Jack Wagner Movies
A veritable mainstay on U.S. soap operas, Jack Wagner sported clean-cut, all-American looks that helped him win scores of daytime drama fans. The thespian initially attended the University of Missouri, but later transferred to the University of Arizona, where he studied theater arts and graduated with a BFA in drama, placing equal emphasis on acting, dancing, and vocal performance. That multifaceted nature played an integral role in helping Wagner (in 1983) land his first prestigious acting job: a role on the iconic soap General Hospital as rocker Frisco Jones, which happened to require singing ability. Wagner not only followed suit, handling the vocals on several numbers within the series, but quickly drew the attention of Quincy Jones, and so impressed the mogul that he snagged a contract on Jones' Qwest recording label. Wagner's passionate romantic ballad "All I Need" scored a massive hit in 1984: number two on the pop charts and number one on the adult contemporary charts, and though subsequent singles did chart, they failed to match the popularity of this initial effort. Nevertheless, several additional Wagner albums did ensue.Subsequent years witnessed Wagner continually alternating between theater -- where his roles included Tony in a national touring production of West Side Story (1987), Danny in a national touring production of Grease (1988), and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde in the Broadway production of Jekyll and Hyde (2000) -- and continued soap opera work. Wagner joined the cast of Santa Barbara in 1990, with a run as the Ernest Hemingway-inspired writer Warren Lockridge, and moved to The Bold and the Beautiful in 2003, with a colorful, ongoing turn as the rough-cut but wealthy sea captain Dominick Payne-Marone. Wagner also ventured into prime time soap opera territory with runs on Melrose Place (as Dr. Peter Burns from 1994 to 1999) and Titans (as Jack Williams from 2000-2001). Occasional starring and supporting roles in made-for-tv movies were also part of his repertoire during the 1990s and 2000s.
In 2012 he competed on the hit reality series Dancing With the Stars. ~ Sarah Block, Rovi
When a police dog is killed in the line of duty and his grieving human partner seeks answers from a local medium, the canine-loving cop soon discovers just how helpful his fallen partner was in this supernatural comedy starring Jack Wagner and Daphne Zuniga. Kyle's partner Hunter was killed in a high profile stakeout, but a series of strange events lead the officer to suspect that his four-legged friend isn't as dead as it may seem. Convinced that Hunter's ghost is trying to reach out from beyond the grave, Kyle implores local medium Madame Wanda and her gifted son Howie to help him find out if Hunter really is still around. As the séance gets under way, Howie soon begins to show signs that he is possessed by the spirit of the deceased police dog. Later, when Howie begins to display a variety of traits more suited to man's best friend than man himself, Kyle gets one last chance to avenge Hunter's death and finally allow his loyal partner to rest in peace. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
A gifted forger and confidence man attempts to stay one step ahead of the lawman determined to bring him to justice in this comedy-drama from Steven Spielberg, based on a true story. Frank W. Abagnale Jr. (Leonardo DiCaprio) is a 16-year-old high school student who finds himself emotionally cut adrift when his mother, Paula (Nathalie Baye), leaves his father, Frank Abagnale Sr. (Christopher Walken), after Frank Sr. falls into arrears with the Internal Revenue Service. One day at school, Frank Jr. attempts to pass himself off as a substitute teacher, and easily makes the subterfuge work. His small-scale success gives Frank some ideas, and he soon discovers bigger and more profitable ways of hoaxing others, passing himself off as an airline pilot, a doctor, and an attorney. Along the way, Frank learns how to become a master forger, and uses his talent and charm to pass over 2.5 million dollars in phony checks. Frank's increasingly audacious work soon attracts the attention of Carl Hanratty (Tom Hanks), an FBI agent who is determined to put Frank behind bars. Frank seems to enjoy being pursued by Carl, and even goes so far as to call Carl on the phone to chat every once in a while. While posing as a doctor, Frank falls in love with Brenda Strong (Amy Adams), a sweet girl working as a candy striper. When Frank asks Brenda to marry him, he decides to assume a new identity to impress her father, Roger (Martin Sheen) -- who happens to be the District Attorney of New Orleans, LA. Catch Me If You Can was based on the autobiography of the real Frank W. Abagnale Jr., who has a cameo in the film and today works on the side of the law as a top consultant on preventing forgery and designing secure checking systems. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hanks, (more)
