' Let's Make It Legal'' (1951) was a comedy where Wagner again supported an older star, in this case Claudette Colbert.

Wagner first gained significant attention with a small but showy part as a shell-shocked soldier in '' With a Song in My Heart'' (1952).

"You were part of 20th Century Fox", he said. "You felt proud of being part of the organization. When I wasn't working, I was on the road, going out and selling movies or dancing on the stage and meeting the public. They never let you rest."

Fox started to give Wagner better roles. He was the romantic male lead in ''Stars and Stripes Forever'' (1952), a biopic about John Philip Sousa starring Clifton Webb. He supported James Cagney and Dan Dailey in John Ford's version of '' What Price Glory'' (1952) and supported Webb again in ''Titanic'' (1953). He was in a minor Western, '' The Silver Whip'' (1953) with Rory Calhoun.

Leading man

Fox gave Wagner his first starring role in '' Beneath the 12-Mile Reef'' (1953). Reviews were poor but the movie was only the third ever to be shot in CinemaScope and was a big hit.

Also popular was a Western, ''Broken Lance'' (1954), where Wagner supported Spencer Tracy for director Edward Dmytryk, appearing as Tracy's son. Fox gave Wagner the lead in an expensive spectacular, ''Prince Valiant'' (1954). While popular, critical reception was poor and Wagner later joked his wig in the movie made him look like Jane Wyman. He was teamed with Jeffrey Hunter in a Western, ''White Feather'' (1955).

Wagner was borrowed by Paramount for ''The Mountain'' (1956), directed by Dmytryk, where Wagner was cast as Spencer Tracy's brother, having played his son just two years earlier in the same director's ''Broken Lance''. He received more critical acclaim for the lead in '' A Kiss Before Dying'' (1956), from the novel by Ira Levin; it was made for Crown Productions, a company of Darryl F. Zanuck's brother in law (the leads were all under contract to Fox) and released through United Artists.

Back at Fox Wagner was in '' Between Heaven and Hell'' (1956), a war movie, and ''The True Story of Jesse James'' (1957), playing the leading role for director Nicholas Ray ( Jeffrey Hunter was Frank). Both movies were box office disappointments and it seemed Wagner was unable to make the transition to top-level star. This appeared confirmed when he was the lead in '' Stopover Tokyo'' (1957). In 1959, Wagner disparaged the film:

When I started at Fox in 1950 they were making sixty-five pictures a year. Now they're lucky if they make thirty. There was a chance to get some training in B pictures. Then TV struck. Everything went big and they started sticking me into Cinemascope spectacles. One day, smiling Joe Juvenile with no talent was doing a role intended for John Wayne. That was in a dog called ''Stopover Tokyo''. I've really had to work to keep up.

Wagner supported Robert Mitchum in a Korean War movie, '' The Hunters'' (1958), and appeared with a number of Fox contractees in a World War II drama, '' In Love and War'' (1958); the latter was a hit.

After a cameo in '' Mardi Gras'' (1958), Wagner supported Bing Crosby and Debbie Reynolds in '' Say One for Me'' (1959).

Trying to kick-start his career, Wagner appeared with his then-wife Natalie Wood (they married in 1957) in ''All the Fine Young Cannibals'' (1960), made for MGM. The film was a flop.

In January 1961, Wagner and Wood formed their own company, Rona Productions, named after the first two letters of both their first names. Rona signed a three-picture deal with Columbia pictures for Wagner's services, which was to start with ''Sail a Crooked Ship'' (1961) and '' The Interns''. He also had a deal to make one more film at Fox, which was to be ''Solo'', the story of a jazz drummer directed by Dick Powell, or '' The Comancheros'' with Gary Cooper.

Wagner made ''Sail a Crooked Ship'' but his part in ''The Interns'' went to James MacArthur. ''Solo'' was never made, and '' The Comancheros'' was made instead with John Wayne and Stuart Whitman. Wagner did make ''The War Lover'' (1962) with Steve McQueen that was filmed in England.

Europe

Wagner's first marriage to Wood had broken up, and he relocated to Europe. He had a small role in '' The Longest Day'' (1962), produced by Daryl Zanuck for Fox. He had a larger part in '' The Condemned of Altona'' (1962), a commercial and critical disappointment despite being directed by Vittorio de Sica and co-starring Sophia Loren.

Considerably more popular was ''The Pink Panther'' (1963), a massive hit, although Wagner's part was very much in support to those of David Niven, Capucine, Peter Sellers, and Claudia Cardinale. It was directed by Blake Edwards, who wanted Wagner for the lead in ''The Great Race'' (1965), but Jack L. Warner overruled him.

Return to Hollywood and Universal Pictures

His return to America found him playing in the theatre for the first time with the lead role in Mister Roberts for one week at a holiday resort just outside Chicago. The disciplines of the theatre were not his forte and Wagner was glad to be back in Hollywood to find a good supporting role in the modern-day private investigator hit, '' Harper'' (1966), starring Paul Newman.

Wagner signed with Universal Pictures in 1966, starring opposite future wife Jill St. John in the films '' How I Spent My Summer Vacation'', a made-for-TV movie released in the United Kingdom as ''Deadly Roulette'', and '' Banning'' (1967). He returned to Italy to make a caper film with Raquel Welch for MGM, '' The Biggest Bundle of Them All'' (1968), but it was not a success.

Television star

In 1967, Lew Wasserman of Universal convinced Wagner to make his television series debut in '' It Takes a Thief'' (1968–1970) on ABC-TV. ""I was opposed to doing ''Thief''", Wagner said later. "But Lew Wasserman said: 'I want you to be in TV Guide every week. This is your medium, you've got to try it, you'll be great.' Roland Kibbee wrote the part for me, and I would have missed all that if I hadn't listened to Lew."

While the success of ''The Pink Panther'' and ''Harper'' began Wagner's comeback, the successful two-and-a-half seasons of his first TV series completed it. In this series, he acted with Fred Astaire, who played his father. Wagner was a longtime friend of Astaire, having gone to school with Astaire's eldest son, Peter. Wagner's performance would earn him an Emmy nomination for Best TV Actor.

During the making of the series he made a film for Universal, the comedy '' Don't Just Stand There!'' (1968) with Mary Tyler Moore. It was not a success. More popular was '' Winning'' (1969), a racing car drama where Wagner supported Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward. He also guest-starred in '' The Name of the Game'' (1970).

Wagner's friend and agent Albert Broccoli suggested that he audition to play James Bond, but he decided it was not right for him.

Wagner appeared in the series pilot, '' City Beneath the Sea'' (1971), that was not picked up. The following year, he produced and cast himself opposite Bette Davis in the made-for-TV film ''Madame Sin'', which was theatrically released overseas as a feature film.

He was a regular in the BBC
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