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Undid revision 285608454 by DJ-x3 (talk) it is NOT a free image. click on the image and read the copyright notice. Easy.
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Undid revision 285609489 by Rossrs (talk)I did and it has the info about being published before 1977 so its part of the public domain
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{{Infobox actor
{{Infobox actor
| name= Natalie Wood
| name= Natalie Wood
| image=Natalie_Wood_in_Gypsy_trailer_1.jpg
| image=NatalieWood.jpg
| caption=in ''Gypsy'' (1962)
| caption=in ''Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice'' (1969)
| birthname = Natalia Zacharenko
| birthname = Natalia Zacharenko
| birthdate = July 20, 1938<ref name="IM">
| birthdate = July 20, 1938<ref name="IM">
Line 25: Line 25:
'''Natalie Wood''' (born '''Natalia Zacharenko''';<ref>According to the State of California. ''California Birth Index, 1905-1995''. Center for Health Statistics, California Department of Health Services, Sacramento, California. Searchable at http://www.familytreelegends.com/records/39461</ref> [[Cyrillic alphabet|Cyrillic]]: Наталья Николаевна Захаренко; July 20, 1938 &ndash; November 29, 1981) was an American actress.
'''Natalie Wood''' (born '''Natalia Zacharenko''';<ref>According to the State of California. ''California Birth Index, 1905-1995''. Center for Health Statistics, California Department of Health Services, Sacramento, California. Searchable at http://www.familytreelegends.com/records/39461</ref> [[Cyrillic alphabet|Cyrillic]]: Наталья Николаевна Захаренко; July 20, 1938 &ndash; November 29, 1981) was an American actress.


Following her film debut in 1943, Wood became a successful [[child actor]] in such films as ''[[Miracle on 34th Street]]'' (1947). A well received performance opposite [[James Dean]] in ''[[Rebel Without a Cause]]'' (1955), earned her a nomination for the [[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress]] and a [[Golden Globe Award for New Star Of The Year - Actress|Golden Globe Award for Most Promising New Star]], and helped her to make the transition from a child performer. She then starred in the [[musicals]] ''[[West Side Story (film)|West Side Story]]'' (1961) and ''[[Gypsy (1962 film)|Gypsy]]'' (1962). She also received Academy Award nominations for her performances in ''[[Splendor in the Grass]]'' (1961) and ''[[Love With the Proper Stranger]]'' (1963).
Following her film debut at the age of five, Wood became a successful [[child actor]] in such films as ''[[Miracle on 34th Street]]'' (1947). A well received performance opposite [[James Dean]] in ''[[Rebel Without a Cause]]'' (1955), earned her a nomination for the [[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress]] and a [[Golden Globe Award for New Star Of The Year - Actress|Golden Globe Award for Most Promising New Star]], and helped her to make the transition from a child performer. She then starred in the [[musicals]] ''[[West Side Story (film)|West Side Story]]'' (1961) and ''[[Gypsy (1962 film)|Gypsy]]'' (1962). By age 25, she was a three-time Academy Award-nominee, after receiving [[Best Actress]] nominations for her performances in ''[[Splendor in the Grass]]'' (1961) and ''[[Love With the Proper Stranger]]'' (1963).


Her career continued successfully into the late 1960s with lead roles in films such as ''[[Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice]]'' (1969); after this she worked less frequently so that she could start a family. She was married to actor [[Robert Wagner]] twice and had two daughters, [[Natasha Gregson]] and Courtney Wagner. Wood starred in several television productions, including a remake of the film ''[[From Here to Eternity (TV series)|From Here to Eternity]]'' (1979) for which she won a [[Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Drama|Golden Globe Award]].
Her career continued successfully into the late 1960s with lead roles in films such as ''[[Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice]]'' (1969); after this she worked less frequently so that she could start a family. She was married to actor [[Robert Wagner]] twice and had two daughters, [[Natasha Gregson]] and Courtney Wagner. Wood starred in several television productions, including a remake of the film ''[[From Here to Eternity (TV series)|From Here to Eternity]]'' (1979) for which she won a [[Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Drama|Golden Globe Award]].


Wood drowned near [[Santa Catalina Island, California]] in late 1981. Her final film, the science fiction drama ''[[Brainstorm]]'' (1983) with [[Christopher Walken]], was released posthumously.
Her final film was the [[science fiction]] drama ''[[Brainstorm]]'' (1983) with [[Christopher Walken]]. Wood was on vacation with Walken and Wagner when she drowned near [[Santa Catalina Island, California]] in late 1981.



