Who was Natalie Wood?

Natalie Wood (1938–1981) was an American film actress who achieved success as both a child star and in her later adult movie career. Born to Russian immigrant parents, she began acting at age five and received her first credit in Tomorrow Is Forever (1946). Wood gained recognition for her role in Miracle on 34th Street (1947) and earned an Academy Award nomination for Rebel Without a Cause (1955). Some of Wood's notable films include Splendor in the Grass and West Side Story (both 1961). After some box-office disappointments, she made a comeback in Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice (1969) and acted sporadically thereafter. Wood was married to Robert Wagner twice (1957–1962, remarried 1972) and to Richard Gregson (1969–1972). While vacationing with Wagner and Christopher Walken in 1981, she drowned off Santa Catalina Island, California. The cause of her death was initially classified as an accident but later changed to "undetermined" and then "suspicious".

What are some famous movies that Natalie Wood starred in?

Natalie Wood, born Natalia Nikolaevna Zakharenko, was an American actress known for transitioning from child stardom to a successful movie career as an adult. Some of her famous movies include: * Miracle on 34th Street (1947) * Rebel Without a Cause (1955) * West Side Story (1961) * Splendor in the Grass (1961) * Gypsy (1962) * Sex and the Single Girl (1964) * Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice (1969) Wood's career included three Academy Award nominations and a Golden Globe Award for the TV miniseries From Here to Eternity (1979). Her mysterious death in 1981 led to years of speculation, with the cause later being changed to "suspicious".

What was Natalie Wood best known for in her acting career?

Natalie Wood, born Natalia Nikolaevna Zakharenko, was best known for transitioning from child stardom to a successful movie career as an adult Natalie Wood . She gained early recognition at age eight for her role in Miracle on 34th Street (1947). As a teenager, she earned an Academy Award nomination for Rebel Without a Cause (1955). In 1961, she starred in two high-profile films, Splendor in the Grass , for which she received another Oscar nomination, and the hit film adaptation of the musical West Side Story .

What awards or recognitions did Natalie Wood receive during her lifetime?

Natalie Wood, the American actress, received the following awards and recognitions during her lifetime: * Three Golden Globe Awards : * New Star of the Year - Actress (1957) * World Film Favorites (1966) * Best Actress in a Television Series - Drama (1980) for From Here to Eternity (1979) * She also received three Academy Award nominations for her roles in: * Rebel Without a Cause (1955) * Splendor in the Grass (1961) * Love with the Proper Stranger (1963)

What were the circumstances surrounding Natalie Wood's mysterious death?

Natalie Wood, the accomplished American actress, tragically died on November 29, 1981, during a yacht vacation off Santa Catalina Island, California, with her husband Robert Wagner and actor Christopher Walken. The circumstances surrounding her drowning were initially deemed an accident. However, the case was reopened, and her death certificate was amended to "undetermined" in 2012. Later, in 2018, it was reclassified as a "suspicious death". The TV documentary Natalie Wood: What Remains Behind (2020) featured an interview with Wagner, who refuted any role in Wood’s death.

Natalie Wood

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Images

Natalie Wood, wearing a purple blouse, sits leaning forward with her hand resting on her head, looking up at the camera during the filming of West Side Story.

Edmund Gwenn and Natalie Wood in Miracle on 34th Street

Director Nicholas Ray, right, leans in to talk with James Dean, center, and Natalie Wood, left, who sits with a script on the set of Rebel Without a Cause.

Scene from Rebel Without a Cause with James Dean as Jim Stark reclining on a bench, Sal Mineo as Plato seated beside him, and Natalie Wood as Judy gently touching Jim's head.

Warren Beatty and Natalie Wood pose closely together in a promotional photograph for the film Splendor in the Grass, both wearing light-colored clothing.

Quick Facts

Byname of:: Natalie Zacharenko

Born:: July 20, 1938, San Francisco, California, U.S.

