Pieces of My Heart - Robert Wagner

Robert Wagner (RJ) offers a very emotionally honest description of his life.  His loving relationship with Barbara Stanwyck changed him and made him a more complete person with a better perspective on life.  His two marriages to Natalie Wood both ended tragically but his second was the best part of his life.  David Niven Helped pull him out of his depression after his first divorce from Natalie and her tragic death from a boating accident.  It is unfortunate that David's second marriage was a poor fit with Roger Moore and RJ maintaining decorum after David's death.

Robert Wagner on his relationship with Barbara Stanwyck

After completing the biographies of Roger Moore and Tony Curtis this was an excellent third perspective on this era of film making.  The three men were friends although Tony and RJ had a brief falling out after Tony's public and messy divorce from Janet Leigh.  RJ turned down the part for James Bond when offered it by Mr. Broccoli and suggested that Roger Moore would be a good fit. 

RJ on his book

Jill St. John, Natalie Wood and Stephanie Powers were all in the same dance class together as children.  Jill's marriage to RJ is described very positively as she helps ground him and gives him excellent advice such as do not do Dancing with the Stars.  Stephanie and RJ had a good working relationship.  The TV series Hart to Hart was based on the relationship between Nick and Nora Charles in the Thin Man movies series.   RJ thought of it as an ideal marriage and wanted to portray that in the TV show.

The book, Pieces of My Heart: A Life is available at Amazon.com