==Child actor==
==Child actor==
Line 39: Line 40:
==Adult career==
==Adult career==
Wood successfully made the transition from child star to ingenue at age 16 when she co-starred in [[Nicholas Ray]]'s ''[[Rebel Without a Cause]]'' with [[James Dean]] and [[Sal Mineo]]. Her performance won her an [[Academy Awards|Oscar]] nomination for Best Supporting Actress. She followed this with a small but crucial role in [[John Ford]]'s ''[[The Searchers (film)|The Searchers]]'' which starred [[John Wayne]] and also featured Wood's sister, Lana, who played a younger version of her character in the film's earlier scenes. She graduated from Van Nuys High School in 1956.
Wood successfully made the transition from child star to ingenue at age 16 when she co-starred in [[Nicholas Ray]]'s ''[[Rebel Without a Cause]]'' with [[James Dean]] and [[Sal Mineo]]. Her performance won her an [[Academy Awards|Oscar]] nomination for Best Supporting Actress. She followed this with a small but crucial role in [[John Ford]]'s ''[[The Searchers (film)|The Searchers]]'' which starred [[John Wayne]] and also featured Wood's sister, Lana, who played a younger version of her character in the film's earlier scenes. She graduated from Van Nuys High School in 1956.
[[Image:Natalie Wood in Gypsy trailer 1.jpg|thumb|left|in ''[[Gypsy (film)|Gypsy]]'' (1962)]]

Signed to [[Warner Brothers]], Wood was kept busy during the remainder of the 1950s in many 'girlfriend' roles that she found unsatisfying. The studio cast her in two films opposite [[Tab Hunter]], hoping to turn the duo into a box office draw that never eventuated. Among the other films made at this time were ''[[Kings Go Forth]]'' with [[Frank Sinatra]] and the title role in ''[[Marjorie Morningstar (film)|Marjorie Morningstar]]''.
Signed to [[Warner Brothers]], Wood was kept busy during the remainder of the 1950s in many 'girlfriend' roles that she found unsatisfying. The studio cast her in two films opposite [[Tab Hunter]], hoping to turn the duo into a box office draw that never eventuated. Among the other films made at this time were ''[[Kings Go Forth]]'' with [[Frank Sinatra]] and the title role in ''[[Marjorie Morningstar (film)|Marjorie Morningstar]]''.


After appearing in the box office flop, ''[[All the Fine Young Cannibals]]'' with her husband, [[Robert Wagner]], Wood's career was salvaged by her casting in Elia Kazan's ''[[Splendor in the Grass]]'' (1961) opposite [[Warren Beatty]], which earned Wood Best Actress Nominations at the [[Academy Awards]], [[Golden Globes]] and [[BAFTA Awards]].
After appearing in the box office flop, ''[[All the Fine Young Cannibals]]'' with her husband, [[Robert Wagner]], Wood's career was salvaged by her casting in Elia Kazan's ''[[Splendor in the Grass]]'' (1961) opposite [[Warren Beatty]], which earned Wood Best Actress Nominations at the [[Academy Awards]], [[Golden Globes]] and [[BAFTA Awards]].


Also in 1961 Wood played Maria in the [[Jerome Robbins]] and [[Robert Wise]] musical ''[[West Side Story (film)|West Side Story]]'' which was a major box office and critical success. She had been signed to do her own singing but was later dubbed by session singer [[Marni Nixon]]. Wood's own singing voice was used when she starred in the 1962 film ''[[Gypsy (1962 film)|Gypsy]].'' She was dubbed by Jackie Ward in the slapstick comedy ''[[The Great Race]]'' (1965) co-starring [[Jack Lemmon]], [[Tony Curtis]], and [[Peter Falk]]. Wood received her third [[Academy Award]] nomination and another [[Golden Globe]] nod in 1964 for ''[[Love with the Proper Stranger]]'' opposite [[Steve McQueen (actor)|Steve McQueen]].
Also in 1961 Wood played Maria in the [[Jerome Robbins]] and [[Robert Wise]] musical ''[[West Side Story (film)|West Side Story]]'' which was a major box office and critical success. She had been signed to do her own singing but was later dubbed by session singer [[Marni Nixon]]. Wood's own singing voice was used when she starred in the 1962 film ''[[Gypsy (1962 film)|Gypsy]].'' She was dubbed by Jackie Ward in the slapstick comedy ''[[The Great Race]]'' (1965) co-starring [[Jack Lemmon]], [[Tony Curtis]], and [[Peter Falk]]. Wood received her third [[Academy Award]] nomination and another [[Golden Globe]] nod in 1964 for ''[[Love with the Proper Stranger]]'' opposite [[Steve McQueen (actor)|Steve McQueen]]. She was 25 at the time and is the youngest person in film history to receive three Academy Award nominations.