Died:: November 29, 1981, off Santa Catalina Island, California (aged 43)

Awards And Honors:: Golden Globe Award (1980); Golden Globe Award (1966); Golden Globe Award (1957); Golden Globe Award (1980): Best Actress in a Television Series - Drama; Golden Globe Award (1966): World Film Favorites; Golden Globe Award (1957): New Star of the Year - Actress

Married To:: Robert Wagner (1957–1962); Richard Gregson (1969–1972); Robert Wagner (married 1972)

Movies/Tv Shows (Acted In):: "Chicken Every Sunday" (1949); "Scudda Hoo! Scudda Hay!" (1948); "Bombers B-52" (1957); "Kings Row" (1955–1956); "Splendor in the Grass" (1961); "The Great Race" (1965); "All the Fine Young Cannibals" (1960); "The Pepsi-Cola Playhouse" (1954); "Father Was a Fullback" (1949); "The Bride Wore Boots" (1946); "Max Liebman Spectaculars" (1955); "Penelope" (1966); "Hart to Hart" (1979); "Just for You" (1952); "Sex and the Single Girl" (1964); "Driftwood" (1947); "General Electric Theater" (1954–1955); "From Here to Eternity" (1979); "The Burning Hills" (1956); "The Jackpot" (1950); "Conflict" (1957); "Switch" (1975–1978); "Brainstorm" (1983); "Inside Daisy Clover" (1965); "Kraft Television Theatre" (1951); "A Cry in the Night" (1956); "West Side Story" (1961); "Chevron Theatre" (1952); "Never a Dull Moment" (1950); "No Sad Songs for Me" (1950); "Miracle on 34th Street" (1947); "Kings Go Forth" (1958); "The Candidate" (1972); "The Last Married Couple in America" (1980); "This Property Is Condemned" (1966); "The Searchers" (1956); "The Kaiser Aluminum Hour" (1956); "Tomorrow Is Forever" (1946); "Peeper" (1975); "Our Very Own" (1950); "The Schaefer Century Theatre" (1952); "The Ford Television Theatre" (1955); "Love with the Proper Stranger" (1963); "The Green Promise" (1949); "The Girl He Left Behind" (1956); "The Rose Bowl Story" (1952); "Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice" (1969); "Rebel Without a Cause" (1955); "The Pride of the Family" (1953–1954); "Studio 57" (1954–1957); "Gypsy" (1962); "Warner Brothers Presents" (1956); "Marjorie Morningstar" (1958); "Four Star Playhouse" (1955); "The Blue Veil" (1951); "Meteor" (1979); "The Silver Chalice" (1954); "The Star" (1952); "The Ghost and Mrs. Muir" (1947); "Public Defender" (1954); "Camera Three" (1955); "Mayor of the Town" (1954); "Dear Brat" (1951); "Studio One" (1955); "Willie & Phil" (1980); "One Desire" (1955); "Cash McCall" (1960)

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Natalie Wood

American actress

Also known as: Natalia Nikolaevna Zackharenko, Natalia Nikolaevna Zakharenko, Natasha Gurdin(Show More)

Written and fact-checked by

Britannica Editors

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Top Questions

Who was Natalie Wood?
Natalie Wood (1938–1981) was an American film actress who achieved success as both a child star and in her later adult movie career. Born to Russian immigrant parents, she began acting at age five and received her first credit in Tomorrow Is Forever (1946). Wood gained recognition for her role in Miracle on 34th Street (1947) and earned an Academy Award nomination for Rebel Without a Cause (1955).

Some of Wood's notable films include Splendor in the Grass and West Side Story (both 1961). After some box-office disappointments, she made a comeback in Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice (1969) and acted sporadically thereafter.

Wood was married to Robert Wagner twice (1957–1962, remarried 1972) and to Richard Gregson (1969–1972). While vacationing with Wagner and Christopher Walken in 1981, she drowned off Santa Catalina Island, California. The cause of her death was initially classified as an accident but later changed to "undetermined" and then "suspicious".
2 Britannica Sources
1. Natalie Wood: Facts & Related Content
2. Natalie Wood
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
What are some famous movies that Natalie Wood starred in?
Natalie Wood, born Natalia Nikolaevna Zakharenko, was an American actress known for transitioning from child stardom to a successful movie career as an adult.

Some of her famous movies include:
* Miracle on 34th Street (1947)
* Rebel Without a Cause (1955)
* West Side Story (1961)
* Splendor in the Grass (1961)
* Gypsy (1962)
* Sex and the Single Girl (1964)
* Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice (1969)

Wood's career included three Academy Award nominations and a Golden Globe Award for the TV miniseries From Here to Eternity (1979). Her mysterious death in 1981 led to years of speculation, with the cause later being changed to "suspicious".
2 Britannica Sources
1. Natalie Wood: Facts & Related Content
2. Natalie Wood
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
What was Natalie Wood best known for in her acting career?
Natalie Wood, born Natalia Nikolaevna Zakharenko, was best known for transitioning from child stardom to a successful movie career as an adult Natalie Wood. She gained early recognition at age eight for her role in Miracle on 34th Street (1947).

