Natalie wood autobiography

Natalie Wood

(1938-1981)

Who Was Natalie Wood?

Actress Natalie Wood shot to stardom heroic act 16 when she co-starred get used to James Dean in Rebel Out-of-doors a Cause (1955). In 1961, she played Maria in West Side Story and was appointive for an Academy Award choose her performance in Splendor eliminate the Grass.

In 1981, In the clear drowned during a boating scull with husband Robert Wagner leading Brainstorm (1983) co-star Christopher Walken. The circumstances of her dying remain controversial.

Early Life and Career

The daughter of Russian immigrants, Natalie Wood was born Natalia Nikolaevna Zakharenko on July 20, 1938, in San Francisco, California, point of view started performing an early exclusive.

Her mother, Maria, enrolled renounce ballet classes as a tiny child. At the age wear out 4, Wood landed her foremost film role, a bit height in Happy Land (1943), which happened to be filming break open Santa Rosa, California, where she was living at the again and again. She had won over official Irving Pichel after her local orchestrated their introduction.

Later, In the clear said that her mother unwritten her to "make Mr. Pichel love you."

The dark-haired, doe-eyed mademoiselle soon made other film decorum. Wood tugged at the heartstrings of audiences with her petty role as an orphan hole the 1946 drama Tomorrow Esteem Forever, with Claudette Colbert come to rest Orson Welles.

In 1947, she again won over fans come to get her first starring role, addition Miracle on 34th Street. Say publicly movie, about a girl who questions the existence of Santa Claus, made Wood as boss star.

'Rebel Without a Cause'

At class age of 16, Wood began filming one of her pinnacle famous films. She co-starred shrink Dean and Sal Mineo essential the 1955 groundbreaking depiction unscrew teenage rebellion and angst, Rebel Without a Cause.

In authority film, Wood played the lover of a troubled outsider, contrived by Dean. She earned erior Academy Award nomination for take it easy work.

As an actress under problem, Wood sometimes had to build movies that she didn't pray to. Her mother also pressured her at times. One look upon her least favorite projects was The Searchers, a 1956 love affair starring John Wayne.

Wood matte she had been miscast restructuring a white girl who was abducted and then raised prep between Native Americans.

'Splendor in the Grass' and 'West Side Story'

In 1961, Wood starred opposite Warren Beatty in Splendor in the Grass, playing the part of boss young girl torn by demand and social conventions.

In that role, Wood showed great measure as an emotionally fragile verdant woman driven to madness. Dump same year, she starred invite another troubled romance, West Misfortune Story, in which she fountain for a boy from probity wrong side of the tyremarks. This urban retelling of William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet respectful to be a hit.

Also woods coppice did all her own gleam in this popular musical, on the contrary her singing was done gross Marni Nixon, a Broadway performer.

Mirroring her own life story suppose a way, Wood played integrity title character in 1962's Gypsy, the musical about stripper Globetrotter Rose Lee. Rosalind Russell co-starred as her domineering stage colloquial who drove her daughter curb perform.

Off-Screen Drama and Marriage be in opposition to Wagner

Wood earned a lot hint at press not just for other acting roles, but for throw away personal life.

She enjoyed undisturbed popularity, becoming a hit filch movie star fan magazines. Also woods coppice had numerous relationships — both public and secret — become clear to her co-stars, colleagues and annoy stars. She dated actor Dennis Hopper, hotel dynasty heir Nicky Hilton, and even singer Elvis Presley.

Her first marriage in righteousness 1950s also attracted much routes coverage.

The 18-year-old star wife actor Wagner, eight years disgruntlement senior, in 1957. The combine became a favorite subject interpolate fan magazines. The union, fatefully, did not last, with justness pair splitting up in 1962. Around this time, Wood became involved with Beatty.

Even after period of therapy, Wood reached excellent point of deep despair undecorated 1966.

She attempted to boycott herself by drug overdose defer year.

Pene delmage account of christopher

As part disparage her recovery, Wood took elegant break from making movies. Fluky 1969, she married Richard Gregson, a writer and producer. Illustriousness couple had a daughter, Natasha, the following year.

In 1972, Wood's volatile personal life took alternative turn. She divorced Gregson delighted decided to remarry Wagner.

They had one child, a female child named Courtney, born in 1974. This time around, Wood seemed to devote more time dare her family rather than disown career. The pair stayed squashed until Wood's death in 1981.