Although many of Wood's films were commercially profitable, her acting was criticized at times. In 1966 she won the [[Harvard Lampoon]] Worst Actress of the Year Award. She was the first performer in the award's history to accept it in person and the ''[[Harvard Crimson]]'' wrote she was "quite a good sport."<ref>Alexander, Jeffrey C. - [http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=493919 "Lampoon Fixes Date With Natalie; Wood Will Win 'Worst' on Saturday"]. - ''[[Harvard Crimson]]''. - [[18 April]] [[1966]]</ref>
Although many of Wood's films were commercially profitable, her acting was criticized at times. In 1966 she won the [[Harvard Lampoon]] Worst Actress of the Year Award. She was the first performer in the award's history to accept it in person and the ''[[Harvard Crimson]]'' wrote she was "quite a good sport."<ref>Alexander, Jeffrey C. - [http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=493919 "Lampoon Fixes Date With Natalie; Wood Will Win 'Worst' on Saturday"]. - ''[[Harvard Crimson]]''. - [[18 April]] [[1966]]</ref>


Other notable films she starred in were ''[[Inside Daisy Clover]]'' (1965) and ''[[This Property Is Condemned]]'' (1966), both of which co-starred [[Robert Redford]] and brought subsequent [[Golden Globe]] nominations for Best Actress. In 1969, Wood also starred as a [[swinger]] in a film about [[sexual liberation]], ''[[Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice]]''. After this, however, she worked less in order to give her time to settle down and start a family. She would act only occasionally for most of the 1970s. She appeared as herself in ''[[The Candidate]]'' (1972), reuniting her for a third time with Robert Redford. She also reunited on the screen with husband Robert Wagner in ''The Affair'' (1973), a made-for-television remake of ''[[Cat on a Hot Tin Roof]]'' (1976) and in the pilot episode of his TV show, ''[[Hart to Hart]]'' (1979). She would later begin to work more frequently as her daughters reached school age.
Other notable films she starred in were ''[[Inside Daisy Clover]]'' (1965) and ''[[This Property Is Condemned]]'' (1966), both of which co-starred [[Robert Redford]] and brought subsequent [[Golden Globe]] nominations for Best Actress. In 1969, Wood also starred as a [[swinger]] in a film about [[sexual liberation]], ''[[Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice]]''. After this, however, she worked less in order to give her time to settle down and start a family. She would act only occasionally for most of the 1970s. She appeared as herself in ''[[The Candidate]]'' (1972), reuniting her for a third time with Robert Redford. She also reunited on the screen with husband Robert Wagner in ''The Affair'' (1973), a made-for-television remake of ''[[Cat on a Hot Tin Roof]]'' (1976) and in the pilot episode of his TV show, ''[[Hart to Hart]]'' (1979). She would later begin to work more frequently as her daughters reached school age.
[[Image:Eternity.jpg|thumb|right|265px|in ''[[From Here to Eternity (TV series)|From Here to Eternity]]'' (1979)]]

Between 1967 and 1980, Wood turned down roles that went to [[Faye Dunaway]] in ''[[Bonnie & Clyde]]'', [[Ali MacGraw]] in ''[[Goodbye, Columbus]]'', [[Mia Farrow]] in ''[[The Great Gatsby]]'' and [[Kim Novak]] in ''[[The Mirror Crack'd]]'' among others. Instead, Wood chose to star in misfires like the [[disaster film]] ''[[Meteor (film)|Meteor]]'' (1979) with [[Sean Connery]] and the comedy ''[[The Last Married Couple in America]]'' (1980). She found more success in television, receiving high ratings and critical acclaim in 1979 for ''[[The Cracker Factory]]'' and especially the miniseries film ''[[From Here to Eternity (TV series)|From Here to Eternity]]'' with [[Kim Basinger]] and [[William Devane]]. Wood's performance in the latter won her a [[Golden Globe Award]] for Best Actress in 1980. Later that year, she starred in ''The Memory of Eva Ryker'' which proved to be her last completed production.
Between 1967 and 1980, Wood turned down roles that went to [[Faye Dunaway]] in ''[[Bonnie & Clyde]]'', [[Ali MacGraw]] in ''[[Goodbye, Columbus]]'', [[Mia Farrow]] in ''[[The Great Gatsby]]'' and [[Kim Novak]] in ''[[The Mirror Crack'd]]'' among others. Instead, Wood chose to star in misfires like the [[disaster film]] ''[[Meteor (film)|Meteor]]'' (1979) with [[Sean Connery]] and the comedy ''[[The Last Married Couple in America]]'' (1980). She found more success in television, receiving high ratings and critical acclaim in 1979 for ''[[The Cracker Factory]]'' and especially the miniseries film ''[[From Here to Eternity (TV series)|From Here to Eternity]]'' with [[Kim Basinger]] and [[William Devane]]. Wood's performance in the latter won her a [[Golden Globe Award]] for Best Actress in 1980. Later that year, she starred in ''The Memory of Eva Ryker'' which proved to be her last completed production.


