Ever the Man About Town

Most working men heading into their 50th year in the same business would happily accept a gold watch and lose themselves on the golf links or in a Barcalounger. Not Robert Wagner, who instead continues to immerse himself in movie roles this past year ranging from the over-the-top spoof “Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me” to the surreal drama “Crazy in Alabama.”

Currently, Wagner is on screen in Ron Shelton’s boxing movie, “Play It to the Bone.” In a part Shelton wrote specifically for him, Wagner plays a slick casino mogul in whose facility a fight between Antonio Banderas and Woody Harrelson takes place. His character is as odious as a poisonous snake but also oozes alluring charm.

“I don’t want to be doing the same thing all the time,” Wagner says by telephone from New York City, where he’s just finished taping an appearance on “Live With Regis and Kathie Lee.” “I enjoy pushing the envelope a little bit. When I worked for Antonio [Banderas] in ‘Crazy in Alabama,’ I played a gay agent and I loved it,” he says.

Wagner’s film career began in 1950 as a 20th Century Fox contract player. He gradually built a livelihood within the studio system with small but significant parts in features such as “With a Song in My Heart” (1952), opposite Susan Hayward, and the occasional romantic role in movies such as “Titanic” (1953).

“I’ve always had a lot of enthusiasm, and I think that can be helpful,” says Wagner, who will celebrate his 70th birthday a week from today. “In this business they can take things out of you real fast, but if you have enthusiasm, that’s something they can’t take away.”

Wagner’s enthusiasm paid off as he grew into a full-fledged movie star. When he married Natalie Wood in 1957, the union was called “the most glittering of the 20th century” by the Hollywood film press of the time. But as the studio system faded, Wagner’s career took a surprising turn when he decided, on the advice of his then agent, Lew Wasserman, to at- tempt a risky crossover to the small screen with “It Takes a Thief” (1968-70) for ABC.

“I was opposed to doing ‘Thief,’ ” Wagner recalls. “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.”

The risk paid off.

Wagner ultimately enjoyed global success by playing cat burglar-espionage agent Alexander Mundy for three seasons and again with his popular turn as millionaire detective Jonathan Hart on “Hart to Hart” (1979-1984). Both roles crystallized Wagner’s image as the epitome of modern suavity.

‘A Strong Presence’ With Great Patience

But Wagner is willing to spoof that image, as he recently did in both of Mike Myers’ “Austin Powers” films, donning an eye patch for his role as the villainous No. 2 and taking orders from Dr. Evil.

Wagner admits, however, that the “Austin Powers” series and its penetration into the American consciousness caught him off guard. “ ‘Austin Powers’ came out of the blue,” he says. “Mike wrote the part for me after I appeared with him on ‘Saturday Night Live.’ Now I’ll go out to dinner and I’ll have 10 kids looking at me from 6 to 11 years old, and it’s fun. It’s opened a whole new world to me.”

In “Play It to the Bone,” Wagner gives his on-screen image yet another spin.

“I wanted him to be a villain no less charming than he is in real life,” says Shelton of Hank Goody, the character he wrote for Wagner. “I didn’t want him to play against type, I wanted to use his type.”

As for Wagner’s longevity as an actor, Shelton says: “Robert has such a strong and identifiable presence. When he comes on screen, everybody smiles and says: Robert Wagner. But he’s also a wonderful actor, or he wouldn’t have had such a long and rich career. I think his acting ability is often overlooked because he does have such a strong presence.”

On the set, Shelton describes Wagner as “completely and utterly prepared” and an inspiration to his fellow actors. “He’s been on thousands of sets and he helps pull it all together. If there was an actor struggling with a line, he would be very patient, where some veteran actors wouldn’t have been in very good spirits. A lot of young stars could learn from Robert how to be a star and a professional working actor at the same time.”

Among his favorite roles, Wagner counts Brick in the 1976 television version of “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,” opposite Natalie Wood and Laurence Olivier, as well as the thriller “This Gun for Hire,” (1991), also made for TV. Over the years, Wagner has appeared in such notable feature films as “The Longest Day” (1962), “The Pink Panther” (1963) and “Harper” (1966), opposite Paul Newman.

When asked if he has ever considered writing his autobiography, Wagner sighs heavily and says: “I’m getting to be the last one who is around. A lot of people are gone. I guess it could be interesting, but you know how it is in this business--they get hot on you, and if you are the flavor of the month, you can get something done.”

Business Interests Range From TV to Restaurant

Wagner has developed a savvy business sense, although he modestly assesses himself only as “sometimes” savvy, and owns a stake in “Charlie’s Angels,” both the original series and the upcoming movie remake, as well as “Hart to Hart.”

“I was told a long time ago that the only positive in this business is the negative,” Wagner explains. “Which means, if you can have an interest in the project, that is, if you can own a part of the negative, you can have some say in what is going on. You have a piece of the action. It’s a wonderful luxury to be more than a paid employee.”

Wagner also recently involved himself with the Clubhouse chain of restaurants in Costa Mesa and Oakbrook, Ill., along with fellow actor Kevin Costner and golf stars Jack Nicklaus and Fred Couples.

And, ever true to his roots in old Hollywood, Wagner again will host the annual Jimmy Stewart Marathon on April 9 that benefits St. John’s Medical Center’s Child and Family Development Center. “Stewart brought me into it,” says Wagner, “with the intent for me to carry the baton, so to speak. He was very close to the marathon. It meant a great deal to him.”

While he is a busy man, Wagner is quick to point out how proud he is of his children, as he eagerly relates the benefits of having a daughter--Natasha Gregson Wagner--who is also an actress. Gregson Wagner recently appeared as Bobbie Arnstein in “Hefner: Unauthorized” for the USA Network and has an upcoming role in Stephen Frears’ feature film “High Fidelity,” which also stars John Cusack.

“We talk a lot about our work,” Wagner says of Gregson Wagner. “All actors are always wanting help and are thinking of what can be done or can’t be done. Who can better give you advice than your own family? It’s hard to get a really straight answer out of somebody, but you can take the criticism better if it comes from somebody who cares for you.”

Wagner has three daughters: Kate Wagner (an on-air personality with “TV Guide”), a cable TV entertainment guide, from his marriage to Marion Marshall; Gregson Wagner, the daughter of Richard Gregson and Natalie Wood, whom Wagner adopted; and Courtney Brooke Wagner, from his marriage to Natalie Wood.

After Wood died in 1981, Wagner raised the three girls by himself and 10 years later married actress and longtime friend Jill St. John. They share homes in Aspen, Colo., and Los Angeles, and sometimes tour the U.S. with a production of A.R. Gurney’s “Love Letters.”

While Wagner confesses he’s unsure what his next on-screen project will be, he does profess a strong interest in HBO’s “The Sopranos.”

“It’s the best TV I’ve ever seen. The characters are so well-defined. Man! Would I love to play a part in that!” he says, the wheels in his mind almost audibly churning. “Maybe that would work.”

Looking at Wagner’s career, it seems like it just might.