Stars of Melrose Place and Beverly Hills 90210 come together for this tense disaster adventure from director Doug Campbell. Gabrielle Carteris plays a woman who becomes trapped in a ski lodge following an avalanche. As she and her daughter attempt to escape the prison of snow, her husband (Jack Wagner) sets out to rescue them before it's too late. ~ Matthew Tobey, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jack Wagner, Gabrielle Carteris, (more)
- 2000
Two former stars of Melrose Place reunite for this story that trades in soap opera glamour for the grittier thrills of a psychological crime thriller. Karen (Daphne Zuniga) was born to a wealthy family and has never quite found her way out from under the wings of her overprotective parents. Karen is seeing an analyst, but she's also having an affair with him -- which does not make her unusual among his female patients. When her psychiatrist/lover is killed after one of her appointments, Karen becomes the police's prime suspect; she decides to play with the truth and tells the police that she can no longer remember what happened that day. On the advice of her lawyer, Karen begins working with another psychiatrist, Dr. Peter Rexler (Jack Wagner), in hope that he can help her recover her memories of her last meeting with the doctor. But Karen's forgetful act works all too well when Peter, unable to get to the bottom of her repressed memories, has her institutionalized. Artificial Lies also stars Stewart Bick, Maxim Roy, and Claudia Ferri. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jack Wagner, Daphne Zuniga, (more)
- 2000
Even as security is beefed up in Australia in anticipation of the 2000 Olympics, someone manages to slip a deadly nerve gas device -- and a detonator -- on a 747 jet bound from Sydney to L.A. The authorities are uncertain as to whether the person responsible for this outrage is a terrorist or merely a lunatic; whatever the case, they scour the world in search of the perpetrator. Meanwhile, the 747 may well be unable to find a suitable landing place before the detonator goes off, forcing pilot John Prescott (Jack Wagner) and copilot Kim McGee (Christine Elise) to make some extremely tricky life-and-death decisions. As for the 300 passengers -- well, each one has his or her own story to tell, and the viewer hears practically all of them before the almost unbearably suspenseful denouement. The made-for-cable Nowhere to Land debuted March 12, 2000, on the TBS superstation. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jack Wagner, Christine Elise, (more)
- 1999
The Angels arrive in Salt Lake City, which is also the temporary stopover for nomadic con artist Bart Ewing (Jack Wagner) and his 12-year-old daughter Haley (Anastasia Emmons). A talented ice skater, Haley yearns to settle down in one place and take lessons--especially now that she has befriend Olympic contender Alex Thorpe (Tara Lipinski), a meeting secretly arranged by angel Andrew (John Dye). Unfortunately, Bart regards an upcoming charity skating event as just another opportunity to fleece the local suckers--and as a result, it is Haley who may have to pay the penalty for her dad's crimes. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1998
In this TV comedy series, housewife Maggie Day (Ann Cusack), nearing middle age, finds little action in her 19-year old marriage to cheerful cardiologist Arthur (John Getz). Their only child, 17-year-old Amanda (Morgan Nagler), is friends with aspiring cartoonist Reg (Todd Giebenhain). Setting out to find a new life, Maggie returns to school, studies to become a veterinarian, and works at an animal clinic, where she develops an infatuation for veterinarian Richard (John Slattery). To deal with her problems, Maggie visits therapist Kimberley (Francesca Roberts). Filmed in LA, the series began August 18, 1998 on Lifetime. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi
- Starring:
- Ann Cusack, John Getz, (more)
- 1998
Made for and originally broadcast on the USA Cable Network, this soap-operatic tale of deceit, kidnapping and motherly love is set in a small town and centers on Ellie (Mary Page Keller) the wife of the burg's sheriff and her beloved adopted son Charlie (Michael Suchanek). Ellie's marriage to Jack (Jack Wagner) is quite troubled, due in part to his rather shabby treatment of Charlie. Ray (Ian Tracey), his girlfriend Sarah (Tracey Gold) and the rest of his gang make money robbing liquor stores until Sarah comes up with an even better plan: why not kidnap the sheriff's son and ask for $100,000 ransom. That is exactly what they do. Ellie is frantic and wants to call in the FBI, but Jack insists on handling the investigation himself. Determined to have Charlie back, no matter the cost, Ellie convinces her father, owner of the town bank, to put up the ransom. Unfortunately, she does not realize that Sarah, to whom Charlie bears more than a passing resemblance, has other plans. As those plans are enacted, Ellie finds herself learning some surprising and painfully dark secrets, leaving her to wonder just who the good and bad guys really are. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Tracey Gold, Jack Wagner, (more)
