Jill St. John | |
|---|---|
 St. John,c. 1970s | |
| Born | Jill Arlyn Oppenheim (1940-08-19)August 19, 1940 (age 85) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1946–2014 |
| Spouses | |
| Relatives |
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Jill St. John (bornJill Arlyn Oppenheim; August 19, 1940) is an American retired actress. She is best known for playingTiffany Case, the first AmericanBond girl of theJames Bond franchise, in 1971'sDiamonds Are Forever. Additional performances in film includeHoliday for Lovers,The Lost World,Tender Is the Night,Come Blow Your Horn, for which she received aGolden Globe nomination,Who's Minding the Store?,Honeymoon Hotel,The Liquidator,The Oscar,Tony Rome,Sitting Target andThe Concrete Jungle.
On television, St. John has appeared in such top-rated shows asBatman,The Big Valley,Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In,Hart to Hart,Vega$,The Love Boat,Fantasy Island,Magnum, P.I. andSeinfeld. During her Hollywood heyday she was almost equally famous for her high-profile social life and frequent romantic associations with prominent public figures.[1] St. John is married to actorRobert Wagner and has known him since she was 18 years old. They share credits on nearly a dozen screen and stage productions, notably the miniseries remake ofAround the World in 80 Days.
St. John was born Jill Arlyn Oppenheim atQueen of Angels Hospital in Los Angeles on August 19, 1940, to Edward Oppenheim, a restaurateur from Brooklyn, and his philanthropist wife Betty (née Goldberg), from Philadelphia.[2][3][4] She has no siblings, but grew up with many cousins, her mother being one of eight surviving children and her father one of three.[5] St. John's parents married in 1934.[6] Her maternal grandparents were Russian, of partial Jewish descent, while her paternal great-great-grandparents emigrated fromHessen, Germany and Amsterdam.[7][8][9][10]
Raised inEncino, St. John was a member of the Michael Panaieff Children's Ballet Company withNatalie Wood andStefanie Powers;[11][12] all three would later marry or co-star with actor Robert Wagner. As a young girl, St. John says she never played with dolls, instead preferring a toy cash register and money.[5] When she was 13 and had already been working for several years, herstage mother Betty changed Jill's last name from Oppenheim to the more marketable St. John.[13]
St. John made her stage debut at age five inThe Conspiracy at Geller's Theater Workshop on January 31, 1946.[14] She describes herself during this period as "precocious. I could read really well by the age of six."[15] St. John's television debut came in 1948 when she joined the cast ofSandy Dreams, a musical fantasy series for children featuringRichard Beymer. In December 1949, she played Missie Cratchit inThe Christmas Carol, one of the earliest filmed adaptations ofCharles Dickens'classic 1843 story. Shot inkinescope, it is a rare example of a 1940s live TV broadcast still surviving in entirety.[16]
By the age of 10, St. John was a regular onKTLA'sFantastick Studios, Ink.[17][18] At 11, she appeared in three episodes ofThe George Burns and Gracie Allen Show. She had an uncredited role in the filmThunder in the East (1951) and was in episodes ofSky King,Fireside Theatre, andCavalcade of America.
She attended Powers Professional School and received her high school diploma fromHollywood Professional School in the spring of 1955 at age 14.[13] At age 15, St. John enrolled atUCLA where it was discovered that she had an IQ of 162.[13] During this time, she lent her voice to a large number of radio shows, notablyRed Ryder andOne Man's Family.[19]
St. John was 16 in May 1957 whenUniversal Pictures signed her to a contract for seven years starting at $200 a week.[20] Her major studio film debut was inSummer Love (1958) starringJohn Saxon. She also appeared on TV in episodes ofThe Christophers,Schlitz Playhouse of Stars, andDuPont Show of the Month (an adaptation ofJunior Miss). She said her idol wasKay Kendall.[5]
St. John then signed a contract with20th Century Fox, who tried to build her into a star. She played the daughter ofClifton Webb inThe Remarkable Mr. Pennypacker andHoliday for Lovers (both 1959), then was put in an adventure movie,The Lost World (1960). "Nothing but starlet parts," she later said. "You know, the daughter, the niece, the girlfriend."[19] After Fox picked up their option on her, Warner Bros. borrowed St. John forThe Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone (1961), then she had a supporting role inTender Is the Night (1962), for which she beat outJane Fonda.[21][22]
St. John had a key role inCome Blow Your Horn (1963), starring oppositeFrank Sinatra. She received aGolden Globe Award nomination asBest Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for her performance. "I'm a comedienne," she said in 1963. "I've never pretended to be a dramatic actress. But I'm very funny."[23] She followed this with a series of comedies:Who's Minding the Store? (1963) withJerry Lewis,Who's Been Sleeping in My Bed? (1963) withDean Martin, andHoneymoon Hotel (1964) withRobert Morse andNancy Kwan.
