A Bond Girl With Broken Dreams
When Jill St John landed the coveted role as Bond girl, Tiffany Case, the world seemed to be her oyster—but fate had another plan in store for her. Chillingly, what people remember her for is a decades-long scandal involving her last husband, a drowned film icon, and an enemy that just wouldn't go away.
1. She Had A Strange Pastime
Jill St John was born Jill Arlyn Oppenheim on August 19, 1940. Her father owned a restaurant, and her mother listed her career as “philanthropist”. While some girls her age played with dolls, Jill had a different pastime. She liked to play with money. In fact, one of her favorite toys was a cash register.
But there was also an artistic side to Jill.
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Wikimedia Commons
2. Her Mother Saw Greatness In Her
Jill's parents raised her in Encino, California, and it was there that she joined the Michael Panaieff Children’s Ballet Company. Her mother must have seen a great future for her daughter, as she would eventually instigate an important change, changing her daughter's surname from Oppenheim to St John.
But something strange happened at that dance school.
Studio Publicity, Wikimedia Commons
3. She Met Some Future Stars
Jill St John took flight at her dance school. There, she met two other young women who were also looking toward a career in show business. They were none other than Natalie Wood and Stefanie Powers. While all three women would end up being famous, there’s also one man who would become a central figure in each of their lives.
But before we broach that chapter of her story, Jill had to get her career started.
Unknown publicity photographer, Wikimedia Commons
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4. She Landed A Coveted Role
In addition to dancing, Jill St John got an early start on her acting career. She appeared on stage at the age of five in The Conspiracy. Two years later, she was on a children’s TV show called Sandy Dreams—and then she hit the jackpot. She was Missie Cratchit in the live TV broadcast of Charles Dickens’ The Christmas Carol.
Jill wasn’t even 10 years old yet, and she was heading for stardom.
Screenshot from Sandy Dreams, KTLA (1948–1951)
5. She Was A Genius
Jill St John continued as a child actor and eventually got her high school diploma from the Hollywood Professional School. She was just 14 when she graduated. The next year, she enrolled at UCLA. While 15 seems awfully young for attending college, there was a very good reason why. Jill had an impressive IQ of 162.
Clearly, she was extremely intelligent—but sadly, not smart enough to stay out of trouble.
Unknown authorUnknown author, Wikimedia Commons
6. She Made An Early Mistake
When Jill was still 16, she fell for a guy named Neil Dubin, whose family was rich from their linen company. She was so crazy about Dubin that she agreed to secretly go to Yuma, Arizona, for a quickie marriage. It was a recipe for disaster. This union was doomed, lasting less than a year. Even worse? Jill claimed that Dubin mistreated her.
It was time to put young love on the back burner—and focus on what actually mattered.
Unknown authorUnknown author, Wikimedia Commons
7. She Had It All
On paper, Jill seemed to have it all: looks, smarts, and a drive to succeed. Universal Pictures picked up on that and offered her a seven-year contract. She was 16 years old and earning $200 a week. Soon, she was appearing opposite John Saxon in the mildly successful musical, Summer Love.
To make it in show business, though, Jill was going to have to make a change.
De Carvalho Collection, Getty Images
8. She Wanted Bigger Roles
Even though she had signed a seven-year contract with Universal, just a couple of years later, she was signing with 20th Century Fox. This studio seemed more determined to turn Jill into a star. With Universal, she got what she later called “starlet parts”. She was always someone's daughter, niece, or girlfriend.
Jill was hungry for success—but she soon learned that "making it big" couldn't be boiled down to an exact science.
Unknown authorUnknown author, Wikimedia Commons
9. She Frolicked
One of Jill's first movies with Fox was Holiday for Lovers. Here she got to cavort around Brazil with the handsome Greek-American actor Nico Minardos, who at one time had allegedly lived with Marilyn Monroe. Unfortunately, the film was a total disappointment. Not only did it lose money, but critics also derided it as “silly”. To make matters worse, the one positive remark from critics was about Jill's co-star, Carol Lynley.
It seemed that Fox was having trouble turning Jill into a star.