Revision as of 07:21, 23 April 2009

For the candidate on UK reality TV show The Apprentice, see List of The Apprentice candidates (UK)
Natalie Wood
File:NatalieWood.jpg
in Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice (1969)
Born
Natalia Zacharenko
OccupationActress
Years active1943–1981
Spouse(s)Robert Wagner (1957-1962; 1972-1981)
Richard Gregson (1969-1972)

Natalie Wood (born Natalia Zacharenko;[2] Cyrillic: Наталья Николаевна Захаренко; July 20, 1938 – November 29, 1981) was an American actress.

Following her film debut at the age of five, Wood became a successful child actor in such films as Miracle on 34th Street (1947). A well received performance opposite James Dean in Rebel Without a Cause (1955), earned her a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress and a Golden Globe Award for Most Promising New Star, and helped her to make the transition from a child performer. She then starred in the musicals West Side Story (1961) and Gypsy (1962). By age 25, she was a three-time Academy Award-nominee, after receiving Best Actress nominations for her performances in Splendor in the Grass (1961) and Love With the Proper Stranger (1963).

Her career continued successfully into the late 1960s with lead roles in films such as Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice (1969); after this she worked less frequently so that she could start a family. She was married to actor Robert Wagner twice and had two daughters, Natasha Gregson and Courtney Wagner. Wood starred in several television productions, including a remake of the film From Here to Eternity (1979) for which she won a Golden Globe Award.

Her final film was the science fiction drama Brainstorm (1983) with Christopher Walken. Wood was on vacation with Walken and Wagner when she drowned near Santa Catalina Island, California in late 1981.


Child actor

File:Natalie Wood, 16.jpg
At age 15, circa 1953

Wood's parents, Maria Stepanova (née Zudilov) and Nikolai Zacharenko,[3] were Russian immigrants, but they grew up far from their homeland: her father lived in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, while her mother grew up in a Chinese province, Harbin.[4] Shortly after her birth in San Francisco, they moved north to Sonoma County and lived in Santa Rosa, California where Wood was noticed during a film shoot in downtown Santa Rosa. Her mother soon moved the family to Los Angeles and pursued a career for her daughter. By age four Natalia was being billed as Natasha Gurdin, Gurdin being the family's surname by this point. Like many parents of child actors her mother tightly managed and controlled the young girl's career and personal life. Her father has been described by Wood's biographers as a passive alcoholic. At the studio's suggestion, Natalia's name was changed to Natalie Wood during her period as a child actor for Warner Bros.

As a seven year old, Wood played a German orphan opposite Orson Welles and Claudette Colbert in Tomorrow Is Forever. Welles later said that Wood was a born professional, "so good, she was terrifying".[5] Her performance in the 1947 Christmas classic Miracle on 34th Street made Wood one of the top child stars in Hollywood. She would appear in over 20 films as a child, appearing opposite such stars as Gene Tierney, James Stewart, Maureen O'Hara, Bette Davis and Bing Crosby. Her sister Svetlana Gurdin (better known as Lana Wood) also became an actress and later, notably, a Bond girl. They had a half-sister, Olga.

Adult career

Wood successfully made the transition from child star to ingenue at age 16 when she co-starred in Nicholas Ray's Rebel Without a Cause with James Dean and Sal Mineo. Her performance won her an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress. She followed this with a small but crucial role in John Ford's The Searchers which starred John Wayne and also featured Wood's sister, Lana, who played a younger version of her character in the film's earlier scenes. She graduated from Van Nuys High School in 1956.

in Gypsy (1962)

Signed to Warner Brothers, Wood was kept busy during the remainder of the 1950s in many 'girlfriend' roles that she found unsatisfying. The studio cast her in two films opposite Tab Hunter, hoping to turn the duo into a box office draw that never eventuated. Among the other films made at this time were Kings Go Forth with Frank Sinatra and the title role in Marjorie Morningstar.

After appearing in the box office flop, All the Fine Young Cannibals with her husband, Robert Wagner, Wood's career was salvaged by her casting in Elia Kazan's Splendor in the Grass (1961) opposite Warren Beatty, which earned Wood Best Actress Nominations at the Academy Awards, Golden Globes and BAFTA Awards.