"Now I play the sexy comedienne, which is my forte," she said in 1964. "Comedy is what I've always wanted to do."[19] Though she considered Jerry Lewis a comic genius, St. John found working with him onWho's Minding the Store? to be an extremely unhappy and disappointing experience, commenting that "one should not confuse the artist with the man."[24] She guest-starred on television shows likeBurke's Law,The Rogues, andTheatre of Stars. In 1964, she guest-starred withLauren Bacall and Bacall's then-husband,Jason Robards, in the episode "Take a Walk Through a Cemetery" ofCraig Stevens'CBS drama seriesMr. Broadway. She also appeared in variety specials withBob Hope. MGM gave her the female lead inThe Liquidator (1965) withRod Taylor, and she co-starred inThe Oscar (1966) withStephen Boyd.
St. John appeared in the first two episodes of the television seriesBatman as theRiddler's moll Molly. She became the first character to die in an episode ofBatman.[25] She was also in an episode ofThe Big Valley at that time.
St. John re-signed with Universal. She was in a TV movieFame Is the Name of the Game (1966) and had a supporting role inHow I Spent My Summer Vacation (1967), starring future husbandRobert Wagner.[26] She did the Bob Hope comedyEight on the Lam (1967), then madeBanning (1967) with Wagner andThe King's Pirate (1967) withDoug McClure.
In 1966, she said "My goal is to be at a point where I have so proved myself as an actress that I can be more discriminating in the roles I choose. I want to be able to choose the parts I know I can do next."[27] St. John nearly landed a starring role inThe Fearless Vampire Killers (1967), which instead went toSharon Tate.[28][a]
She was reunited with Sinatra forTony Rome (1967) and did a TV movieThe Spy Killer (1969), which was popular enough for a sequelForeign Exchange (1970). She guested onThe Name of the Game.Decisions! Decisions! (1971) was a TV movie St. John did withBob Newhart andJean Simmons.
St. John achieved her biggest success starring as diamond smugglerTiffany Case, the love interest ofJames Bond inDiamonds Are Forever (1971), oppositeSean Connery. She was the first American to play aBond girl.[30] The character Tiffany is argumentative, abrasive, loud, and brash when compared to previous Bond girls who were more demure; film scholars have inferred that she is meant to be a stereotypical commentary on American women.[31] In a 2015 poll conducted byMoviefone, St. John ranked #9 in The 25 Best Bond Girls for her portrayal of Tiffany,[32] and in 2023,Men's Journal named her 11th on their list of Best Bond Girls of All Time.[33]
In 1972, St. John appeared alongsideOliver Reed in the British crime dramaSitting Target. After the shoot wrapped, she took a break from her career. She later explained that "two pictures in a row was exhausting... I decided I needed a new way of life."[34]
St. John did the TV moviesSaga of Sonora (1973) andBrenda Starr (1976) (playing the title role), and guest-starred onVega$,The Love Boat,Magnum, P.I.,Fantasy Island, andMatt Houston. She also appeared in the pilot ofHart to Hart. She was cast as the princess inDay of the Assassin (1979), but bowed out when her deposit failed to arrive on time;Susana Dosamantes replaced her.[35]
In 1981, following a decade-long sabbatical inAspen, Colorado, St. John made Hollywood her primary residence again. "I really don't have to work," she said of her return. "But you know what? I got bored."[36]St. John did the TV moviesTwo Guys from Muck (1982) andRooster (1982) and was top-billed in the featureThe Concrete Jungle (1982), a woman in prison film in which she played Warden Fletcher. She had a small role inThe Act (1983).
During 1983–1984, she starred withDennis Weaver on the short-lived soap operaEmerald Point N.A.S., in which she played Deanna Kinkaid, Thomas Mallory's conniving former sister-in-law. It also starred another former Bond girl,Maud Adams. St. John was to appear in the pilot forLime Street (1985) but when it was reduced from two hours to 90 minutes, her scenes ended up on the cutting room floor.[37]
St. John and Wagner were inAround the World in 80 Days (1989),Something to Believe In (1998), andThe Calling (2002). They made brief cameo appearances as themselves inRobert Altman's Hollywood satireThe Player (1992). Between 1996 and 2004, they performed together on stage in a national touring production ofLove Letters.[38] The couple also appeared on the television sitcomSeinfeld in 1997, playing the parents of Mickey Abbott (Danny Woodburn) in "The Yada Yada" episode.
St. John appeared without Wagner inOut There (1995) andThe Trip (2002).
