Robert Wagner and Jill St. John
Enjoying Life, Enjoying Each Other
Beverly Hills 213 - February, 2000
Robert Wagner has worked with everyone
from Lord Laurence Olivier to clown prince
Mike Myers. His wife, Jill St. John, has
enjoyed an equally exciting career,
playing opposite such luminaries
as Frank Sinatra, Sean Connery,
and Rod Steiger.
They don't take their success
for granted, however. As busy as
they are, as many interests as they
have, they keep everything in perspective.
"We have a lot of fun," says St.
John. "We travel a lot, our family
is healthy, we have a lot to be
grateful for."
Adds Wagner, "You don't want a
sense of entitlement."
Such a healthy attitude helps
them appreciate their lives that
much more.
"A real secret to living is knowing when things are good," says
St. John. "You don't want to look
back in hindsight and say, 'Those
were the good old days,' like you
didn't know when you had things
so good. You need to know that
things are good and enjoy your
life right now."
For this couple, enjoying life
means a lot of activity: riding
horses, skiing, fishing, golfing.
That, plus their busy performing
careers.
"Our lives are very, very active,"
says Wagner. "Just doing a lot of
things. We have a lot of interests.
We're very involved in several
charities - the Silver Lining
Ranch, which is a retreat for serously ill children,
and also the
Barbara Sinatra Center, where
we've been involved from the very
beginning."
In fact, their charitable involements go a long way
in explaining their approach to life."
"It might be a selfish thing,"
says Wagner, "but it makes you
feel better, at the end of the day
knowing you've done something
good.
"When you can do something
for someone in need, it helps you
more than it helps them. Its really
nice to be able to do these things.
We both have had a lot come at us
in life, and it's nice to be able to
give something back."
Adds St. John, "It's more that
giving back. It's a tradition in my
family. We were raised to help
those less fortunate. It comes naturally."
"We're not'do-gooders,'
though. We get a lot of fun out of
life. But our charitable work keeps
us balanced."
And while they enjoy the spotlight in their
professional lives, they tend to keep their private
lives as home - and family-oriented
as possible.
"We're active, but we're not'social,"' says St. John.
"We don't go
to a lot of parties, we're not 'on
the circuit', we do our own thing.
We travel a lot, we enjoy each
other, we've got our kids, the
dogs, the horses."
"We got a good'piece of it," says
Wagner. "We were dealt a good
hand."
After Darryl F Zanuck cast him
in a small role in With a Song in
My Heart, Wagner went on to act
with a Who's Who of Hollywood,
with Spencer Tracy, in Broken
Lance; with Elizabeth Taylor in
There Must Be a Pony; with Audrey
Hepburn in Love Among Thieves.
He was chosen by Olivier to
star with him in the television
adaptation of Tennessee Williams'
Pulitzer Prize-winning play Cat
on a Hot Tin Roof.
Those credits, plus his three hit
television series Hart to Hart,
Switch, and It Takes a Thief, have
established him as one of the most
recognizable names in show business.
Recent successes include the
two Austin Powers movies with
Mike Myers, Crazy in Alabama
(directed by Antonio Banderas),
and the recent release Play it to the
Bone.
He just completed work on No
Vacancy with Lolita Davidovich
and Christina Ricci, and on the
independent production The Kidnapping
of Chris Burden, a film
based on a true story, in which he
plays a performance artist who, in
his heyday had himself shot on
stage. He's also recently finished
production on Tiara Tango, a comedy
starring jean Smart.
"I enjoy working," says Wagner.
"At one point in my career, I got a
little overwhelmed, but I really
enjoy it. It's been good to me and
my family."
St. John, began her career at the age of four,
appearing in more than 1000 radio shows as a child.
Though she made pictures with
Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Vivian Leigh,
and Jerry Lewis, she is
best known for her turn as a Bond
girl in Diamonds Are Forever. Her
career highlights include more
than 30 films, countless TV,
shows, and two USO tours while
under contract to Bob Hope.
In addition, this self-confessed
"Foodie" spent three years cooking on Good Morning, America,
and also served as Food Editor for
USA Weekend. Random House
published The Jill St. John Cookbook, a compilation of her favorite
recipes in 1987, and she is currently writing three more.
Every now and then, she also
works with her husband, The two
regularly appear on stage throughout the country in a
production of
A.R. Gurney's play Love Letters,
including a sold-out three week
engagement at the Royal George
Theater in Chicago.
"I don't know another industry where you can travel, meet so many interesting people,
and go to so many interesting places," says St. John. "It's a
great life."
As great as their lives may be, however, they haven't lost an
appreciation for the little things that make life so worth living.
Says St. John, "We sit in bed and eat cookies just like anyone else."
-Peter Lefevre