Screenshot from Holiday for Lovers, 20th Century-Fox (1959)
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10. She Was In A Travesty
Next, Fox decided to try Jill St John in an adventure film. The Lost World was a big-budget adaptation of a novel by Arthur Conan Doyle. The title sounds familiar to the second Jurassic Park film. Well, this one also has dinosaurs, but they made them on the cheap by gluing fins onto iguanas. One critic called this film an "abominable travesty”.
Unfortunately, Jill's bad luck also seeped into her love life. Some would even call her next marriage a travesty.
Screenshot from The Lost World, 20th Century Fox (1960)
11. Oops She Did It Again
Jill's first marriage to a man with a rich family was a short-lived disaster. In 1960, she did it again. This time, the heir apparent was Lance Reventlow, whose mother was the heir to the FW Woolworth family. Like her first husband, Reventlow ridiculed her, reportedly calling her "stupid and incompetent" in public. He also tried to tempt her into doing dangerous sports. This marriage lasted just three years.
Once again, she put her marriage behind her and focused on what mattered: her career.
Los Angeles Times, Wikimedia Commons
12. She Took A Trip
Jill really dipped her toes into all the movie studios. Loaned out to Warner Bros, she joined the cast of The Roman Spring of Mrs Stone, starring Vivien Leigh and Warren Beatty. Jill may have thought she’d be getting a free trip to Italy. Sadly, Fox wanted to save money and filmed in England instead. To add insult to injury, the film was just another box office disappointment for Jill.
Time was running out.
Screenshot from The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone, Warner Bros. (1961)
13. She Was Typecast
In The Roman Spring of Mrs Stone, Jill had the not-so-difficult role of playing a young movie star who tempts a man away from his woman. In her next film—Tender is the Night—she plays a young movie star tempting a man away from his wife. Aside from the typecasting, there were two positive takeaways from this film.
Jill won this role over megastar Jane Fonda, and the film got some good reviews. Things were finally looking up.
14. She Got A Nod
Things for Jill really turned around the next year when she accepted a role in the comedy Come Blow Your Horn. Besides having a reported fling with crooner and costar Frank Sinatra, she received a nomination from the Golden Globes for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy.
Well, if Jill was going to do comedy, she may as well do it with the best of the best.
15. She Met Another Genius
In 1963, Jill appeared in Who’s Minding the Store?. Here she’s second billed to the star of the show, comedic actor extraordinaire Jerry Lewis. Lewis had built a reputation playing awkward, nerdish characters, and here, he was in his element. Jill thought that Lewis was a genius comic and eagerly anticipated working with him.
But things didn't go quite as planned.
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16. She Learned Her Lesson
Jill learned the hard way that you should never meet your heroes. It’s bound to be a disappointment. She never disclosed the details, but she clearly did not enjoy making the movie with Lewis. She called it "extremely unhappy and disappointing”. At least she could take what she learned from Lewis and apply it to her next role.
photographer:Maurice Seymour, Chicago., Wikimedia Commons
17. She Was In A Romp
Jill continued trying to make a career in comedy. In 1964, she appeared in the comedic romp Honeymoon Hotel. While this film features an early depiction of an interracial romance—Robert Goulet and Nancy Kwan—it didn't do anything to push Jill's career forward. Goulet's wife later called the film “a disaster.”
There were clouds brewing above Jill's work life, but even behind the scenes, the disasters kept coming.
18. She Was A Sugar Dater
In 1966, Jill ended up in court because of Henry Rosenfeld. This garment manufacturer had loaned her over $25,000. But there was a little problem. Jill refused to pay him back and claimed the money was a gift. She lost the case and had to pay the money back with interest. She also got a reputation as a “sugar dater”.
Next, Jill would take her newfound penchant for trouble to the small screen.
20th Century Fox, Wikimedia Commons
19. She Was His Side Kick
In 1966, Jill took on a role in the original Batman TV series. Here she played the moll to the infamous Riddler, famously played by Frank Gorshin. Jill was in the two opening episodes of Batman, and there was another first: She was the first character to lose her life on the series.
Next, she would meet the man of her future.
