Wagner worked as a model in Los Angeles and gained some television experience by appearing as a hostess in
Playboy After Dark, and she was also a contestant on the game show
The Dating Game in 1969 (one of her potential suitors, whom she did not choose, was TV actor
Roger Ewing). In 1971, she signed a contract with
Universal Studios and worked as a
contract player in Universal productions. Her primetime network television debut was in the series
Adam-12 ("Million Dollar Buff"), and she went on to appear in a dozen other Universal shows, including
Owen Marshall: Counselor at Law (co-starring
Lee Majors),
The F.B.I.,
Sarge, and
Night Gallery (1971, as the nurse in the episode: "The Diary"). (center) from the television series,
The Bionic Woman in 1976 Between 1971 and 1975, she appeared in five episodes of Universal's
Marcus Welby, M.D. and the 1974 pilot episode of
The Rockford Files. In 1973, Wagner branched into film roles when Universal cast her in
Two People, which was her first feature film and her first lead role. She also co-starred in the
20th Century Fox film
The Paper Chase the same year, playing the daughter of the stern law professor, Kingsfield. . Photo from
The Bionic Woman TV show, October 1977 In 1975, arranged under her extended contract with Universal Studios, Wagner played the role of Jaime Sommers, a former
tennis professional who was the childhood sweetheart of "Six Million Dollar Man" Colonel Steve Austin (played by
Lee Majors). According to
Kenneth Johnson, interviewed for a featurette included in the 2010 North American DVD release of
The Bionic Woman season one, Wagner was cast in the role based upon her appeal and spontaneity after he saw her appearance in the pilot and a follow-up episode of
The Rockford Files. In the second-season, two-part episode, her character is critically injured in a
skydiving accident and equipped with
bionic implants similar to Austin's, but her body rejects them, ultimately leading to her death. This was intended to be Wagner's last role under her Universal contract, but public response to the character was so overwhelming that the "death" was
retconned into a cover story for a near-death secret recovery, and Wagner appeared in a two-part episode which returned her character, followed by a spin-off series,
The Bionic Woman, which debuted in January 1976. She made several crossover appearances in
The Six Million Dollar Man during the series' run. The role earned Wagner an
Emmy Award for "Best Actress in a Dramatic Role" in 1977. Following the cancellation of
The Bionic Woman in 1978, Wagner continued to act, predominantly in television miniseries and television films. These included the highly rated 1980 miniseries
Scruples, as well as three made-for-TV
Bionic reunion movies with Lee Majors between 1987 and 1994. Also in the 1980s, Wagner co-starred as
Sylvester Stallone's ex-wife in his 1981 movie
Nighthawks and starred in two more weekly television series,
Jessie (1984) and
A Peaceable Kingdom (1989), though both were cancelled with neither completing their first season. In 1983, she also appeared in an episode of Lee Majors' series
The Fall Guy. Wagner continued to act into the 1990s and 2000s, though in less prominent roles, such as a small part in the action movie
Ricochet (1991). Her most recent projects have included the 2005 television film
Thicker than Water with
Melissa Gilbert,
Buckaroo: The Movie (2005), and
Four Extraordinary Women (2006). In 2010, Wagner began a recurring role as Dr. Vanessa Calder in the
SyFy channel's hit drama
Warehouse 13 and played the character again in its Syfy sister show
Alphas in 2011. In the fall semester of 2013, Wagner began teaching at
San Bernardino Valley College in southern California (Acting and Directing for Television and Film, Motion Picture Production) as an adjunct faculty member. In 2015, Wagner appeared in the
NCIS season 13, episode 10: "Blood Brothers" in the role of Barbara Bishop, the mother of
NCIS Probationary Agent Eleanor Bishop (
Emily Wickersham). She appeared in ''
Grey's Anatomy'' as Alex Karev's mother, Helen Karev, over the course of two seasons, first appearing in 2018 during Season 14 for a single episode and reappearing in 2019 for a number of episodes during Season 15. In June 2018, it was announced that Wagner would co-star in
Death Stranding, a video game being developed by
Sony Interactive Entertainment and
Kojima Productions. Wagner lent her likeness to the characters Bridget and Amelie Strand and voiced the former, with
Emily O'Brien voicing the latter and a younger version of the former.
Death Stranding was Wagner's first role in a video game, and her first experience with the industry's motion capture and voice acting technology. In 2021, Wagner starred in the holiday romance film
Christmas at the Ranch with
Amanda Righetti,
Laur Allen,
Archie Kao and
Dia Frampton playing the character Meemaw.
Other work In 1987, Wagner wrote a series of books with Robert M. Klein about using
acupressure to achieve results akin to a surgical
facelift. In 1994, she co-authored the vegetarian cookbook,
High Road to Health. Wagner appeared in commercials as a spokesperson for Southern California's regional
Ford Motor Company dealerships from 1987 through 2000. She was also a spokesperson in infomercials for
Select Comfort's "Sleep Number" bed from 2003 to 2009. In recent years, Wagner has given seminars and workshops for her self-help therapy, "Quiet the Mind and Open the Heart," which promotes spirituality and meditation. In 2010, she participated in interviews and featurettes included in the long-delayed North American DVD releases of
The Bionic Woman and the 2011 release of
The Six Million Dollar Man. In 2016, Wagner publicly advocated as a treatment for her chronic
urticaria (i.e., hives)
Miracle Mineral Solution (MMS), a substance which the US
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) declared was a toxic industrial bleach used in
wastewater treatment and
hydraulic fracturing.
Honors Wagner earned an
Emmy Award in 1977 for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Dramatic Role for her role in
The Bionic Woman television series. In 2012, a Golden Palm Star on the
Palm Springs, California,
Walk of Stars was dedicated to Wagner. On October 18, 2019, the
San Diego International Film Festival presented the actress with the Humanitarian Award.
Previous winners include,
Geena Davis,
Mariel Hemingway and
Joaquin Phoenix. ==Personal life==