As a teenager, she earned an Academy Award nomination for Rebel Without a Cause (1955). In 1961, she starred in two high-profile films, Splendor in the Grass, for which she received another Oscar nomination, and the hit film adaptation of the musical West Side Story.
3 Britannica Sources
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
How did Natalie Wood start her career in Hollywood?
Natalie Wood began her Hollywood career at the age of five, born to Russian immigrant parents. She received her first screen credit as Natalie Wood in the 1946 drama Tomorrow Is Forever. She gained recognition for her role as a precocious Santa Claus skeptic in Miracle on 34th Street (1947) at the age of eight. During her teenage years, Wood transitioned into leading roles, earning an Academy Award nomination for her performance as a troubled young woman in Rebel Without a Cause (1955).
1 Britannica Source
1. Natalie Wood
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
What awards or recognitions did Natalie Wood receive during her lifetime?
Natalie Wood, the American actress, received the following awards and recognitions during her lifetime:
* Three Golden Globe Awards:
* New Star of the Year - Actress (1957)
* World Film Favorites (1966)
* Best Actress in a Television Series - Drama (1980) for From Here to Eternity (1979)
* She also received three Academy Award nominations for her roles in:
* Rebel Without a Cause (1955)
* Splendor in the Grass (1961)
* Love with the Proper Stranger (1963)
2 Britannica Sources
1. Natalie Wood: Facts & Related Content
2. Natalie Wood
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
What were the circumstances surrounding Natalie Wood's mysterious death?
Natalie Wood, the accomplished American actress, tragically died on November 29, 1981, during a yacht vacation off Santa Catalina Island, California, with her husband Robert Wagner and actor Christopher Walken. The circumstances surrounding her drowning were initially deemed an accident. However, the case was reopened, and her death certificate was amended to "undetermined" in 2012. Later, in 2018, it was reclassified as a "suspicious death". The TV documentary Natalie Wood: What Remains Behind (2020) featured an interview with Wagner, who refuted any role in Wood’s death.
1 Britannica Source
1. Natalie Wood
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

Natalie Wood (born July 20, 1938, San Francisco, California, U.S.—died November 29, 1981, off Santa Catalina Island, California) was an American film actress who transitioned from child stardom to a successful movie career as an adult. She was best known for ingenue roles that traded on her youthful appeal.

Zacharenko was born to Russian immigrant parents. She began appearing in movies at age five and received her first credit, as Natalie Wood, in the drama Tomorrow Is Forever (1946). She won particular acclaim for her role as a precocious Santa Claus skeptic in Miracle on 34th Street (1947) when she was only eight. Emerging as a dark-haired beauty in her teenage years, Wood moved into leading roles with Rebel Without a Cause (1955), in which she earned an Academy Award nomination for her portrayal of a troubled young woman. She married actor Robert Wagner in 1957 (divorced 1962; remarried 1972) and the following year starred opposite Gene Kelly in Marjorie Morningstar.

In 1961 Wood cemented her reputation as one of Hollywood’s most likeable and sought-after stars with appearances in two high-profile films. In Splendor in the Grass, she portrayed a small-town young woman distraught over a romantic relationship; for the emotional role, she was again nominated for an Oscar. She then starred as Maria in the hit film adaptation of the musical West Side Story. After another musical film, Gypsy (1962), Wood landed roles in the modern romances Love with the Proper Stranger (1963), for which she scored a third Oscar nomination, and Sex and the Single Girl (1964), in which she portrayed writer Helen Gurley Brown. Several box-office disappointments followed, however—including the show-business drama Inside Daisy Clover (1965)—and she spent three years away from the camera.

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Publicity still with Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman from the motion picture film "Casablanca" (1942); directed by Michael Curtiz. (cinema, movies)

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Wood staged a comeback with the popular sex comedy Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice (1969), but she acted only sporadically thereafter, with the television movie Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1976) and the miniseries From Here to Eternity (1979) providing her most notable performances. She won a Golden Globe Award for the latter.

In 1981, while vacationing with Wagner and actor Christopher Walken on a yacht off the coast of Santa Catalina Island, California, Wood drowned under mysterious circumstances. For years the cause of her death was classified on her death certificate as an accident, but in 2012 it was formally changed to “undetermined” following a renewed investigation into the case, and in 2018 it was further reclassified as being a “suspicious death.” The TV documentary Natalie Wood: What Remains Behind (2020) included an interview with Wagner, who denied any involvement in Wood’s death.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia BritannicaThis article was most recently revised and updated by Encyclopaedia Britannica.

Natalie Wood

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