Age, Biography, and Wiki
Natalie Wood was born Natalia Nikolaevna Zakharenko in San Francisco, California, to Russian immigrant parents. She began her acting career as a child and became a prominent figure in Hollywood, starring in films like "Miracle on 34th Street," "Rebel Without a Cause," and "West Side Story." Wood's life was marked by both personal and professional achievements, including winning three Golden Globe Awards and being nominated for three Academy Awards.
| Occupation | Actress |
|---|---|
| Date of Birth | 20 July 1938 |
| Age | 86 Years |
| Birth Place | San Francisco, California, U.S. |
| Horoscope | Cancer |
| Country | U.S |
| Date of death | 29 November, 1981 |
| Died Place | Pacific Ocean near Santa Catalina Island |
Height, Weight & Measurements
Unfortunately, detailed measurements of Natalie Wood's height and weight are not widely documented. However, it is known that she was a petite woman with a charming presence on screen that captivated audiences worldwide.
In February 2018, Wagner was named a person of interest by the police in the investigation. The police stated that they know that Wagner was the last person to be with Wood before she disappeared. In a 2018 report, the Los Angeles Times cited the coroner's report from 2013 by saying that Wood had unexplained fresh bruising on her right forearm, her left wrist, and her right knee, a scratch on her neck, and a superficial scrape on her forehead. Officials said that it is possible that she was assaulted before she drowned.
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Dating & Relationship Status
Natalie Wood was married twice: first to Richard Gregson, with whom she had a daughter, Natasha Gregson Wagner, and then to Robert Wagner, whom she married twice. At the time of her death, Wood was married to Robert Wagner for the second time, and they had a daughter named Courtney Wagner.
During the 1970s, Wood began a hiatus from film and had two daughters: one with her second husband Richard Gregson, and one with Robert Wagner, her first husband whom she married again after divorcing Gregson. She acted in only two feature films throughout the decade, but she appeared slightly more often in television productions, including a remake of From Here to Eternity (1979) for which she won a Golden Globe Award. Wood's films represented a "coming of age" for her and for Hollywood films in general. Critics have suggested that her cinematic career represents a portrait of modern American womanhood in transition, as she was one of the few to take both child roles and those of middle-aged characters.
On November 29, 1981, at the age of 43, Wood drowned in the Pacific Ocean at Santa Catalina Island during a break from production of her would-be comeback film Brainstorm (1983). She was with her husband Wagner and Brainstorm co-star Christopher Walken. The events surrounding her death have been the subject of conflicting witness statements, prompting the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, under the instruction of the coroner's office, to list her cause of death as "drowning and other undetermined factors" in 2012. In 2018, Wagner was named as a person of interest in the ongoing investigation into her death.
She was of Russian and Ukrainian descent and raised in the Russian Orthodox religion. Her mother (who also used the names Mary, Marie, and Musia) was from Barnaul. Wood's maternal grandfather owned soap and candle factories, as well as an estate outside Barnaul. With the start of the Russian Civil War, his family fled Russia for China, settling as refugees in Harbin. Her mother was previously married to Armenian mechanic Alexander Tatuloff from 1925 to 1936. They had a daughter named Olga (1928–2015) and moved to America by ship in 1930 before divorcing six years later.
Wood's father was a carpenter from Ussuriysk. Her paternal grandfather, a chocolate factory employee who joined the anti-Bolshevik civilian forces during the war, was killed in a street fight between the Red Army and White Russian soldiers in Vladivostok. After that, his widow and three sons fled to Shanghai, subsequently relocating to Vancouver at the time of Wood's paternal grandmother's remarriage in 1927. By 1933, they moved to the United States. Her parents met while her mother was still married to Tatuloff. A year after Natalie's birth, her father changed the family's surname to Gurdin. In 1942, they bought a home in Santa Rosa, California, where Wood was noticed by members of a crew during a film shoot downtown. After she started acting as a child, RKO executives David Lewis and William Goetz changed her surname to "Wood" to make it more appealing to English-speaking audiences and as a tribute to filmmaker Sam Wood.
Wood's first appearance on screen came when she was just four years old in the March 1943 release of The Moon Is Down based on the John Steinbeck book of the same name. Shortly thereafter, she was cast again in a fifteen-second scene in the film Happy Land (1943). Despite the brief parts, she became a favorite of the director of both films, Irving Pichel. He remained in contact with Wood's family for two years, advising them when another role came up. The director telephoned Wood's mother and asked her to bring her daughter to Los Angeles for a screen test. Wood's mother became so excited that she "packed the whole family off to Los Angeles to live," writes Harris. Wood's father opposed the idea, but his wife's "overpowering ambition to make Natalie a star" took priority. According to Wood's younger sister Lana, Pichel "discovered her and wanted to adopt her."