Screenshot from Batman, Greenway Productions/20th Century-Fox Television (1966–1968)
20. She Met A Future Love
Jill next appeared in the TV movie, How I Spent My Summer Vacation. Here, her romantic co-star was the oh-so-handsome Robert Wagner. Passions would erupt between these two, but not for a few years. Before that, she walked into marriage number three. This was with The Love Boat theme singer Jack Jones. This high-profile marriage lasted just over two years.
With three marriages under her belt, she was more than ready to take on an iconic seducer.
Twentieth Century-Fox, Wikimedia Commons
21. She Wasn’t On The List
In the history of women playing Bond girls in 007 movies, there had never been an American one. At least until now. The people making Diamonds Are Forever wanted to go American and lined up the beauties of the era. To play the part of Tiffany Case, they considered Jane Fonda, Raquel Welch, and Faye Dunaway. However, Jill St John had already gotten the lesser role of Plenty O’Toole.
And then it all changed.
George Long, Wikimedia Commons
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22. She Took Home The Prize
Somehow, none of the hopefuls measured up, and the coveted role of Tiffany Case went to Jill. This was a real coup, as she would be the first American actor to play a Bond girl. To make sure everyone knew she was American, the writers and director made her "argumentative, abrasive, loud, and brash”.
The woman who took Jill St John’s original role was Lana Wood. But things were about to get very messy between these two women.
Larry Ellis Collection, Getty Images
23. She Had To Share Him
While working on Diamonds Are Forever, Jill began a casual relationship with Bond himself, Sean Connery. The thing was, Connery also started dating another co-star, Lana Wood. Obviously, the two didn’t like sharing the lead—and ridiculously handsome—actor. And, as fate would have it, this animosity would turn into a full-on feud lasting decades.
United Artists, Wikimedia Commons
24. She Was Better Than Meh
The big question was how audiences would take to a non-British Bond girl. The results are not particularly conclusive. Jill St John’s Tiffany Case hit the number nine spot on The 25 Best Bond Girls compiled by Moviefone. Men’s Journal saw her as the 11th of all time. Not bad, but not excellent.
The real question was whether Jill could turn her Bond girl role into a top-billed career.
Larry Ellis Collection, Getty Images
25. She Needed A Break
After playing the literal sitting target in the British film Sitting Target, Jill needed a break. She’d made her Bond film and Sitting Target back to back, and she had no energy left. But after taking a rest, she did something strange. She didn't follow up her plum role in Diamonds Are Forever with more feature films.
She pivoted to television.
ullstein bild Dtl., Getty Images
26. She Wanted To Be A “Starr”
Well, Jill didn't just do any TV that they threw at her. She was a star, and she had demands. At this time, there was a popular comic strip called Brenda Starr, Reporter. Jill liked the glamorous tales of adventure and wanted to star in the TV movie, Brenda Starr. The result was a pilot for a series that went...nowhere.
Somehow, she had even farther to fall.
Screenshot from Brenda Starr, David L. Wolper Productions/ABC (1976)
27. She Did The Rounds
In the 1970s, Jill did the usual rounds of guest appearances on the popular shows of the day. These included The Love Boat, Magnum PI, Fantasy Island, and Vega$. But fate had an uncanny twist in store for her. When she stepped on the set of Hart to Hart, Jill met up with Robert Wagner, whom she’d worked with 10 years ago.
But Wagner’s co-star was someone else she probably recognized.
Screenshot from The Love Boat, Aaron Spelling Productions/ABC (1977–1986)
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28. It Was A Strange Reunion
On Hart to Hart, Wagner’s co-star was Stefanie Powers. Remember, Jill had met her back in dance class when she was just a teenager. The other woman she met at dance class was Natalie Wood, and at this time, she just happened to be married to Wagner. So, of the two women Jill met in that dance class, one was starring as his wife, and one was his actual wife.
It seemed that Jill was just a third wheel in this series of coincidences. But we’ll soon see how Jill was about to shake that up.
Screenshot from Hart to Hart, Sony Pictures Television (1979–1984)
29. She Did A Major Pivot
After doing the rounds on popular TV shows, Jill took a break in the early 1970s. She packed her bags and moved to Aspen, Colorado. She turned away from acting and focused on cooking. She pivoted her career into a "culinary personality” and even started a sweater business that focused on Angora wool.