Also in 1961 Wood played Maria in the Jerome Robbins and Robert Wise musical West Side Story which was a major box office and critical success. She had been signed to do her own singing but was later dubbed by session singer Marni Nixon. Wood's own singing voice was used when she starred in the 1962 film Gypsy. She was dubbed by Jackie Ward in the slapstick comedy The Great Race (1965) co-starring Jack Lemmon, Tony Curtis, and Peter Falk. Wood received her third Academy Award nomination and another Golden Globe nod in 1964 for Love with the Proper Stranger opposite Steve McQueen. She was 25 at the time and is the youngest person in film history to receive three Academy Award nominations.

Although many of Wood's films were commercially profitable, her acting was criticized at times. In 1966 she won the Harvard Lampoon Worst Actress of the Year Award. She was the first performer in the award's history to accept it in person and the Harvard Crimson wrote she was "quite a good sport."[6]

Other notable films she starred in were Inside Daisy Clover (1965) and This Property Is Condemned (1966), both of which co-starred Robert Redford and brought subsequent Golden Globe nominations for Best Actress. In 1969, Wood also starred as a swinger in a film about sexual liberation, Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice. After this, however, she worked less in order to give her time to settle down and start a family. She would act only occasionally for most of the 1970s. She appeared as herself in The Candidate (1972), reuniting her for a third time with Robert Redford. She also reunited on the screen with husband Robert Wagner in The Affair (1973), a made-for-television remake of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1976) and in the pilot episode of his TV show, Hart to Hart (1979). She would later begin to work more frequently as her daughters reached school age.

in From Here to Eternity (1979)

Between 1967 and 1980, Wood turned down roles that went to Faye Dunaway in Bonnie & Clyde, Ali MacGraw in Goodbye, Columbus, Mia Farrow in The Great Gatsby and Kim Novak in The Mirror Crack'd among others. Instead, Wood chose to star in misfires like the disaster film Meteor (1979) with Sean Connery and the comedy The Last Married Couple in America (1980). She found more success in television, receiving high ratings and critical acclaim in 1979 for The Cracker Factory and especially the miniseries film From Here to Eternity with Kim Basinger and William Devane. Wood's performance in the latter won her a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in 1980. Later that year, she starred in The Memory of Eva Ryker which proved to be her last completed production.

At the time of her death, Wood was filming the sci-fi film Brainstorm (1983) with Christopher Walken. She was also scheduled to star in a theatrical production of Anastasia and in a film called Country of the Heart with Timothy Hutton. Due to her untimely death, both of the latter projects were canceled and the ending of Brainstorm had to be re-written. A stand-in and sound-a-likes were used to replace Wood for some of her critical scenes.

She appeared in 56 films for cinema and television. Following her death, Time magazine noted that although critical praise for Wood had been sparse throughout her career, "she always had work."[7]

Personal life

Marriages

Natalie Wood's two marriages to actor Robert Wagner were highly publicized. "I was ten and he was 18 when I first saw him walking down a hall at 20th Century Fox," Wood recalled. "I turned to my mother and said, 'I'm going to marry him.' "[8] It was on her 18th birthday when she went on her first date with Wagner, who was then 26. They married a year later on December 28, 1957. Financial problems on Wagner's part as well as his hostility towards Wood's friends led them to separate in June 1961 and divorce in April 1962.

On May 30, 1969, Wood married British producer Richard Gregson. The couple dated for three years prior to their marriage. They had a daughter, Natasha (born September 29, 1970). However, the marriage ended shortly after, when Wood discovered that Gregson was having an affair with her secretary. She immediately left him in August 1971 and filed for divorce. It became final in April 1972.

In early 1972, Wood resumed her relationship with Wagner. The couple remarried on July 16, 1972, just five months after reconciling and only three after she divorced Gregson. Their daughter, Courtney Wagner, was born on March 9, 1974. They remained married until Wood's death on November 29, 1981.

Other relationships

Biographer Suzanne Finstad claimed Wood slept with director Nicholas Ray, while she was trying to land the lead role in Rebel Without a Cause, when she was 16 and he was 43.[9][10] Meanwhile, costar Dennis Hopper was involved with Wood and reportedly made an unannounced visit only to discover her in bed with Ray.[11]

Wood was romantically involved with her Splendor in the Grass costar Warren Beatty from 1962 to 1965. After this she had brief relationships with actors Michael Caine, Scott Marlowe, and director Henry Jaglom, all in 1966. She briefly dated her Love with the Proper Stranger costar Steve McQueen in 1972, though it was not an exclusive relationship on either part. Wood also had a relationship with singer Elvis Presley.

