By Joe Puccio

Most fondly remembered for her portrayal of freelance journalist Jennifer Hart in the beloved romantic mystery series Hart to Hart in the early 1980s, Stefanie Powers’ principal focus these days has been something quite different than the lighthearted ABC fan favorite television program that she starred in nearly a half-century ago.

Today, she divides her time between her career and her devotion to wildlife conservation in East Africa. She is the founder and president of the William Holden Wildlife Foundation (WHWF), a 501(c)3 public charity named after Holden, the legendary actor as well as her great love, whose work in conservation in the 1950s was very much ahead of its time. The primary project of WHWF is its education center located in Kenya near the site of the Mt. Kenya Safari Club and Wildlife Conservancy, both of which were created by Holden.

“The mission statement of the WHWF is wildlife conservation through education and alternatives to habitat destruction, and this is what is taught at our education center to the over 14,000 visitors and students who come to us each year. Since our doors opened in 1982, we have served over one million visitors who come to us at no charge, thanks to our generous U.S. and worldwide donors who keep those doors open,” said Powers, during a recent conversation with Generation X Wire. “The work we do is both critical and crucial. It not only benefits the local population and its natural world, but it positively impacts on the world environment and ecosystem.”

Powers’ experiences with pets, both common and curious, expand far beyond ordinary domesticated furry companions. “I was raised by a stepfather who bred thorough racing horses and had a personal collection of exotic animals. He taught me the importance of animal care and the responsibility of including animals in my life,” she explained. “One day I walked into a pet shop in West Hollywood and there was a baby Malaysian sun bear in a cage. I was appalled. How could a bear be sold in a pet shop? I railed at the owner, and he said that if I was so passionate about it, I should buy him. So, I did. I came home with an 8-week-old baby bear and called him Eugene. The experience opened the door to the wonderful world of wildlife conservation. I was fortunate to live on a few acres in the Malibu Hills, so I had lots of land and pine trees for him to climb for the 12 years I had him.”

Powers, a graduate of Hollywood High School in Los Angeles, studied dance and jazz at the American School of Ballet before embarking on a fruitful show business career that included appearances in a variety of selections, from The Girl from U.N.C.L.E.(the first hour long TV series with a woman as its star) in the ‘60s and Love, American Style in the ‘70s, all the way to her iconic portrayal of Robert Wagner’s glamorous wife in Hart to Hart, followed by eight subsequent well-received TV movies in which the duo reprised their roles.  

Powers has nothing but fond memories of the five years she spent on Hart to Hart, a show often compared to The Thin Man films of the 1930s and 1940s, as well as The Thin Man television series of the 1950s, primarily due to the lasting friendships she managed to foster with her talented co-stars. In addition to the now 96-year-old Wagner, who she recently reunited with, sharing a photo with the public in the process, the Emmy and Golden Globe-nominated thespian had a wonderful relationship with Lionel Stander, the prolific character actor who expertly played Max, the Harts’ majordomo. “We were cemented to each other for so long. And we were truly like family,” she professed. “But I also had the privilege of working with so many extraordinary people in my career – Bing Crosby, Ava Gardner, Lana Turner, Cliff Robertson, Boris Karloff, John Wayne, Maureen O’Hara. My gosh, the list goes on and on.”

Yet as cherished as the time she spent acting will always be to her, it’s the WHWF that she’s most proud of. “It’s a project that’s bigger than any one individual,” Powers clarified, modestly. “It’s got the name of William Holden on it because he’s the inspiration and he made it all possible by being so forward thinking. He was my great love and he’s the guiding light. So, it’s a tribute to him,” she smiled.

And Powers, always the activist, has a message and rhetorical question for current and future generations. “Every little thing we do has an impact. Why can’t it be a positive one?”  

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