But there was one thing in Aspen she couldn’t get.
30. She Disappeared For A Decade
Jill St John made herself scarce for a decade and would later refer to herself as a "mountain gal". But though she loved the outdoors and her peaceful lifestyle in Aspen, she never really got the lure of Hollywood out of her system. She later confessed, "I really don't have to work. But you know what? I got bored".
And so, after years away from the spotlight, she decided to return to acting. But if she was hoping for any kind of comeback, she was in for a rude awakening.
31. She Returned To Failures
Bored with life in Aspen, Jill returned to Hollywood, where she made it clear she wasn't there for the money. That’s a good thing, because her first two projects were TV failures. NBC didn’t want Two Guys from Muck once they’d seen it, and 20th Century Fox declined to pick up Rooster. It was a sad welcome back to Hollywood for Jill St John.
To restart her career, she’d have to take a major risk.
32. She Went Against The Grain
In 1982, Jill went against her typical roles and played a sadistic prison warden in The Concrete Jungle. This was also a huge genre shift for Jill, as it was a sketchy “woman in prison film”. Even stranger was the fact that the director and one of the actors worked in the ”adults only” film industry. Rotten Tomatoes gave this stinker a 14 percent.
But sadly, Jill's string of failures was just beginning.
Screenshot from The Concrete Jungle, Cannon Film Distributors (1982)
33. She Hit A Low
After these failed projects, Jill encountered more disappointment. Emerald Point NAS with Dennis Weaver was short-lived. Her part in the pilot for a show called Lime Street ended up getting completely cut out by the editor. So, things were not going well in her professional life.
But at the very least, something was developing in her personal life.
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34. She Was In His Orbit
It seemed that Jill St John and Robert Wagner had been orbiting around each other for decades. Back in the 1960s, they did two movies together. In the 1970s, she’d appeared in the series’ pilot for Hart to Hart. Nothing romantic ever happened, likely because Wagner already had a wife. This was Natalie Wood, one of the women Jill had met back at dance school.
When a tragedy occurred in 1981, Wagner was suddenly and unexpectedly single.
Screenshot from Hart to Hart, Sony Pictures Television (1979–1984)
35. She Caught Him On The Rebound
In November 1981, Wagner and Wood went on an infamous boating trip. Under very suspicious circumstances, Wood tragically drowned. While many fingers pointed to Wagner as the culprit, authorities called it an accident, and Wagner walked away a free man. Some saw it as suspicious when, less than three months after losing Wood, Wagner started dating Jill.
One person who didn't approve of this relationship was Natalie’s sister, Lana Wood.
Allan warren, Wikimedia Commons
36. She Reunited With An Enemy
Remember, during the filming of Diamonds Are Forever, Jill made an enemy of Lana Wood when they were both dating Sean Connery. Well, Lana Wood was Natalie Wood’s sister. She was still mourning the loss of her sibling when Wagner decided to start dating so soon. The fact that he was dating Jill reportedly added fuel to the fire.
This feud was on.
37. They Joined Forces
Jill and Wagner were not in Lana Wood's good books. But in 1989, the couple was basically unavoidable; they appeared together in the very popular mini series Around the World in 80 Days. The following year, they tied the knot. However, it wasn't until 1999 that Jill's legendary feud with Wood reared its ugly head once again.
38. She Flatly Refused
Things were already pretty icy between Jill St John and Lana Wood. Now remember, they had both appeared in the Bond film Diamonds Are Forever and had both dated Sean Connery. When Vanity Fair magazine wanted to do a Bond girl reunion photo shoot, both Jill and Wood received invitations. When the photographer asked the two of them to pose together, Jill refused to be in a picture with Wood.
But there is one photograph that shows things very differently.
Sunset Boulevard, Getty Images
39. They Looked Like Best Buds
Years later, a photograph surfaced of Jill St John and Lana Wood enjoying a pleasant moment during the filming of Diamonds Are Forever. In the photo, the two women look like best friends enjoying a chat. However, weirdly enough, Wood doesn't seem to remember this moment and has gone on record saying that the photo may even be fake.