Wood, then seven years old, got the part. She played a post-World War II German orphan, opposite Orson Welles as Wood's guardian and Claudette Colbert, in Tomorrow Is Forever (1946). When Wood was unable to cry on cue, her mother tore a butterfly to pieces in front of her to ensure she would sob for a scene. Welles later said that Wood was a born professional, "so good, she was terrifying." He also said "Natalie doesn't act from the script, she acts from the heart."
Film historian John C. Tibbetts wrote that for the next few years following her success in Miracle, Wood played roles as a daughter in a series of family films: Driftwood (1947), at Republic; Scudda Hoo! Scudda Hay! (1948); Chicken Every Sunday (1949); The Green Promise (1949); Fred MacMurray's daughter in Father Was a Fullback (1949), with O'Hara; Margaret Sullavan's daughter in No Sad Songs for Me (1950); the youngest sister in Our Very Own (1950); Never a Dull Moment (1950); James Stewart's daughter in The Jackpot (1950); Dear Brat (1951); Joan Blondell's neglected daughter in The Blue Veil (1951); The Rose Bowl Story (1952); Just for You (1952); and as the daughter of Bette Davis' character in The Star (1952). In all, Wood appeared in over twenty films as a child. She also appeared on television in episodes of Kraft Theatre and Chevron Theatre.
Wood's mother continued to play a significant role in her daughter's early career, coaching her and micromanaging aspects of her career even after Wood acquired agents. As a child actress, Wood received significant media attention. By age nine, she had been named the "most exciting juvenile motion picture star of the year" by Parents magazine.
Wood successfully made the transition from child star to ingénue at age 16 when she co-starred with James Dean and Sal Mineo in Rebel Without a Cause (1955), Nicholas Ray's film about teenage rebellion. Wood had to sign to a long-term contract with Warner Bros. but she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. She later said it was the first script she read that she actually wanted to do as opposed to being told to do by her parents; she also said her parents were opposed to her doing it. "Until then I did what I was told," she said.
Wood graduated from Van Nuys High School in 1956. She signed with Warner Brothers and was kept busy during the remainder of the decade in many "girlfriend" roles, which she found unsatisfying.
"When I saw her, I detected behind the well-mannered 'young wife' front a desperate twinkle in her eyes… I talked with her more quietly then and more personally. I wanted to find out what human material was there, what her inner life was… Then she told me she was being psychoanalyzed. That did it. Poor R.J. [Wagner], I said to myself. I liked Bob Wagner, I still do."
By 1966, Wood suffered emotionally and in an attempt to overcome her emotional problems, she sought professional therapy. She paid Warner Bros. $175,000 to cancel her contract and fired her entire support team: agents, managers, publicist, accountant, and attorneys. In the following years, Wood focused on her mental health, and began a relationship with Richard Gregson, whom she married in 1969.
After another lengthy break, she appeared in the ensemble disaster film Meteor (1979) with Sean Connery and the sex comedy The Last Married Couple in America (1980) with George Segal and Valerie Harper. Her performance in the latter was praised and considered reminiscent of her performance in Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice. In Last Married Couple, Wood broke ground: although an actress with a clean, middle-class image, she used the word fuck in a frank marital discussion with her husband (Segal).
She was scheduled to make her stage debut on February 12, 1982, in Anastasia at Ahmanson Theatre with Wendy Hiller. Wood had also purchased film rights to the Barbara Wersba book, Country of the Heart, and was planning to star with Timothy Hutton in the drama about the professional-romantic relationship between a tough-minded poet and her much younger student. (The material was eventually adapted into a 1990 television film starring Jane Seymour.) She expected to follow her performance as Anastasia on the stage with a starring stint in a film adaptation of the work.
On May 30, 1969, Wood married British producer Richard Gregson after dating for nearly three years. They had a daughter, Natasha (born September 29, 1970). Wood filed for divorce from Gregson on August 4, 1971, and it was finalized on April 12, 1972.
After a short-lived romance with future California governor Jerry Brown, Wood resumed her relationship with Wagner at the end of January 1972. They remarried on July 16 aboard the Ramblin' Rose, anchored off Paradise Cove in Malibu.
Suzanne Finstad's 2001 biography of Wood alleges that she was raped by a powerful actor when she was 16, but in it, Finstad did not name the assailant. Through the recollection of Wood's close friends, which included actors Scott Marlowe and Dennis Hopper, Finstad said: "Though her five close friends' memories of some details or timing differ after forty-five years, the essence of what each recalls Natalie confiding to them is the same: that the same married film star lured or tricked Natalie, raped her so brutally she was physically injured, and she was too frightened or intimidated to report it to the police. Natalie 'hated' her former screen idol afterward, 'shuddering' if she heard his name. She would keep the horrible secret, and behave as if nothing happened whenever their paths intersected, too schooled by Mud [her mother] in the politics of Hollywood to cross a powerful movie star."
