Natalie Wood facts for kids

Natalie Wood (born Natalie Zacharenko; July 20, 1938 – November 29, 1981) was a famous American actress. She started acting as a child and became a successful star in movies for young adults and grown-ups. She was known for her roles in classic films like Miracle on 34th Street, Rebel Without a Cause, and West Side Story. Wood was nominated for three Academy Awards and won three Golden Globe Awards during her career. Her life ended tragically at age 43 when she drowned near Santa Catalina Island.

Quick facts for kids Natalie Wood
Wood in 1973
Born	Natalie Zacharenko (1938-07-20)July 20, 1938 San Francisco, California, U.S.
Died	November 29, 1981(1981-11-29) (aged 43) Pacific Ocean near Santa Catalina Island
Cause of death	Drowning and other undetermined factors
Resting place	Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery
Other names	Natasha Gurdin
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1943–1981
Spouse(s)	Robert Wagner ​ ​ (m. 1957; div. 1962)​ ​ ​ (m. 1972)​ Richard Gregson ​ ​ (m. 1969; div. 1972)​
Children	2, including Natasha Gregson Wagner
Relatives	Lana Wood (sister)

Early Life and Family

Natalie Wood was born Natalie Zacharenko in San Francisco, California, on July 20, 1938. Her parents, Maria and Nicholas, were from Russia. Her family moved to the U.S. before she was born.

In 1942, her family bought a home in Santa Rosa. There, Natalie was noticed by people working on a film. After she started acting as a child, film executives changed her last name to "Wood." This was to make it sound more appealing to English speakers. Her younger sister, Svetlana, also became an actress, known as Lana Wood.

Child Actress

First Roles

Wood in 1947

Just before her fifth birthday, Wood made her first film appearance in Happy Land (1943). The director, Irving Pichel, was impressed by her. He stayed in touch with her family and later asked her to audition for another role.

At seven years old, Wood got a part in Tomorrow Is Forever (1946). She played a German orphan alongside famous actors Orson Welles and Claudette Colbert. Welles later said that Wood was a natural actress, calling her "terrifyingly good."

Miracle on 34th Street

Wood's most famous film as a child was Miracle on 34th Street (1947). In this movie, she played a girl who learns to believe that a kind department store worker is the real Santa Claus. The film became a Christmas classic. After its success, Wood became one of Hollywood's top child stars. She was even invited to appear in the annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

As a child, Wood appeared in over twenty films. She also acted in television shows like Kraft Theatre. Because she was a minor, she received her education on the studio sets. California law required child actors to study for at least three hours a day. Wood was an excellent student, especially good at math.

Teen Stardom

Wood with her younger sister Lana Wood in 1956

In the mid-1950s, Wood began to take on teenage roles in TV shows like The Pride of the Family. She also appeared in feature films such as The Silver Chalice.

Rebel Without a Cause

At age 16, Wood successfully moved from child star to a young leading lady. She co-starred with James Dean in Rebel Without a Cause (1955). This film was about teenage rebellion. Wood was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role. She later said this was the first script she truly wanted to do, even though her parents had different ideas.

She continued to guest star on TV shows and had a small but important role in John Ford's film The Searchers (1956).

Other Teen Films

Wood graduated from Van Nuys High School in 1956. She signed a contract with Warner Brothers. During this time, she often played "girlfriend" roles, which she found unsatisfying. She starred with Tab Hunter in films like The Burning Hills (1956). She also played the lead in Marjorie Morningstar (1958). In this film, Wood played a young Jewish girl in New York City trying to find her own identity.

Adult Career

Wood in 1958

Wood's roles in films like Rebel Without a Cause and Marjorie Morningstar showed her growing acting skills. Her sweet child image was now mixed with a "restlessness" that fit the youth of the 1950s.

After a few less successful films, her career needed a boost.

Splendor in the Grass

A major turning point in Wood's acting career came when she starred in Elia Kazan's Splendor in the Grass (1961) with Warren Beatty. Kazan cast Wood as the female lead, and her career took off again. Working with Kazan helped her reach new emotional depths in her acting.

Wood with Ruth Gordon at the 23rd Golden Globe Awards, Feb. 28, 1966

For her powerful performance in Splendor in the Grass, Wood received nominations for an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a BAFTA Award.

West Side Story

Wood played Maria, a Puerto Rican girl living in Manhattan, in West Side Story. This 1961 film, directed by Jerome Robbins and Robert Wise, was a huge success with critics and audiences. Her role in this film, like in Rebel Without a Cause, showed the feelings of American youth in the 1950s. Both films explored themes similar to Romeo and Juliet.

Even though her singing in the film was done by another singer, West Side Story is still considered one of Wood's best movies.

Peak Years of Stardom

Wood also sang in the film Gypsy (1962), where she starred alongside Rosalind Russell. At 25, Wood received her third Academy Award nomination for Love with the Proper Stranger (1963). This made her one of the youngest people to earn three Oscar nominations.

She made a comedy with Tony Curtis called The Great Race (1965). In this film, her ability to speak Russian was a useful skill for her character.

Director Sydney Pollack once said about Wood, "When she was right for the part, there was no one better. She was a good actress." For Inside Daisy Clover (1965) and This Property Is Condemned (1966), both co-starring Robert Redford, Wood received Golden Globe nominations. In the mid-1960s, she was one of Hollywood's biggest stars.

With Peter Falk in Penelope (1966)

After a film called Penelope (1966) was not well-received, Wood took a three-year break from acting.

Later Career and Television

After becoming pregnant with her first child in 1970, Natalie Wood took a break from acting. She appeared in only a few more films during the rest of her life. She had a brief appearance in The Candidate (1972) with Robert Redford.

Wood reunited with her husband Robert Wagner in the TV film The Affair (1973). She also appeared in the disaster film Meteor (1979) with Sean Connery.

During this period, Wood had more success in television. She received high praise for the miniseries remake of From Here to Eternity (1979). Wood's performance in this series won her a Golden Globe Award in 1980. Her last completed production was The Memory of Eva Ryker, released in 1980.

At the time of her death, Wood was filming the science fiction movie Brainstorm (1983), co-starring Christopher Walken. The film was released after her death and was dedicated to her.

Personal Life

Marriages and Children

Wood with husband Robert Wagner, 1960

Natalie Wood's two marriages to actor Robert Wagner were very well-known. They first married on December 28, 1957, when Wood was 19. They divorced in 1962.

Later, Wood married British producer Richard Gregson in 1969. They had a daughter named Natasha (born in 1970). They divorced in 1972.

After her divorce from Gregson, Wood and Robert Wagner got back together. They remarried on July 16, 1972. Their second daughter, Courtney, was born on March 9, 1974.

Death

Wood's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame

On November 29, 1981, Natalie Wood died at age 43. She drowned in the Pacific Ocean near Santa Catalina Island. She was on a weekend boat trip with her husband Robert Wagner and her Brainstorm co-star Christopher Walken. Her body was found the next morning. The exact events of how she entered the water are still not fully known.

Wood was buried in Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles. Many famous people attended her funeral, including Frank Sinatra, Elizabeth Taylor, and Laurence Olivier.

The investigation into her death was reopened in 2011. The cause of death was later changed to "drowning and other undetermined factors."

Accolades

Images for kids

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  Grave of Natalie Wood at Westwood Memorial Park

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  1979 photograph by Jack Mitchell

See Also

• List of unsolved deaths