Wood went on studio-arranged dates with closeted gay actors. One of these was Tab Hunter who was seven years older than her and with whom she developed a lasting friendship. Wood's long relationship with Nick Adams, (who according to biographer Gavin Lambert was another "gay or bisexual actor") also began with such a "studio-arranged date."[4][12]. According to Lambert and his reviewer David Ehrenstein, Wood also financially supported homosexual playwright Mart Crowley in a manner that made it possible for him to write his play, The Boys in the Band.[13] Concerning a possible relationship between Wood and homosexual actor Raymond Burr, 21 years her senior, Wood's biographer, Suzanne Finstad, cites Dennis Hopper as saying, "I just can't wrap my mind around that one. But you know, I saw them together. They were definitely a couple. Who knows what was going on there." [14]Wood was friends with her Rebel Without a Cause costars James Dean and Sal Mineo. Rumors that she was romantically involved with them are often contradicted by biographers, many of whom suggest that both Dean and Mineo were gay or bisexual.

Wood was rumored to have had an affair with Christopher Walken while filming Brainstorm with him in 1981. This has never been confirmed by Walken.[15] Wood's sister Lana said they "may have had an affair, but Natalie would have never left R.J."[16] It was reported by the National Enquirer that Wood and Walken had checked into a hotel room the night before her death.[17] Other rumors were that she had walked in on a tryst between Wagner and Walken. Suzanne Finstad's book claims that Wood had previously discovered Wagner "in a compromising position with another man.".[9]

Death

In September and October 1981, Wood and Wagner stayed in Raleigh, North Carolina while Wood did location work for the science-fiction film Brainstorm.[18] Wood then spent most of November in California shooting interior scenes with Christopher Walken and other cast members on the MGM lot in Culver City.[18]

After Thanksgiving, Wood, Wagner and Walken went on to Catalina Island for the weekend and on the night of November 28 their yacht (Splendour) was anchored in Isthmus Cove. Also on board was the boat's skipper, Dennis Davern, who had worked for the couple for many years. Wood apparently tried to either leave the yacht or secure a dinghy from banging against the hull when she accidentally slipped and fell overboard. A woman on a nearby yacht said she heard calls for help at around midnight. The cries lasted for about 15 minutes and were answered by someone else who said, "Take it easy. We'll be over to get you".[7] "It was laid back," the witness recalled. "There was no urgency or immediacy in their shouts".[7] An investigation by Los Angeles County coroner Thomas Noguchi resulted in an official verdict of accidental drowning. Noguchi concluded Wood had drunk "seven or eight" glasses of wine and was intoxicated when she died. There were marks and bruises on her body which could have been received as a result of her fall.[7] Noguchi later wrote had Wood not been intoxicated she likely would have realized her heavy down-filled coat and wool sweater were pulling her underwater and would have removed them.[19] Noguchi also wrote that he found Wood's fingernails embedded in the rubber boat's side.

The tragic nature of Wood's death led to a generation of rumors about what transpired that night, including speculation that Wood was having an affair with Walken and was discovered by Wagner, or that Wagner and Walken engaged in a conspiracy to murder Wood. The rumors are rooted in the rather inexplicable behavior of Wagner, Walken and the captain of the yacht, who according to Suzanne Finstad, the author of Natasha: The Biography of Natalie Wood, waited for a minimum of 90 minutes after discovering that Wood was missing to when they first called for help to find her. Most sources say that Walken was asleep throughout the entire ordeal and had nothing to do with her death. Wagner, Walken, and Davern all refused to be interviewed for Suzanne Finstad's biography of Wood. However, according to Finstad's book, Davern called Natalie's sister Lana Wood in 1992 and told her that Wagner continued fighting with Wood after she had gone overboard. Drawing from Davern's conversation with Lana Wood, among other sources, Finstad writes: "Natalie was in the ocean alongside the boat, yelling, while R.J., who was still furious, and desperately drunk, continued the argument from on board the boat." "Dennis was very panicky," the actress' sister said. "He was sitting, and would say, 'Come on, let's get her.' And he said R.J. was in such a foul mood, at that point that Dennis then shut up." The book continues: " 'Time slipped away,' Davern told Lana, 'until all the sound stopped.' "[20]

Wood was 43 at the time of her death and is buried in Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery. Following her death, Time magazine noted that although critical praise for Wood had been sparse throughout her career, "she always had work."[7]