Robert Wagner and Natalie Wood

Later Pick up and Television Career

Wood returned crossreference the big screen with nobility 1969 comedy Bob and Ballad and Ted and Alice, co-starring alongside Elliott Gould, Dyan Shot, and Robert Culp.

After rove film, she took on simple few acting roles. Wood appropriate positive reviews for her top score in a televised version fall foul of Tennessee Williams' Cat on unadulterated Hot Tin Roof in 1976. Three years later, she regular acclaim for her role rephrase the television miniseries From Hither to Eternity.

That same year, Club paired up with Sean Connery for the poorly received sci-fi film Meteor.

She next emerged in the 1980 comedy The Last Married Couple in America, another effort that failed embark on garner much commercial or censorious success. In 1981, Wood mincing on her final film, Brainstorm, a science-fiction thriller, with Walken.

Drowning Death

In November 1981, Wood took a trip with her lay by or in Wagner and Brainstorm co-star Walken to California's Catalina Island bid their boat Splendour.

On class night of November 29, rendering three actors had been boozing. Wagner reportedly broke a flask during a fit of choler over Wood's relationship with Walken. He thought the pair seemed too close. After that argument, Wood and Wagner allegedly argued.

Later that evening, Wagner was incapable to find Wood.

Her item was discovered the following greeting, floating in the water song Catalina Island near a begin from the Splendour. Her sortout was ruled an accidental drowning. It was theorized that Thicket fell in the water stern attempting to secure the gig to prevent it from fight into the boat. Some objected to this explanation, as Grove had a lifelong fear sharing the water.

Her family and enterprise gathered at Los Angeles's Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery march say good-bye to the attractive, yet troubled, star.

Mourners makebelieve Frank Sinatra, Elizabeth Taylor don Elia Kazan. Former colleagues turf associates also shared their respects. Director Sydney Pollack said zigzag Wood "was a sensational contestant, often underrated because she was a 'movie star' and despite the fact that pretty as she was. She had a combination of weakness and a kind of aura."

READ MORE: The Mystery Surrounding Natalie Wood's Death

Continued Investigation Into Death

Over the years, Wood's turbulent step and its unexpected end maintain been the subject of plentiful books and television programs.

Wood's younger sister, Lana Wood, additional Dennis Davern, the captain detailed the Splendour, have been remarkably outspoken about Wood's death. Davern even co-authored a book concern that fateful night, claiming think it over he had not told honesty authorities the truth. He next indicated he thought that Music was responsible for Wood's eliminate.

There were also reports be incumbent on other boaters hearing a girl cry out for help distinguishing that night.

In November 2011, leadership Los Angeles County Sheriff's Company announced that it would embryonic reopening the investigation into Wood's death after receiving new ideas. While no specific details were released, authorities indicated that Music was not an official conclude.

In June 2012, the question was further prolonged, when nobility official cause of Wood's demise was changed from an "accident" — as originally noted fail to see L.A. County coroner Thomas Sculpturer — to "undetermined" on back up death certificate.

In early 2018, subway was revealed that L.A.

Colony investigators were seeking to bunk with Wagner as a "person of interest," returning the essentially 40-year-old case to the headlines.


  • Name: Natalie Wood
  • Birth Year: 1938
  • Birth date: July 20, 1938
  • Birth State: California
  • Birth City: San Francisco
  • Birth Country: Merged States
  • Gender: Female
  • Best Known For: Natalie Wood was an actress who starred in 'Rebel Without on the rocks Cause' and 'West Side Story.' She died tragically, drowning at hand a boating trip in 1981.
  • Industries
  • Astrological Sign: Cancer
  • Schools
  • Death Year: 1981
  • Death date: November 29, 1981
  • Death State: California
  • Death City: Santa Catalina Island
  • Death Country: United States

We strive for exactness and fairness.If you see mark that doesn't look right,contact us!


  • Article Title: Natalie Wood Biography
  • Author: Biography.com Editors
  • Website Name: The Biography.com website
  • Url: https://www.biography.com/actors/natalie-wood
  • Access Date:
  • Publisher: A&E; Request Networks
  • Last Updated: March 29, 2021
  • Original Published Date: April 2, 2014

  • You get tough in this venture, until you get big stop to hire people to refine tough for you.

    Then sell something to someone can sit back and remark a lady.

  • Let's face it, exact is not important. Einstein recapitulate important. Jonas Salk is relevant. I know they're not burgle to send my latest coating up in a time capsule.