Vibrant, personable redhead who debuted onstage at age five, followed with radio's "One Man's Family" for six years, and racked up over 1000 radio and 50 TV credits by the time she was 16. St. John moved into features in the late 1950s and for the next decade was, like Ann-Margret, Tuesday Weld and many others, frequently typecast in sexpot roles in light comedies and adventures. Despite her fresh, good-humored and relaxed presence, St. John frequently played second fiddle to other actresses. In "Come Blow Your Horn" (1963) it was Barbara Rush, and in "The Oscar" (1966) Elke Sommer. Exceptions included the zany Frank Tashlin-Jerry Lewis farce "Who's Minding the Store?" (1963) and "Tony Rome" (1967), a vehicle for an aging Frank Sinatra aiming to cash in on the James Bond craze.
The latter film may have pointed St. John in the right direction, for one of her most popular and enjoyable films, "Diamonds Are Forever", followed in 1971, with St. John proving herself one of the very best of the many "Bond girls". Her feature career did not pick up, however, and one of her last sizable roles cast her in middle age as a stern prison warden in "The Concrete Jungle" (1982). TV served her better: she was one of Bob Hope's most frequent guest stars, appearing on 11 of his specials between 1967 and 1983; she contributed human interests spots to "Good Morning, America" for a time; and her many TV-movies and miniseries included "Brenda Starr" (1976), "Rooster" (1982), and "Around the World in 80 Days" (1989). Married her longtime companion, actor Robert Wagner, in 1990.
Family
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Mother: Betty Lou Oppenheim. Died of leukemia in 1998 at age 85
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Step-daughter: Courtney Wagner. Born c. 1974; daughter of Robert Wagner and Natalie Wood
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Step-daughter: Katie Wagner. Born May 11, 1964; daughter of Marion Marshall and Robert Wagner
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Step-daughter: Natasha Gregson Wagner. Born Sept. 29, 1970; daughter of Richard Gregson and Natalie Wood; was legally adopted by actor Robert Wagner after Natalie Wood s death by drowning in 1981
Significant Others
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Companion: Henry Kissinger. special advisor to US President Nixon; US Secretary of State from 1973-77
Education
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University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
Milestones
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1945 Played Sharon Barbour on the network radio series, One Man s Family
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1945 Made stage deubt at age five
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1948 Made TV acting debut in A Christmas Carol
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1953 Made screen debut in a bit part in Thunder in the East
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1958 Film acting debut, Summer Love
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1960 Played first adult female lead in the dinosaur adventure remake, The Lost World
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1971 Cast as Bond girl, Tiffany Case in Diamonds Are Forever opposite Sean Connery
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1979 Appeared in the pilot episode for Hart to Hart (ABC) as Sylvia Maxwell
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1982 Returned to features after a ten-year absence to act in The Concrete Jungle
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1983 Played supporting role of Deanna Kincaid on the CBS drama series, Emerald Point, N.A.S.
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1992 Made a cameo appearance as herself in Robert Altman s The Player
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1997 Had a guest appearance on the Seinfeld (NBC) episode The Yada Yada
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2002 Portrayed Mary Oakley in The Trip
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Began making regular appearances on Bob Hope s many TV specials beginning in the mid-1960s