Appearances and awards

Filmography

Year Film Role Notes
1943 Happy Land Bit Part
1946 The Bride Wore Boots Carol Warren
Tomorrow Is Forever Margaret Ludwig
1947 Driftwood Jenny Hollingsworth
The Ghost and Mrs. Muir Anna Muir as a child
Miracle on 34th Street Susan Walker
1948 Scudda Hoo! Scudda Hay! Bean McGill
1949 Father Was a Fullback Ellen Cooper
The Green Promise Susan Anastasia Matthews
Chicken Every Sunday Ruth Hefferan
1950 Never a Dull Moment Nancy 'Nan' Howard
The Jackpot Phyllis Lawrence
Our Very Own Penny Macaulay
No Sad Songs for Me Polly Scott
1951 The Blue Veil Stephanie Rawlins
Dear Brat Pauline
1952 The Star Gretchen
Just for You Barbara Blake
The Rose Bowl Story Sally Burke
1954 The Silver Chalice Helena as a child
1955 Rebel Without a Cause Judy Nominated - Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress
One Desire Seely Dowder
1956 The Girl He Left Behind Susan Daniels
The Burning Hills Maria Christina Colton
A Cry in the Night Liz Taggert
The Searchers Debbie Edwards (older)
1957 Bombers B-52 (film) Lois Brennan
1958 Kings Go Forth Monique Blair
Marjorie Morningstar Marjorie Morgenstern
1960 All the Fine Young Cannibals Sarah 'Salome' Davis
Cash McCall Lory Austen
1961 West Side Story Maria
Splendor in the Grass Wilma Dean Loomis Nominated - Academy Award for Best Actress
Nominated - Golden Globe Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture Drama
Nominated - BAFTA Award Best Foreign Actress
1962 Gypsy Gypsy Rose Lee Nominated - Golden Globe Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
1963 Love with the Proper Stranger Angie Rossini Nominated - Academy Award for Best Actress
Nominated - Golden Globe Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture Drama
1964 Sex and the Single Girl Helen Gurley Brown
1965 Inside Daisy Clover Daisy Clover Nominated - Golden Globe Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
Nominated - World Film Favorite - Female
The Great Race Maggie DuBois
1966 Penelope Penelope Elcott
This Property Is Condemned Alva Starr Nominated - Golden Globe Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture Drama
1969 Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice Carol Sanders
1972 The Candidate Herself
1973 The Affair Courtney Patterson Released theatrically outside of the U.S.
1975 Peeper Ellen Prendergast
1976 Cat on a Hot Tin Roof Maggie Made for Television
1979 From Here to Eternity Karen Holmes Miniseries, Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Drama
The Cracker Factory Cassie Barrett Made for television
Meteor Tatiana Nikolaevna Donskaya
1980 The Memory of Eva Ryker Eva/Claire Ryker Made for Television
The Last Married Couple in America Mari Thompson
Willie & Phil Herself
1983 Brainstorm Karen Brace Nominated - Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress

Television shows

Year Film Role Notes
1953 Pride of the Family Ann Morrison One season
1969 Bracken's World Cameo Guest Appearance
1978 Switch Girl in the Bubble Bath Guest Appearance
1979 Hart to Hart Movie Star Pilot episode, as Natasha Gurdin

Other awards

Year Group Award Film Result
1946 Box Office Magazine Most Talented Young Actress of 1946 Tomorrow is Forever Won
1956 National Association of Theatre Owners Star of Tomorrow Award Won
1957 Golden Globe Award New Star Of The Year - Actress Rebel Without A Cause Won
1958 Golden Laurel Awards Top Female Dramatic Performance Marjorie Morningstar Nominated
Golden Laurel Awards Top Female Star Nominated (13th place)
1959 Golden Laurel Awards Top Female Star Nominated (7th place)
1960 Golden Laurel Awards Top Female Star Nominated (9th place)
1961 Grauman's Chinese Theatre Handprint Ceremony Inducted
1961 Golden Laurel Awards Top Female Star Nominated (14th place)
1962 Golden Laurel Awards Top Female Dramatic Performance Splendor in the Grass Nominated
Golden Laurel Awards Top Female Star Nominated (5th place)
1963 Golden Laurel Awards Top Female Musical Performance Gypsy Nominated
Golden Laurel Awards Top Female Star Nominated (2nd place)
1964 Mar del Plata Film Festival Best Actress Love with the Proper Stranger Won
New York Film Critics Award Best Actress Love with the Proper Stranger Nominated
Golden Laurel Awards Top Female Dramatic Performance Love with the Proper Stranger Nominated
Golden Laurel Awards Top Female Star Nominated (3rd place)
1965 Golden Laurel Awards Top Female Star Nominated (6th place)
1966 Golden Globe Award World Film Favorite Won
Golden Laurel Awards Top Female Star Nominated (8th place)
1967 Golden Laurel Awards Top Female Star Nominated (3th place)
1968 Golden Laurel Awards Top Female Star Nominated (12th place)
1970 Golden Laurel Awards Top Female Star Nominated (9th place)
1971 Golden Laurel Awards Top Female Star Nominated (9th place)
1984 Saturn Awards Best Supporting Actress Brainstorm Nominated
1987 Hollywood Chamber of Commerce Hollywood Walk of Fame - Inducted