In 2014, St. John played Mrs. Claus in the TV movieNorthpole alongside Wagner, who played the part of Santa Claus. The film marked her first acting role after a 12-year absence from the screen. She has since officially retired from acting, but remains involved in civic activities.[39]
In 1972, St. John largely left Hollywood behind and moved to Aspen, where she focused on personal interests and cooking. She is among the celebrities credited with increasing the popularity of the town along withGoldie Hawn andJack Nicholson.[40]
Her interest in cooking eventually led to her becoming a culinary personality, appearing in monthly cooking segments on ABC-TV'sGood Morning America and her writing a column inUSA Weekend magazine through the 1980s. This culminated in authoringThe Jill St. John Cookbook (1987), a healthy, but not health food, collection of recipes and some anecdotes.[41]
St. John also developed a handmadeAngora sweater business, and became interested in orchid growing, skiing, hiking, river rafting, camping, and gardening. In 1987, she said "I'm a mountain gal now. I love the outdoors and I love harvesting and using fresh vegetables and herbs."[41]
A 2005 skiing accident forced her to give up the sport and curtailed her dream of becoming "the oldest woman on the ski lift."[42][43]
During theVietnam War, St. John entertained American soldiers atUnited Service Organizations (USO) shows.[44] She is founder of the Aunts Club, aRancho Mirage-based group of women who contribute at least $1,000 per year to provide financial support for a child.[45][46] In 2015, she and her husband auctioned off a private lunch to raise money forAspen Film.[47] St. John has also made donations toAspen Community Foundation.[48]
St. John ran unsuccessfully in 2023 for a seat on the board of the Aspen Fire Department.[39][49]
According to an account of a 1972 party organized to supportRepublicanRichard Nixon's re-election campaign, St. John claimed that after three years,Henry Kissinger had convinced her to vote for Nixon,[50] though she had earlier supportedDemocratEugene McCarthy in his 1968 challenge to incumbent presidentLyndon B. Johnson.[51]
St. John has been married four times. Her husbands:
Between marriages, St. John dated entertainment, sports, and political personalities includingDavid Bailey,Gianni Bulgari,Sammy Cahn,Michael Caine,Oleg Cassini,Barry Coe,Sean Connery,Robert Evans,Glenn Ford,David Frost,Jack Haley Jr.,Bill Hudson,Henry Kissinger,Sidney Korshak,Peter Lawford,George Lazenby,Jim Lonborg,Trini López,Tom Mankiewicz,George Montgomery,Joe Namath,Jack Nicholson,Hugh O'Brian,Ogden Mills Phipps,Roman Polanski,Alejandro Rey,Tom Selleck,Frank Sinatra,Robert Vaughn,Giovanni Volpi,Adam West andDavid L. Wolper.[7][12][13][19][59][60][61][62]
St. John gained a reputation forsugar dating in 1966, when garment manufacturer Henry Rosenfeld sued the actress to retrieve $25,800 he loaned her the previous year.[13] St. John contended the money was a gift, but lost the case and had to repay with 5.75% interest.[63] She has also been romantically linked to criminal court judge Jerome M. Becker, ski instructor Ricky Head, Olympic ski champion Brownie Barnes, plastic surgeon Steven Zax, investment broker Lenny Ross, Chicago businessman Delbert W. Coleman and Brazilian entrepreneur Francisco 'Baby' Pignatari.[64][65][66][67] She was engaged to Miami real estate developer Robert Blum in 1974, but called off the engagement.[13]
She has three stepdaughters:
In 2007, Wagner and St. John sold theBrentwood ranchette they'd lived on since 1983 for a reported $14 million and relocated full-time to Aspen.[68][69]
Mutual animosity between St. John and her husband's former sister-in-law,Lana Wood, extends back to 1971, when Sean Connery was simultaneously involved with both women during the filming ofDiamonds Are Forever.[70][71] The half-century feud has been highlighted by two well-documented public altercations: one in 1999, in which St. John refused to be photographed with Wood at a Bond girl reunion forVanity Fair magazine,[72][73] and another in 2016 when Wood crashed an event honoring St. John inPalm Springs to confront Wagner over the reopened homicide case of her sister Natalie,[74] who drowned in 1981 while yachting with Wagner off the coast ofSanta Catalina Island.
