Stefanie Powers Shares Her Journey: From Acting To Conservation

Let me tell you a story about Stefanie Powers, a woman who’s had quite the journey. In the late '70s, she was all set to star in a Broadway production of Cyrano de Bergerac. But guess what? Life threw her a curveball—or maybe it was a gift in disguise. A newspaper strike in New York City freed her up to star in the TV pilot of Hart to Hart. As she puts it, "When newspaper strikes would happen, no play would come from out of town because there was no way to publicize them." So, Stefanie found herself grateful to whichever union caused the strike, allowing her to take on the pilot that changed her life.

A Bond Like No Other

From 1979 to 1984, Stefanie and Robert Wagner were the dynamic duo of Jennifer and Jonathan Hart, solving mysteries and charming audiences worldwide. "I had worked with Robert before," Stefanie recalls, describing their relationship as more like siblings than co-stars. "Sometimes we would get into laughing fits, and they’d have to send us home." It’s that kind of camaraderie that makes their on-screen chemistry so believable. Their friendship wasn’t just limited to the set; it went way back to their early days in Hollywood.

Childhood Bonds in Hollywood

Stefanie’s friendship with Robert began during her starlet days. She knew both his late wife, Natalie Wood, and Jill St. John, his spouse of the past 34 years, even longer. Back in the day, these women all took ballet classes together. "Los Angeles in the 1950s was like growing up in a small town," Stefanie explains at 82. "It was an industry town, and everybody knew everybody. There wasn’t a set I walked on as a teenager where I didn’t know someone." It’s that kind of close-knit community that shaped her early career.

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After many small roles in films, Stefanie’s big break came when she was cast as a secret agent on TV’s The Girl from U.N.C.L.E.. "We made 29 episodes a year, which is almost unheard of in today’s world," she reminisces. Even though the show wasn’t picked up for a second season, it was an incredible training ground. "We had Boris Karloff playing in drag in 'The Mother Muffin Affair' [episode]," she says. "It was such a treat to work with him." These experiences shaped her as an actress and prepared her for the role that would define her career.

A Love Story That Changed Her Life

At 19, Stefanie was introduced to Oscar-winning actor William Holden at a dinner party. After years of meet-cute moments, they began a romance in 1972 that lasted until his death in 1981. "We both had curiosities about people, places, history, art, and wildlife," she explains. Their shared interests took them on extensive travels. Her first life-changing trip to Kenya was with the Stalag 17 actor early in their romance. "Every place we went eventually played some part in my future," she relates in her 2011 memoir, One From the Hart. "A new world that would restructure my life and, in some cases, change the course of my focus and priorities."

Kenya, where Stefanie maintains a home and runs the William Holden Wildlife Foundation, was the backdrop of many of her most romantic times with Bill. "One of the sides we shared the most was our love of Africa and just being outdoors and sleeping under the sky, tracking animals, catching them, shipping them to the zoos and parks all over the world," she recalls. "It was a sort of real-life adventure. The things that people read about, we did." These adventures were more than just thrilling; they were life-changing.

But one night in Los Angeles, Bill went into convulsions following a night of drinking. Stefanie summoned help, likely saving his life, but placing herself at a crossroads. Friends warned her not to link her destiny to someone struggling with alcoholism. In the end, she decided to stay the course. "I opted to stay the course," she says. There were more tears, but also very good times. "For about six of the nine years that we were together, he was sober," Stefanie explains. "It was the longest period of time in his adult life that he was sober. That was very meaningful for him and meaningful for me."

A Tragic Loss

In 1981, Stefanie was enjoying the greatest success of her career on Hart to Hart when Bill died after hitting his head during a binge. This time, Stefanie, who was en route from filming in Hawaii, wasn’t there to save him. "That was a very, very tragic period," admits Stefanie, whose costar Robert lost his wife Natalie the same year. "We held each other up," she says. Despite the loss, Stefanie continued to flex her acting muscles in the theater, playing Anna in The King and I and Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard.

Of course, Bill famously played screenwriter Joe Gillis in the 1950 film version with Gloria Swanson. Does Stefanie think he would approve of her playing the has-been, delusional Norma? "I’m sure Bill and I would have had a good laugh," Stefanie says. "How things come around." She loves the immediacy of working in theater. "After the curtain goes up, no one can say, 'Cut, I’ve got a hair in the lens,'" she says. "You have a beginning, a middle, and an end every night. Eight times a week. Also, I get to do many more varied roles in theater than I would get a chance to do on film. It’s very challenging and often rewarding."

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No More Hart to Hart Movies

Stefanie and Robert have no desire to do another Hart to Hart television movie. "No, we put the period at the end of that sentence when we did eight two-hour movies in the 1990s," she says.

After Bill’s passing, Stefanie founded the William Holden Wildlife Foundation. "Our mission statement for the charity is wildlife conservation through education and alternatives to habitat destruction," she explains.