- Is portrayed by Michael Weatherly in The Mystery of Natalie Wood (2004). He later portrayed Anthony DiNozzo Sr., the father of Weatherly's character Tony DiNozzo, on NCIS (2003).
- His wife Jill St. John, his deceased former wife Natalie Wood, and his Hart to Hart (1979) co-star Stefanie Powers attended ballet classes together as youngsters.
- After being submerged at one point in an industrial-strength foaming agent during the bathtub scene in The Pink Panther (1963), he went blind for four weeks. The studio wanted him replaced, but director Blake Edwards stuck by him and he finished the picture.
- For many years, his bungalow at Universal Studios was a stop on their tour. He was an important star at the studio with a successful run of three television series. Lucille Ball, another star with a long run of success on television had the same bungalow and tour stop before Wagner.
- His wife Jill St. John starred in the James Bond film Diamonds Are Forever (1971), which also featured his late former wife's real-life sister, Lana Wood. During a Bond girl reunion photo shoot in September 1999 for Vanity Fair magazine, an altercation occurred between Wood and St. John when photographer Annie Leibovitz asked for a picture of them together. Reportedly, St. John was so adamantly opposed to the idea that it made Wood cry. However, the couple's publicist Alan Nierob said it was he who vetoed the photo because Wagner would prefer his present wife not be shot with his ex-sister-in-law.
- Has made seven films with wife Jill St. John: Banning (1967), How I Spent My Summer Vacation (1967), Around the World in 80 Days (1989), The Player (1992), Something to Believe In (1998), The Calling (2002) and Northpole (2014). On television, she guest-starred in the pilot episode of his series Hart to Hart (1979) and they made a joint guest appearance on Seinfeld (1989).
- Sued Aaron Spelling Productions for $20 million in June 2000, charging that he was cheated out of profits on the Fox soap opera Beverly Hills, 90210 (1990). He claimed that he was entitled to profits as part of a ten-year-old settlement between producer Aaron Spelling and Fox that gave Spelling the right to produce "Beverly Hills, 90210" in exchange for "Angels 88", a never-produced series in which Wagner had a stake. According to the suit, the conflict dates back to 1973 when he and his then wife, Natalie Wood, made a deal with Spelling to submit ideas for pilots to ABC. One idea that the couple submitted led to the action series Charlie's Angels (1976). Following the terms of their deal, Spelling, Wagner and Wood equally shared profits from the series. In 1988 Spelling developed a new series, "Angels 88". According to the terms of their contract, Wagner was to receive 7.5% profit participation--whether or not he rendered services. Fox committed to the series, without his knowledge, and then reneged, giving Spelling "Beverly Hills, 90210" instead. Since Spelling was given "Beverly Hills, 90210" in exchange for an asset in which Wagner had an interest, Wagner claimed that he is entitled to the same profit participation on "Beverly Hills, 90210" as he had on "Angels 88". The suit alleges breach of contract and fraud and seeks 7.5% of gross profits from "Beverly Hills, 90210" as well as damages of not less than $20 million.
- Recently sold the Brentwood ranchette he's shared with Jill St. John since 1983 for $14 million and moved to Aspen, Colorado. (August 2007)
- Father of Katie Wagner (b. 1964) with Marion Marshall and Courtney Wagner (b. 1974) with Natalie Wood.
- Says in his autobiography that he had a four-year relationship with Barbara Stanwyck, who was 23 years older than him. He said she was his first great love and that she gave him more than any woman in his life.
- When he was seven his family moved to Los Angeles, where he attended military academies and The Harvard School.
- In mid-October 1981, Wagner reportedly made a string of telephone calls to the Los Angeles/Long Beach Coast Guard base in San Pedro, CA, to find out about search and rescue procedures.
- Cooperated with Gavin Lambert (author of the novel and screenplay Inside Daisy Clover (1965) that starred Wagner's late wife Natalie Wood) on Lambert's biography "Natalie Wood" (2004). A friend of Wood's, Lambert believed that her memory was sullied by the tabloid headlines generated by her tragic death, with the result that no one remembers his friend as a human being, so he wrote the book to correct the public's misconceptions about her. It should be noted that Lambert's book is fraught with chronological errors regarding Wood's parents' backgrounds, as he subtracts four years off her mother Maria Gurdin's date of birth and misstates that Maria married her first husband Alex Tatuloff in 1928 instead of 1925.