As youngsters, twin brothers Max and Steven survived the car accident in which their parents were killed. At that point, Max was taken in by relatives and raised in comfort in security -- while the more seriously injured Steven remained in the hospital, where he grew to manhood harboring a twisted, vengeful soul. Now an adult, Max (Jack Wagner) is a successful, happily married business executive. Insanely jealous, Steven (also Jack Wagner) hatches a sinister scheme to "steal" Max's life by kidnapping his brother and taking his place -- in both the boardroom and the bedroom. Originally telecast by ABC on January 5, 1997, the made-for-TV Echo has been released abroad as Deadly Echo. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jack Wagner, Alexandra Paul, (more)
- 1996
Jack Wagner stars in this made-for-TV drama as Nick Rawlings, a Dallas-based commercial airline pilot with (to say the very least) a well-populated private life. But bluntly, Nick is a serial bigamist, with one wife named Jobeth (Shelley Hack) in Dallas and another named Alison (Joan Severance) in Chicago--and a young fiancée named Miriam (Nicole Eggert) in Hawaii. Though he has managed to keep the various women in his life from finding out about one another via a sophisticated system of high-tech subterfuge, Nick's chickens start coming home to roost when Jobeth begins wondering about a bill for a $9000 anniversary present which she has never received. Though based on a true story, the film ends on a note of comic irony that would not be out of place in a Billy Wilder picture! Frequent Flyer first aired March 10, 1996 on ABC. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1995
Adapted from a story by esteemed author Arthur C. Clarke, this claustrophobic sci-fi thriller begins happily enough as crew members aboard the Venus-bound freighter Venture happily cavort with one another. Sex seems to be their primary form of entertainment. But their voyage becomes deadly serious when a meteorite damages the ship and diminishes its supply of oxygen to the point that there is not enough to sustain an entire crew. While in sea-lore, it's usually the rats who first desert a sinking vessel, in this case it's the captain, who, after radioing monitoring officials that the Venture's entire crew is dead, jumps into an emergency shuttle and takes off to safety. Still very much alive, the remaining crew members are faced with a situation in which some will have to die so that others may live. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jack Wagner, Kay Lenz, (more)
- 1995
Tracey Gold and Judith Light star as mother and daughter respectively, in this tense made-for-television thriller. Light stars as Janice Mitchell, mother and philandering wife, who comes to rue the day she ever got involved with her revenge-bent, ex-lover. Jack Wagner stars as the obsessed lover who embroils Mitchell's daughter Sharon into his plot. This film debuted on CBS on April 5. ~ Bernadette McCallion, Rovi
One of the definitive, landmark shows of the 1990s, "90210" quickly became an important fixture on the FOX and in the popular discourse of adolescents and young adults. The third season's main characters, Dylan, Kelly, Donna, Steve, David, Andrea and twins Brandon and Brenda all attended West Beverly Hills High School. Brandon and Brenda Walsh and their parents, transplants from Minneapolis were the stable nuclear family with strong values; their home was a safe haven for the whole gang and the center of much of the drama. The show dealt with a steady stream of love triangles and other romantic entanglements and occasionally touched on more serious issues as well.
- 1991
- R
Set on the darker streets of Buenos Aires, this erotic thriller tells the story of a sax player who cannot resist the temptation offered by his former flame and ends up getting burned when she involves him with ruthless gangsters. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- 1989
- PG
William Katt, Catherine Oxenberg and Nia Peeples star in this comedy about an advertising agency who are about to lose their biggest client, the Saltaire Swimwear Company, until they come up with a brilliant idea -- create a swimsuit model talent search. Saltaire loves the idea and the media eats it up, but the contestants prove to be more trouble than anyone expected. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
Made for television, Moving Target bears a few faint echoes of the 1986 theatrical feature Out of Bounds. Jason Bateman plays a teenaged musician returning home from summer camp. He is hardly greeted with open arms; as a matter of fact, his family has moved out in his absence. Compounding this traumatic turn of events, Jason becomes the quarry of a syndicate hit man (Jack Wagner)--and of the US Justice Department. It dawns on the boy that he'd better locate his family before anyone else does. Jason Bateman's leading lady in Moving Target is Chynna Phillips, daughter of musicians John and Michelle Phillips, and later the star of the TV biopic Roxanne: The Prize Pulitzer. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
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