Wende Wagner, also known as Wendy Wagner (December 6, 1941February 26, 1997) was an American actress best known for her roles in ''

The Green Hornet The Green Hornet is a superhero created in 1936 by George W. Trendle and Fran Striker, with input from radio director James Jewell. Since his 1930s radio debut, the character has appeared in numerous serialized dramas in a wide variety of med ...

'' and '' Rio Conchos''.

Life and career

Born to a U.S. Navy commander and swimming and diving coach father (John H. Wagner) and a mother (Rudy Arnold Wagner) who was a champion skier, Wagner grew up on Coronado Island in California and lived in nearly all the Continental United States with her family's various naval postings. While living in Coronado, California, with her family,

Billy Wilder Billy Wilder (; ; born Samuel Wilder; June 22, 1906 – March 27, 2002) was an Austrian-American filmmaker. His career in Hollywood spanned five decades, and he is regarded as one of the most brilliant and versatile filmmakers of Classic Holly ...

, then filming ''

Some Like It Hot ''Some Like It Hot'' is a 1959 American crime comedy film directed, produced and co-written by Billy Wilder. It stars Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon, with George Raft, Pat O'Brien, Joe E. Brown, Joan Shawlee, Grace Lee Whitne ...

'' (1959), saw Wagner swimming and offered her a

screen test A screen test is a method of determining the suitability of an actor or actress for performing on film or in a particular role. The performer is generally given a scene, or selected lines and actions, and instructed to perform in front of a came ...

. Her parents forbade it until she completed her senior year at Coronado High School. ''Some Like It Hot'' was filmed at the Hotel del Coronado as well as on the Coronado beaches. After graduating, she visited Wilder and did a screen test, but turned down a role in '' The Apartment'' (1960). Wagner travelled the world as a fashion model, then made her television debut in an episode of ''

Wagon Train ''Wagon Train'' is an American Western series that aired 8 seasons: first on the NBC television network (1957–1962), and then on ABC (1962–1965). ''Wagon Train'' debuted on September 18, 1957, and became number one in the Nielsen ratings ...

'' in 1959. While living in the

Bahamas The Bahamas (), officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the West Indies in the North Atlantic. It takes up 97% of the Lucayan Archipelago's land area and is home to 88% of the a ...

she became an underwater stunt double in the series '' Sea Hunt'' and ''

The Aquanauts ''The Aquanauts'' (later known as ''Malibu Run'') is an American adventure/drama series that aired on CBS in the 1960–1961 season. The series stars Keith Larsen, Jeremy Slate and Ron Ely, who later replaced Larsen on midseason. Synopsis The ...

''. She also doubled for Joanne Dru in underwater sequences in the 1960 film ''

September Storm ''September Storm'' is a 1960 American adventure film directed by Byron Haskin and starring Joanne Dru and Mark Stevens. Filmed in 3-D and DeLuxe Color and presented in CinemaScope, it is notable as the only U.S. feature film made in 3-D between ...

''. Wagner appeared on '' What's My Line'' in December 1960 as a "Stunt skindiver for television films." She married fellow underwater expert Courtney Brown, whom she had met while working on the shows. In addition to her scuba diving and swimming she was also a surfer. After having a daughter named Tiffany, she divorced Brown and became contracted to

20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Disn ...

. Her film career included roles in '' Rio Conchos'' (1964), '' Out of Sight'' (1966), ''

Destination Inner Space ''Destination Inner Space'' is a 1966 science fiction film produced by Earl Lyon, directed by Francis D. Lyon, written by Arthur C. Pierce, and stars Scott Brady, Gary Merrill, and Sheree North. The film was released to theaters in the US in M ...

'' (1966), ''

A Covenant with Death ''A Covenant with Death'' is a 1967 American legal drama film directed by Lamont Johnson (in his feature directorial debut), from a screenplay by Lawrence B. Marcus and Saul Levitt, based on the 1964 novel of the same name by Stephen Becker. The ...

'' (1967), '' Rosemary's Baby'' (1968) and '' Guns of the Magnificent Seven'' (1969). She married and divorced actor James Mitchum, son of

Robert Mitchum Robert Charles Durman Mitchum (August 6, 1917 – July 1, 1997) was an American actor. He rose to prominence with an Academy Award nomination for the Best Supporting Actor for ''The Story of G.I. Joe'' (1945), followed by his starring in ...

. Wagner was also friends with

Sharon Tate Sharon Marie Tate Polanski (January 24, 1943 – August 9, 1969) was an American actress and model. During the 1960s, she played small television roles before appearing in films and was regularly featured in fashion magazines as a model and cover ...

, with the two sharing an apartment for a while. page 3
/ref> In 1965, she appeared on '' Perry Mason'' as defendant Anona Gilbert in "The Case of the Feather Cloak." Wagner also made guest appearances in other television shows including '' Flipper,'' ''

Lassie Lassie is a fictional female Rough Collie dog and is featured in a short story by Eric Knight that was later expanded to a full-length novel called '' Lassie Come-Home''. Knight's portrayal of Lassie bears some features in common with another ...

,'' ''

Mannix ''Mannix'' is an American detective television series that ran from 1967 to 1975 on CBS. It was created by Richard Levinson and William Link, and developed by executive producer Bruce Geller. The title character, Joe Mannix, is a private in ...

'', and '' The Rookies''. During 1966–67, she had a regular role as Lenore "Casey" Case, the secretary to Britt Reid, on ''

''.Terrace, Vincent (2011). ''Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010''. McFarland & Company, Inc. . P. 417. Wagner lived in Malibu but lost her home and belongings in a fire. She was active with the Malibu Historical Society. Wagner died of cancer on February 26, 1997, at the age of 55. Her body was soon cremated and her ashes were scattered at the

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the conti ...

Filmography

References

External links

*
''Sea Hunt Trivia Guide, Wende Wagner''
fro
The Scuba Guy
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wagner, Wende 1941 births 1997 deaths American film actresses American television actresses American stunt performers Deaths from cancer in California People from New London, Connecticut People from Malibu, California 20th-century American actresses Mitchum family