- For a brief period in the early 1970s, while he was engaged to Tina Sinatra, her father Frank Sinatra was dating Jill St. John. Had both couples made it to the altar, Jill would have been R.J.'s stepmother-in-law.
- In his memoirs, he revealed he had affairs with Yvonne De Carlo, Joan Crawford, Elizabeth Taylor, Anita Ekberg, Shirley Anne Field, Lori Nelson and Joan Collins.
- The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department reopened its investigation into Natalie Wood's death in November 2011, following statements made by the captain of the yacht Wood disappeared from the night she drowned, Dennis Davern. Lana Wood and Marti Rulli maintain that the investigation is ongoing as of 2017. In May 2022, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department officially cleared Wagner and stated there was no evidence of wrongdoing.
- Engaged to Tina Sinatra (June 1970-January 1972).
- Has appeared with Jeffrey Hunter in six films: The Frogmen (1951), White Feather (1955), A Kiss Before Dying (1956), The True Story of Jesse James (1957), In Love and War (1958) and The Longest Day (1962).
- Was the first choice for the role of Guy Woodhouse in Rosemary's Baby (1968), which he had to turn down when Paramount Pictures refused to accommodate his scheduling conflicts with It Takes a Thief (1968). The role went to John Cassavetes.
- On September 21, 2006, he became a grandfather for the first time when his daughter Katie Wagner gave birth to her son, Riley John.
- Though the double surname suggests otherwise, he never legally adopted ex-stepdaughter Natasha Gregson Wagner.
- His marriage to Jill St. John has lasted longer than all six of their previous marriages combined. She was divorced three times before they married, while Wagner was divorced twice and widowered once.
- Tells in his biography that when he was in Paris for the shooting of The Longest Day (1962), he made a mistake when, one night, he was about to get back to his hotel. He was drunk and grabbed the man at the desk because the employee did not recognize him. Turned out that he walked into the wrong hotel.
- His first acting break came when one of his friends took him to Warner Bros. to meet the head of casting. After an interview and a reading, he was told that the studio would use him in two or three small roles coming up in the near future. Two days later a strike postponed all production plans.
- He was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Television at 7021 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California on July 16, 2002.
- His paternal grandparents were German and his maternal grandparents were Norwegian.
- In 2021, his former Brentwood ranch was put on the market for $10 million, $2 million less than what he got for it in 2007. The subsequent owner, video game heiress Rita Kogan, who died in 2019, never moved in and allowed the property to remain vacant for nearly 12 years.
- JS International Inc. dismantled his former 55-foot yacht "Splendour" and demolished her. (January 2020)
- Lt. Hugo Reynaga announced that the LACSD has cleared Wagner in its investigation into the death of Natalie Wood. (May 27, 2022)
- As of 2018, has appeared in two films that were nominated for the Best Picture Academy Award: The Longest Day (1962) and The Towering Inferno (1974).
- Best known by the public for his role as Jonathan Hart on Hart to Hart (1979).
- Longtime publicist is Alan Nierob.
- Has appeared with Debra Paget in three films: Stars and Stripes Forever (1952), Prince Valiant (1954) and White Feather (1955); and Faye Dunaway in three films: The Towering Inferno (1974), The Calling (2002) and El padrino (2004).
- Graduated from Santa Monica (CA) High School as Senior Class President.
- Has four "surrogate" grandchildren: Cooper Mount (ex-stepson of Wagner's ex-stepson Joshua Donen), Oliver and Felix Watson (stepsons of Wagner's ex-stepdaughter Natasha Gregson Wagner), and Clover Watson (daughter of Natasha and Barry Watson). Katie Wagner's son Riley is his only biological grandchild. His daughter Courtney Wagner has never married and has no children.
- He and Marion Marshall were engaged for two years before they married in 1963.
- His mother was born in La Crosse, Wisconsin; coincidentally, La Crosse is also the birthplace of Harold Finstad, father of Wagner's longtime nemesis Suzanne Finstad.
- Is mentioned in the sitcom episode The Robbery (1990).
- Robert owns the film production company R J Productions.
- Has known wife Jill St. John since 1959. They've been a couple since February 14, 1982 - eight years before their wedding.
- Ex-brother-in-law of Richard Smedley.
- Ex-stepfather of Peter Donen and Joshua Donen.
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