Immersed in the role of a “person of interest” in the mysterious demise of his wife, Natalie Wood, Robert Wagner’s dedicated daughter Natasha Gregson Wagner reveals her efforts to vindicate her father amidst years of painful speculation.
Known for his on-screen collaborations with legends like Raquel Welch, Paul Newman, and Debbie Reynolds, the now 93-year-old Robert Wagner graced popular TV series of the 1970s and 1980s, including “It Takes a Thief,” “Switch,” and “Hart to Hart.”
The actor, famous for portraying Dr. Evil in Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, recounts romantic entanglements with Hollywood’s hottest stars like Joan Crawford, Elizabeth Taylor, Joan Collins, and Barbara Stanwyck, the latter being 20 years his senior and met during the filming of Titanic (1953).
However, amidst these relationships, it was the dark-haired beauty Natalie Wood, Hollywood’s sweetheart, whom he had been engaged to since she was just 10, that truly captured his heart.
In a 1976 interview with People, Wood, known for her role as the rosy-cheeked child in Miracle on 34th Street, recalled, “I was 10 and he was 18 when I first saw him walking down a hall at 20th Century Fox. I turned to my mother and said, ‘I’m going to marry him.’” And indeed, she did marry him—not once but twice.
After marrying in 1957, divorcing in 1962, and spending 10 years apart, they remarried and had children with their respective spouses. Wagner and Wood reconnected in 1972, sharing a daughter, Courtney, born in 1974.
Tragically, Wood drowned in 1981 after an evening on a yacht with Wagner and actor Christopher Walken. The circumstances surrounding her death remain a mystery, and Wagner became the legal guardian of Natasha, who was 11 at the time.
Despite years of advised silence, Natasha, now 52, co-produced the 2020 HBO documentary “Natalie Wood: What Remains Behind,” determined to clear her father’s name. Wagner, now 90, affirmed, “She knows me, and she knows that I never would have done anything to hurt her mother.”
The case was officially closed in 2020, marking the end of the investigation into Wood’s death, which remains shrouded in mystery.
Wagner, a devoted and present father, shares glimpses of his family life on Instagram, honoring his children and grandchildren. Fans admire his classiness and express delight at witnessing his continued involvement as a parent, commending his devotion to his late wife and celebrating family milestones together.