On November 29, 1981, Wood died under mysterious circumstances at the age of 43 during the making of Brainstorm. She had been on a weekend boat trip to Santa Catalina Island on board her husband Robert Wagner's 58 ft motoryacht, Splendour. Many of the circumstances are unknown; for example, it has never been determined how she entered the water. Wood was with Wagner, her Brainstorm co-star Christopher Walken, and Splendour's captain Dennis Davern on the evening of November 28. Authorities recovered her body at 8 a.m. on November 29, 1 mi from the boat, with a small Valiant-brand inflatable dinghy beached nearby. Wagner said that she was not with him when he went to bed. The autopsy report revealed that she had bruises on her body and arms and an abrasion on her left cheek, but did not indicate how or when the injuries occurred.
However, Wood's professional legacy has, to a degree, been overshadowed by the enormous attention which has been given to her personal life. Her professional life has especially been overshadowed by the circumstances surrounding her death, as well as by her highly publicized marriage, her divorce and her remarriage to Robert Wagner, her relationships with several actors whom she dated in the 1960s, her mental health struggles, and her often troubled relationship with her mother. According to her daughter, Natasha Gregson Wagner, the focus on her death and the speculation about it "overshadowed her life's work and who she was as a person".
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| Husband | Robert Wagner (m. December 28, 1957-April 27, 1962) (m. July 16, 1972) Richard Gregson (m. 30 May 1969-12 April 1972) |
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Net Worth and Salary
At the time of her death, Natalie Wood's net worth was approximately $2.5 million, which would be equivalent to around $6 million to $7 million in today's dollars, adjusted for inflation. Her estate included significant assets like a yacht and multiple houses, which were divided among her family members according to her will.
Career, Business, and Investments
Natalie Wood's career spanned over four decades, with over 70 acting credits. She began acting at the age of four and gained recognition for her roles in films like "The Ghost and Mrs. Muir," "Splendor in the Grass," and "Love with the Proper Stranger." Wood's talent and dedication earned her a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1986, posthumously. Her business ventures were largely tied to her acting career, with no known significant investments outside of film and television.
Because Wood was a minor during her early years as an actress, she received her primary education on the studio lots wherever she was contracted. California law required that until age 18, child actors had to spend at least three hours per day in the classroom, notes Harris. "She was a straight A student", and one of the few child actors to excel at arithmetic. Director Joseph L. Mankiewicz, who directed her in The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947), said that, "In all my years in the business, I never met a smarter moppet." Wood remembered that period in her life, saying, "I always felt guilty when I knew the crew was sitting around waiting for me to finish my three hours. As soon as the teacher let us go, I ran to the set as fast as I could."
She was leading lady to Frank Sinatra in Kings Go Forth (1958) then refused roles and was put on suspension by Warners. This lasted for a year until February 1959. She returned to be leading lady to James Garner in Cash McCall (1960). After Wood appeared in the box office flop All the Fine Young Cannibals (1960), she lost momentum. Wood's career was in a transition period, having until then consisted of roles as a child or as a teenager.
After a "series of bad films, her career was already in decline", according to author Douglas Rathgeb. She was then cast in Kazan's Splendor in the Grass (1961) with Warren Beatty. Kazan wrote in his 1997 memoir that the "sages" of the film community declared her "washed up" as an actress, but he still wanted to interview her for his next film:
Wood appeared in 56 films for cinema and television. In one of her last interviews before her death, she was defined as "our sexual conscience on the silver screen". Following her death, Time magazine noted that although critical praise for Wood had been sparse throughout her career, "she always had work".
The 2004 TV film The Mystery of Natalie Wood chronicles Wood's life and career. It was partly based on the biographies Natasha: the Biography of Natalie Wood by Suzanne Finstad and Natalie & R.J. by Warren G. Harris. Justine Waddell portrays Wood.
Wood was one of the few child actors who also achieved success as a movie star in adulthood. Wood's career was also a bridge between Old Hollywood and New Hollywood. Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice (1969), a successful film that Wood made after a period of professional and personal setbacks, cemented her place as an actress who was part of both worlds. Wood also achieved success in television, notably in the miniseries From Here to Eternity (1979) for which she won a Golden Globe Award.
Social Network
As Natalie Wood passed away in 1981, she did not have the opportunity to engage with modern social media platforms. However, her legacy continues to inspire new generations through her films and the work of her family members.