Bibliography

  • Finstad, Suzanne. Natasha: The Biography of Natalie Wood. Three Rivers Press, 2001. ISBN 0-609-80957-1.
  • Frascella, Lawrence and Al Weisel. Live Fast, Die Young: The Wild Ride of Making Rebel Without a Cause. Touchstone, 2005. ISBN 0-7432-6082-1.
  • Harris, Warren G. Hollywood's Star-Crossed Lovers "Natalie and R.J.". Doubleday, 1988. ISBN 0-385-23691-3.
  • Lambert, Gavin. Natalie Wood: A Life. London: Faber and Faber, 2004. ISBN 0-571-22197-1.
  • Nickens, Christopher. Natalie Wood: A Biography in Photographs. Doubleday, 1986. ISBN 0-385-23307-8.
  • Noguchi, Thomas T. Coroner. Simon & Schuster (October 1983). ISBN 0671467727.
  • Wood, Lana. Natalie: A Memoir by Her Sister. Putnam Pub Group, 1984. ISBN 0-399-12903-0.

References

  1. ^ "Biography for Natalie Wood(I)", IMDb, 2009, webpage: IMDb-0081. Also, her Russian/Cyrillic name "Наталья Николаевна Захаренко" transliterates directly as "Natalia Nikolaevna Zakharenko". The name "Natalia" is pronounced as "Nah-TAHL-ya" (2nd syllable stressed).
  2. ^ According to the State of California. California Birth Index, 1905-1995. Center for Health Statistics, California Department of Health Services, Sacramento, California. Searchable at http://www.familytreelegends.com/records/39461
  3. ^ Lambert, Gavin (2005-07-03). "Thrust into acting, Natalie Wood excelled, died young". Manhattan Mercury. Retrieved 2009-02-20. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  4. ^ a b Lambert, Gavin (2004). Natalie Wood: A Life. London: Faber and Faber. ISBN 0571221971.
  5. ^ O'Conner, John J. - Arts: " TV Weekend; A Documentary Remembrance of Natalie Wood". - New York Times. - July 8, 1988
  6. ^ Alexander, Jeffrey C. - "Lampoon Fixes Date With Natalie; Wood Will Win 'Worst' on Saturday". - Harvard Crimson. - 18 April 1966
  7. ^ a b c d e "The last hours of Natalie Wood". - TIME. - 14 December 1981
  8. ^ http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20067214,00.html
  9. ^ a b Finstad, Suzanne (2001). Natasha: The Biography of Natalie Wood. Three Rivers Press. ISBN 0-609-80957-1.
  10. ^ Foran, Chris. - "Natalie Wood deserved a better ending". - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. - 31 July 2001.
  11. ^ Rathgeb, Douglas L. (2004). The Making of Rebel Without a Cause McFarland & Company. ISBN 0-7864-1976-8.
  12. ^ Hollywood expert John Gregory Dunne confirms that Adams was bisexual. Regards: The Selected Nonfiction of John Gregory Dunne (2005), p.242. | The only writer who didn't believe that Adams was "gay or bisexual" is journalist Bill Kelly. See "The Unsolved Death of Nick Adams", Retrieved 5 December 2007.
  13. ^ Ehrenstein's review of Lambert's Wood biography in The Advocate, - March 16, 2004. Suzanne Finstad confirms that Mart Crowley worked for Wood and her husband Wagner "for many years", adding that she "also hired his boyfriend."
  14. ^ Hill, Ona L. (2000). Raymond Burr: A Film, Radio and Television Biography. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland. p.56. ISBN 0786408332
  15. ^ http://the-gossip-columnist-67.blogspot.com/2007/06/how-did-natalie-wood-drown.html
  16. ^ Wood, Lana (1984). Natalie: A Memoir by Her Sister. G.R Putnam's Sons.
  17. ^ http://the-gossip-columnist-67.blogspot.com/2007/06/how-did-natalie-wood-drown.html
  18. ^ a b Thackrey, Ted Jr., - "Actress Natalie Wood Dies." - Los Angeles Times. - 30 November 1981.
  19. ^ Noguchi, Thomas T. (1983). Coroner. New York, New York: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0671467727.
  20. ^ http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/entertainment/2001/06/25/2001-06-25_natalie_-_when__all_sound_st.html
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