So what’s truly behind Wood’s anger toward Jill and Wagner?
movie studio, Wikimedia Commons
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40. She Has Reason To Hate Them Both
The thing is, Wood has good reasons for despising both Jill and Wagner. She can hate Jill for the incident with Sean Connery, and for hooking up with her sister's widow so shortly after she passed. As far as Wagner goes, Wood’s fury focuses on the fact that she truly believes he was responsible for Natalie’s drowning.
Lana Wood also believes that Wagner blacklisted her in show business and thrashed her in the media. Meanwhile, Jill and Wagner continued to make films together.
41. They Flopped
If Wood was still seething with anger, at least she could take comfort in some of Jill and Wagner's failures. For instance, take the film, Something to Believe In, which was both a box office bust and a critical failure. It could not even find a company to distribute it in the US. But Jill wasn't about to give up just yet.
42. They Got Up On Stage
Love Letters is a play where two actors simply have to sit side by side and read fictional letters to the audience. Many actors have given this easy gig a try, including Christopher Walken and Mia Farrow. Having a real-life, and controversial, couple like Jill and Wagner perform must have drawn curious audience members in. Their performance turned into a national tour.
Next, they’d turn up on a sitcom favorite.
43. She Was In Yada Yada
In 1997, Jill and Wagner appeared as a married couple on Seinfeld. This was the famous "The Yada Yada" episode. Here, they play the surprisingly tall and attractive parents of the little person character, Mickey Abbott. Soon, Jill would run out of roles she could do with her husband and have to go it alone.
She was headed for failure again.
Screenshot from Seinfeld, Sony Pictures Television (1989–1998)
44. She Did Some Duds
Continuing on with Wagner, Jill appeared in two rather forgettable movies. Out There is about alien abductions, and The Trip is the story of a decades-long gay romance. Both films failed to create a stir, and Jill's roles were small. With these failures, it would take Jill more than a decade to want to do any acting again.
Screenshot from Out There, Showtime Networks (1995)
45. She Was Sweet And Inoffensive
In 2014, Jill and Wagner teamed up again in the ultimate roles for a Hallmark Christmas movie. In Northpole, they play Santa and Mrs Claus. This heartwarming film was neither panned nor praised by critics. One called it “sweet and inoffensive”. But there was something not-so-sweet coming her way.
Screenshot from Northpole, Hallmark Channel (2014)
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46. She Stormed In
In 2016, there was an event in Jill St John’s honor held in Palm Springs. Somehow, her enemy Lana Wood got wind of the event, and she stormed in with a vendetta. There were cameramen all over the place, and Wood wanted their attention. She had a chilling accusation to make.
Albert L. Ortega, Getty Images
47. She Got Used
What had prompted Wood to crash Jill's event was news about her sister's demise. The LA Coroner had changed their opinion about Natalie Wood’s last night on that boat with Wagner. Instead of an accidental drowning, they were calling it "drowning and other undetermined factors". Wood used Jill's event to level her ire at Wagner and accuse him with cameras rolling and an audience watching.
It seemed that this feud would never end.
48. Her Marriage Has Lasted
Despite the drama involving both Natalie and Lana Wood, Jill's marriage has lasted. Her other three attempts had not been successful in the least. Jill and Wagner are still married to this day. In fact, the length of this union has surpassed the length of her other three marriages and Wagner’s other three marriages combined.
But finding Mr Right had been an arduous process.
Albert L. Ortega, Getty Images
49. She Dated A Lot
When Jill was single, she didn’t hesitate to accept a date. Some of her many male suitors include Frank Sinatra, Jack Nicholson, Roman Polanski, Tom Selleck, and even Batman’s Adam West. Besides actors, she also dated politician Henry Kissinger, a plastic surgeon, and an Olympic ski champion.
But it’s pretty clear she ended up with the right guy.
50. He Was Her Dream Man
When asked the question about her dream dinner party guests, Jill St John took the chance to show off how well-read she was. Two of her companions at her fantasy dinner party would be high-brow writers Oscar Wilde and Dorothy Parker. Her third choice shows how deep her love goes: her third dinner guest would be her husband.
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Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30