Natalie Wood (née Zacharenko; July 20, 1938 – November 29, 1981) was an American actress. She began acting at age four and co-starred at age eight in Miracle on 34th Street (1947). As a teenager, she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in Rebel Without a Cause (1955), followed by a role in John Ford's The Searchers (1956). Wood starred in the musical films West Side Story (1961) and Gypsy (1962) and received nominations for an Academy Award for Best Actress for her performances in Splendor in the Grass (1961) and Love with the Proper Stranger (1963). Her career continued with films such as Sex and the Single Girl (1964), The Great Race (1965), Inside Daisy Clover (1965), This Property Is Condemned (1966), and Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice (1969).
She continued to guest star on anthology TV shows like Studio One in Hollywood, Camera Three, Kings Row, Studio 57, Warner Brothers Presents, and The Kaiser Aluminum Hour.
Kazan cast Wood as the female lead in Splendor, and her career rebounded. He felt that despite her earlier innocent roles, she had the talent and maturity to go beyond them. In the film, Beatty's character was deprived of sexual love with Wood's character, and as a result turns to another, "looser" girl. Wood's character could not handle the betrayal and after a breakdown was committed to a mental institution. Kazan writes that he cast her in the role partly because he saw in Wood's personality a "true-blue quality with a wanton side that is held down by social pressure," adding that "she clings to things with her eyes," a quality he found especially "appealing." Finstad felt that although Wood had never trained in method acting techniques, "working with Kazan brought her to the greatest emotional heights of her career. The experience was exhilarating, but wrenching for Natalie, who faced her demons on Splendor." She adds that a scene in the film, as a result of "Kazan's wizardry… produced a hysteria in Natalie that may be her most powerful moment as an actress." Actor Gary Lockwood, who also performed in the film, felt that "Kazan and Natalie were a terrific marriage, because you had this beautiful girl, and you had somebody that could get things out of her." Kazan's favorite scene in the film was the last one, when Wood goes back to see her lost first love, Bud (Beatty). "It's terribly touching to me. I still like it when I see it," wrote Kazan. He added, "I didn't have to give her any direction for that final scene; she knew exactly how to play it."
Wood played Maria, a restless Puerto Rican girl on the West Side of Manhattan, in West Side Story, Jerome Robbins and Robert Wise's 1961 film of the stage musical, which was a critical and box-office success. Tibbetts wrote of similarities in her role in this film and the earlier Rebel. She was to represent the "restlessness of American youth in the 1950s", expressed by youth gangs and juvenile delinquency, along with early rock and roll. Both films, he observes, were "modern allegories based on the 'Romeo and Juliet' theme, including private restlessness and public alienation. Where in Rebel she falls in love with the character played by James Dean, whose gang-like peers and violent temper alienated him from his family, in West Side Story she enters into a romance with a white former gang member whose threatening world of outcasts also alienated him from lawful behavior."
Wood sang when she starred in the film Gypsy (1962) alongside Rosalind Russell. Her appearance in that film led critic Pauline Kael to comment "clever little Natalie Wood… [the] most machine-tooled of Hollywood ingénues."
In 2012, Los Angeles County Chief Coroner Lakshmanan Sathyavagiswaran amended Wood's death certificate and changed the cause of death from accidental drowning to "drowning and other undetermined factors". The amended document included a statement that it is "not clearly established" how Wood ended up in the water. Detectives instructed the coroner's office not to discuss or comment on the case. On January 14, 2013, the Los Angeles County coroner's office offered a 10-page addendum to Wood's autopsy report. The addendum stated that Wood might have sustained some of the bruises on her body before she went into the water, but that this could not be definitively determined. Forensic pathologist Michael Hunter speculated that Wood was particularly susceptible to bruising because she had taken the drug Synthroid. In 2020, a medical doctor and former intern of Noguchi at the time of Wood's death stated that the bruises were substantial and consistent with someone being thrown out of a boat. He claimed that he made those observations to Noguchi.
Education
Natalie Wood did not pursue formal education beyond her early years, focusing primarily on her acting career. She was homeschooled by her mother, Maria Gurdin, who encouraged her early involvement in acting.
Despite her untimely death, Natalie Wood's impact on Hollywood and her enduring popularity are a testament to her remarkable talent and lasting legacy.
During a 12-part podcast about Wood's life in July 2018, Wood's sister Lana stated that Wood was raped as a teenager, and she also stated that the attack had occurred inside the Chateau Marmont during an audition and it went on "for hours". According to Professor Cynthia Lucia, who studied the claim, Wood's rape was brutal and violent. In 2021, a year after the death of Kirk Douglas, Lana published the memoir Little Sister: My Investigation Into the Mysterious Death of Natalie Wood and identified Douglas as Wood's alleged assailant.
