Robert Wagner celebrated his 96th birthday on Tuesday, marked by intimate photos shared by his stepdaughter, Natasha Gregson Wagner. The milestone arrives just three months after the 44th anniversary of the death of Wagner’s late wife, Natalie Wood, who tragically drowned in 1981.
A Legacy of Hollywood and Heartache
The enduring career of Robert Wagner is intertwined with both glittering success and profound personal loss.
- Robert Wagner turned 96 on Tuesday, February 11, 2026.
- His late wife, Natalie Wood, drowned off the coast of Catalina Island in 1981.
- Wagner’s career spans decades, from early films to the iconic television series “Hart to Hart.”
- Natasha Gregson Wagner has consistently defended her father amid speculation surrounding her mother’s death.
One photo, posted to Instagram Stories, showed Wagner blowing out candles on two birthday cakes surrounded by loved ones. Another captured him smiling at a restaurant believed to be Cache Cache in Aspen, Colorado, sporting a stylish hat. Seated beside him was his grandson, Riley, 19, the son of Wagner’s daughter Katie Wagner, 61, from his marriage to Marion Marshall.
Robert Wagner marked his 96th birthday on Tuesday in intimate photos shared by his stepdaughter, Natasha Gregson Wagner, 55; Seen with his grandson Riley
The “Hart to Hart” star completed his look with a colorful silk scarf. A touching photograph showed Wagner relaxing on a couch with Natasha, who sweetly kissed his head. Festivities included pool decorations with lights and displays of his initials, “RJ,” and the number 96.
A Look Back at Family and History
Natasha also shared a poignant throwback from 1972, featuring a young Natasha at London’s Heathrow Airport with Wagner, her mother Natalie, her half-sister Katie Wagner, and her maternal grandmother, Maria. A message was posted on Wagner’s Instagram account expressing gratitude for the outpouring of birthday wishes: “Hello everyone… Thank you so much for contributing to the Birthday Wishes!! I know RJ will be thrilled and honored when he reads the messages.”
A younger Wagner pictured emerging from a pool circa 1955
The celebration follows a somber three months after the anniversary of Natalie Wood’s death. She drowned off the coast of Catalina Island in November 1981, at the age of 43.
A Complicated Past
Wood and Wagner had a complex relationship. She first married film producer Richard Gregson in 1969, separating ten months after the birth of Natasha and divorcing in 1972. Wood then remarried Wagner in 1972, having been previously married from 1957 to 1962. Their daughter, Courtney, 51, was born on March 9, 1974. Wagner also shares daughter Katie with his former wife, Marion Marshall, whom he was married to from 1963 to 1971.
The 55-year-old posted the tribute to her stepfather just three months after the 44th anniversary of the passing of her mother — and Wagner’s late wife — Natalie Wood
Wagner’s career began in the 1950s with films like “The Happy Years” and “Teresa.” He gained prominence with the 1956 hit “A Kiss Before Dying” and later starred in “Winning” and the television series “The Streets of San Francisco.” However, he achieved widespread fame in 1979 as Jonathan Hart in the television series “Hart to Hart,” alongside Stefanie Powers.
In yet another photograph, he was pictured relaxing on the couch with Natasha giving him a sweet kiss on the head
“Hart to Hart,” created by Sidney Sheldon, followed the adventures of wealthy couple Jonathan and Jennifer Hart (Powers) as they solved mysteries. The show, which ran for 111 episodes until 1984, remains popular in syndication. Guest stars included Ray Milland, Capucine, Eve Arden, Tommy Lasorda, Tippi Hedren, Julie Newmar, and Robert Davi. Several spin-off movies followed.
Natasha also posted a poignant throwback from 1972, showing her as a young child at London’s Heathrow Airport alongside her stepfather, her mother Natalie, her half-sister Katie Wagner, and her maternal grandmother Maria
Wagner also found success in the 1997 film “Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery” opposite Mike Myers. He has been married to Jill St. John since 1990, following an eight-year courtship. The couple had known each other since the 1950s, with St. John being a friend to Wagner and his late wife, Wood.
Snapshots of the festivities also showed the pool area decked out with lights and large displays of the actor’s initials, RJ – for Robert John — and the number 96
Wood’s death occurred after she and Wagner were drinking with Christopher Walken, now 82, before she went to bed and then disappeared from their yacht, Splendour, off the coast of Catalina Island during Thanksgiving weekend in 1981. Wagner was considered a “person of interest” in the case but was never arrested. The coroner initially ruled the death an accidental drowning, but the death certificate was amended in 2011 to reflect “drowning and other undetermined factors.” Wagner was officially cleared as a person of interest in 2022.
Wagner was the star of Hart To Hart with Stefanie Powers; They are seen in a promo image
Natasha Gregson Wagner has consistently defended her father. In her 2020 book, “More Than Love, An Intimate Portrait of My Mother, Natalie Wood,” she wrote, “No one in my world questioned my dad’s love for my mom or his utter despair at her loss.” She added, “We can never know with complete certainty how my mother ended up in the water.” Natasha stated she focuses on her love for her mother, father, and family, emphasizing that her mother “was not a tragic, doomed person.”
Wood died in a mysterious boating accident in 1981. Wagner was officially cleared as a person of interest in 2022 and Natasha has fiercely defended him; Wood pictured with Wagner circa 1960
The star shockingly drowned to death after falling from a yacht off Catalina Island during Thanksgiving weekend; Wood and Wagner (left) on their boat Splendour, with captain Dennis Davern (right), just weeks before she died
In December, Wagner posted a photo from his 1957 wedding to Wood, expressing his enduring love: “66 years ago on December 28th 1957, Natalie was my girl and now she was my wife. Happy Anniversary, Nat. More than love.”
