Natalie Wood’s tragically short life began July 20, 1938 in San Francisco, CA. The daughter of Russian immigrants, her birth name was Natalia Nikolaevna Zakharenko. She had two sisters, Olga and Lana.
As a child star, Wood enjoyed tremendous success in films such as “Miracle on 34th Street” and “Tomorrow is Forever. At 16 years old, she was cast in “Rebel Without a Cause” opposite James Dean and Sal Mineo and was nominated for an Academy Award for her performance. She was nominated again in 1961 for her brilliant performance in “Splendor in the Grass,” and again in 1963 for her role in “Love With a Proper Stranger.” She starred in over forty films during her career and may be best known for her critically acclaimed performance as Maria in “West Side Story.” In addition to her acting accomplishments, she is also credited with discovering director Sydney Pollack and actor Robert Redford.
Wood married Robert Wagner, the love of her life, in 1958, but the marriage ended in divorce in 1962. They remarried in 1972 and remained together until her death. Between the marriages to Wagner, she married producer Richard Gregson, and this union lasted for only two years. Wood had one daughter, Natasha, with Gregson and another daughter, Courtney Brooke, with Wagner.
Earlier in her career, she was romantically linked to actors Warren Beatty, Dennis Hopper, James Dean, and Raymond Burr. She also dated Elvis Presley for a short time.
She was beautiful, graceful, and stylish and was called the “Most Beautiful Teenager in the World” by Life Magazine in 1955. People Magazine named her as one of the 25 Most Intriguing People in 1976, and Entertainment Weekly named her #70 on their list of the 100 Greatest Stars of All Time.
She died tragically on November 29, 1981. The official cause of her death was accidental drowning. She had reportedly had a few glasses of wine and accidentally fell overboard from her husband’s yacht. Christopher Walken, with whom she was doing a movie at the time, Dennis Davern, the boat’s skipper, along with her husband were on board at the time of her death.
Wood was once quoted as saying “You get tough in this business, until you get big enough to hire people to get tough for you. Then you can sit back and be a lady.” Even at her petite height of 5’, she was most likely able to take care of herself in the competitive and cutthroat film industry.
Robert Wagner’s new book ” Pieces of my heart ‘ due to be released soon.
I would love your take on this one , also to see how this book is received by his many fans , because I find myself questioning his motives at this late date in his life.
I had great respect for this actor for many years — but upon reading this write-up in the tabloids —
also in the Times online, on this book release ,—- I’m getting A different picture of this handsome actor — He says he’s trying to clear rumors of her mysterious accidental death , — I’d love to speak to the captain– of “The Splendor” Were they all drunker’s?/ Captain should have had more charge of this situation/ being hired for trip.
I also question why after all these years he brings this tragic death of his beautiful wife to the public eye once again.
It seems to me Mr. Wagner would have been better-off not opening A can of “Sardines”– I smell “Rotten actors”
Sails down
By: sandra D. on August 29, 2008
at 3:09 pm