St. John has said she will not write an autobiography, stating emphatically, "The only books I write are cookbooks."[11]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1948 | Sandy Dreams | Series regular | |
| 1949 | The Christmas Carol | Missie Cratchit | Teleplay |
| 1950 | Fantastick Studios, Ink | Series regular | |
| 1951 | Thunder in the East | English girl | Uncredited |
| 1951–1952 | The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show | Sherry Kelly / Jill Kelly | 3 episodes |
| 1952 | Sky King | Gretchen Gluckman | Episode: "Two-Gun Penny" |
| 1953 | Fireside Theatre | Episode: "His Name Is Jason" | |
| 1954 | Cavalcade of America | Episode: "Night Call" | |
| 1957 | The Christophers | Episode: "Gentle Warrior" | |
| Schlitz Playhouse | Eloise | Episode: "No Second Helping" | |
| The DuPont Show of the Month | Lois Graves | Episode: "Junior Miss" | |
| 1958 | Summer Love | Erica Landis | |
| 1959 | The Remarkable Mr. Pennypacker | Kate Pennypacker | |
| Holiday for Lovers | Meg Dean | ||
| 1960 | The Lost World | Jennifer Holmes | |
| 1961 | The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone | Barbara Bingham | |
| 1962 | Tender Is the Night | Rosemary Hoyt | |
| 1963 | Come Blow Your Horn | Peggy John | Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy |
| Who's Minding the Store? | Barbara Tuttle | ||
| Who's Been Sleeping in My Bed? | Toby Tobler | ||
| 1963–1965 | Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre | Janie Douglas / Faith / Bunky | 3 episodes |
| 1964 | Honeymoon Hotel | Sherry Nugent | |
| Mr. Broadway | Herself | Episode: "Take a Walk Through a Cemetery" | |
| Burke's Law | Pinky Likewise | Episode: "Who Killed Merlin the Great?" | |
| 1965 | The Rogues | Jena Tate | Episode: "The Pigeons of Paris" |
| The Liquidator | Iris MacIntosh | ||
| 1966 | Batman | Molly | Episodes: "Hi Diddle Riddle" and "Smack in the Middle" |
| The Big Valley | Barbary Red | Episode: "Barbary Red" | |
| The Oscar | Laurel Scott | ||
| Fame Is the Name of the Game | Leona Purdy | TV movie | |
| 1967 | How I Spent My Summer Vacation | Nikki Pine | |
| Eight on the Lam | Monica | ||
| Banning | Angela Barr | ||
| The King's Pirate | Mistress Jessica Stephens | ||
| Tony Rome | Ann Archer | ||
| 1968–1972 | Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In | 8 episodes | |
| 1969 | The Spy Killer | Mary Harper | TV movie |
| The Name of the Game | Michelle Howell | Episode: "The Civilized Men" | |
| 1970 | Foreign Exchange | Mary Harper | TV movie |
| 1971 | The Red Skelton Hour | Freida | Episode: "Humperdoo's Little Prescription" |
| Decisions! Decisions! | Andrea Winters | TV movie | |
| Diamonds Are Forever | Tiffany Case | ||
| 1972 | Sitting Target | Pat Lomart | |
| 1973 | Old Faithful | Miss Roberts | TV movie |
| Saga of Sonora | Molly | ||
| 1976 | Brenda Starr | Brenda Starr | |
| 1977 | Telethon | Fran Sullivan | |
| 1979 | Hart to Hart | Sylvia Maxwell | Pilot |
| 1979–1982 | The Love Boat | Laura / Sandy Wilson / Claire Dalrymple / Mitzi De Risi | 4 episodes |
| 1980 | Vega$ | Mavis Graham | Episode: "Sudden Death" |
| 1981–1982 | Fantasy Island | Ellen Layton / Jane Doe / Helen of Troy | Episodes: "Paquito's Birthday/Technical Advisor" and "Forget Me Not/The Quiz Masters" |
| 1982 | Magnum, P.I. | Jan Kona | Episode: "Three Minus Two" |
| Two Guys from Muck | Miss Demandt | TV movie | |
| Rooster | Joanna Van Eegan | ||
| Matt Houston | Karen Ann Douglas | Episode: "X-22" | |
| The Concrete Jungle | Warden Fletcher | ||
| 1983 | The Act | Elise | |
| 1983–1984 | Emerald Point N.A.S. | Deanna Kincaid | Series regular |
| 1986 | Dempsey and Makepeace | Mara Giardino | Episodes: "The Burning" and "The Burning: Part 2" |
| 1988 | J.J. Starbuck | Rachel Capstone | Episode: "A Song from the Sequel" |
| 1989 | Around the World in 80 Days | Woman mistaken for Princess Aouda | Miniseries |
| 1992 | The Player | Herself | Cameo |
| 1995 | Out There | Bunny Wells | TV movie |
| 1997 | Seinfeld | Mrs. Abbott | Episode: "The Yada Yada" |
| 1998 | Something to Believe In | Dr. Joanne Anderson | |
| 2002 | The Trip | Mary Oakley | |
| The Calling | Elegant Lady | ||
| 2014 | Northpole | Mrs. Claus | TV movie |
