Natalie Wood tugged at audiences’ heartstrings with her small role as a girl who doubted Santa Claus in Miracle on 34th Street. She also received critical acclaim for her roles in Splendor in the Grass and Love with a Proper Stranger.
She was a natural for roles that required her to age, from the doubting child to the yearning high school girl in Rebel Without a Cause. She embraced psychoanalysis and even stipulated time off her film contracts for sessions.
Natalie Wood was born in San Francisco on July 20, 1938 to Russian immigrant parents. Her mother, Mary Tatuloff, had unfulfilled dreams of becoming a ballet dancer and transferred those ambitions onto her daughter. She often took Wood to the cinema so that she could study films of Hollywood child stars.
Natalie’s film career started slowly but soon she was in demand for roles in leading and supporting roles. Her breakthrough came with 1955’s Rebel Without a Cause, which was hailed as groundbreaking in its portrayal of teenage rebellion and angst. Wood’s performance earned her an Academy Award nomination.
The film was also a box-office success, which led to her being signed by 20th Century Fox. She was under contract and sometimes had to make movies she didn’t want to, which frustrated her. However, she was able to find her way into adult films such as Inside Daisy Clover and This Property is Condemned, both of which garnered her Oscar nominations.
In her personal life, Wood’s volatile relationships were the source of much controversy. In 1956 she married fellow actor Robert Wagner, despite her mother’s objections. They separated in 1961 and eventually divorced, but remarried in 1972. Wood had a daughter with her second husband, and the two stayed together until her death in 1981.
Despite being only 43 years old, Natalie Wood left behind an indelible mark on the world of film. She was a natural beauty and had a captivating presence on screen. She was well-known for her dark-eyed, doe-eyed stare, which was so mesmerizing that it captivated audiences for generations. Her death off the coast of Southern California’s Catalina Island remains a mystery to this day, but an autopsy showed that she had a high blood alcohol level and was taking pain killers and motion sickness pills at the time of her drowning.
Her parents migrated from Russia
Natalie Wood starred in several small film parts as a child before gaining wider recognition with 1947’s Miracle on 34th Street, in which she tugged at heartstrings as a girl who questions Santa Claus. She continued to win the hearts of audiences with roles that highlighted her doe-eyed beauty and expressive face. She portrayed characters who were sensitive and vulnerable, as well as those who were high-strung and neurotic.
In 1961, Wood cemented her status as a major star with appearances in Splendor in the Grass and West Side Story. In the former, she portrayed a young woman distraught over a love affair; for her performance, she received an Oscar nomination. In the latter, she portrayed a young woman who falls in love with a boy from the “other side of the tracks.”
Although she had many more roles to come, her career was cut short by her untimely death in 1981 at age 43. The cause of her death remains a mystery. There are conflicting accounts from the authorities, boat captain Dennis Davern, and Wood’s sister Lana. In addition, sensational tabloid articles and celebrity TV segments have fueled the debate.
Despite her death, Wood’s legacy lives on. She devoted her life to promoting children’s rights, donating a collection of ancient art to UCLA, and creating a scholarship for college students interested in the arts. Today, her daughter Natasha and granddaughter Courtney continue to carry on her name with a fragrance line and their charitable work. A portion of the proceeds from the Natalie Wood fragrance goes to CoachArt, an organization that teaches art and athletics to chronically ill children. Wood’s spirit and beauty live on in the hearts of her fans.
Her first film was Miracle on 34th Street
The young Natalie Wood landed her first big role in the 1947 Christmas classic Miracle on 34th Street. She plays a precocious girl who suspects that the department store Santa Claus is real. The movie is still seen every holiday season on television and has inspired countless remakes. It starred Fred MacMurray, Maureen O’Hara, John Payne, and Edmund Gwenn. Wood received her second Oscar nomination for this film, which is considered her breakout role.
Natalie Wood’s acting career continued to blossom throughout the 1950s. She had a number of notable movies, including the 1955 drama Rebel Without a Cause, where she acted alongside James Dean. She also appeared in several romantic melodramas, including Splendor in the Grass and Love with a Proper Stranger.
In 1961, Wood began to take on more adult roles. She portrayed a woman distraught over a broken romance in the movie Love with a Proper Stranger, which earned her another Best Actress nomination. The same year, she appeared in the hit musical West Side Story. She would have gone on to play more matriarchal roles had she not drowned on the island of Catalina in 1981.
After her success with Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice, Wood starred in a number of television films. In 1976, she appeared in the TV version of Tennessee Williams’s Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, which garnered her positive reviews. She also starred in the 1980 comedy The Last Married Couple in America and a sci-fi thriller, Brainstorm, starring Christopher Walken. However, these films did not receive much commercial or critical success. In addition, she suffered from health problems in her later years.
Her breakout role was in Rebel Without a Cause
Natalie Wood became one of the biggest movie stars of her time. She was nominated for three Oscars and starred in dozens of films. She began her career as a child actress in 1947’s Miracle on 34th Street and gained renown as a teenager in Rebel Without a Cause and 1956’s The Searchers. She later starred in musicals such as West Side Story and Gypsy Rose Lee. She was also a successful television actress, appearing in numerous miniseries and shows including Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice.
Wood’s breakthrough role came at the age of sixteen in 1955’s Rebel Without a Cause. The film was a groundbreaking portrayal of teenage rebellion, and it made Natalie a star. She co-starred with James Dean and Sal Mineo, and her performance earned her an Academy Award nomination.
Following Rebel, Wood starred in All the Fine Young Cannibals and The Yearling, both of which received mixed reviews. Then she starred in a western called The Searchers, which was a box office hit and received critical acclaim. Despite this success, Wood’s mother continued to push her into projects she didn’t want to do. She felt she was miscast in her role as a white girl who is abducted and raised by Native Americans. This led to a strain on her marriage with actor Robert Wagner, and she suffered from depression.
In 1970, Wood married British producer Richard Gregson and had a daughter, Natasha. She then took on fewer roles and focused more on her personal life, but she remained popular with audiences. She received positive reviews for her performances in a televised version of Tennessee Williams’ Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and the 1979 television miniseries From Here to Eternity.
Her most memorable role was in The Searchers
The Searchers is a classic western that was well-received both critically and commercially. It features a young Natalie Wood in one of her most important roles to date. Her performance is memorable because of her range, as well as the complexity of her character. The film follows Ethan Edwards, who returns home to Texas after the Civil War and finds that Comanches killed his brother’s family and kidnapped his nieces. He sets out on a perilous journey to find his nieces and avenge his family’s loss.
The film is a dark and gritty Western that deviates from the typical wholesome, uplifting icons found in most American movies. It explores themes of racial hatred, fear, and the struggle for belonging and family. The Searchers is also a visual treat, with its use of bold colors and wide-screen VistaVision Technicolor photography. The scenery of the Southwest, complete with sandstone buttes and giant rock formations, is eye-filling and awe-inspiring.
After the success of Rebel Without a Cause, Natalie Wood received many offers for new films. She starred in several films, including a number of comedies and melodramas. She paired with teen heartthrob Tab Hunter for some of these films. Unfortunately, the pairing did not produce any significant box office results.
In 1961, Wood starred in West Side Story, a modern retelling of Romeo and Juliet. Her role of Maria, a restless Puerto Rican girl, was an important part of the movie’s success. It was a major breakthrough for Wood, demonstrating her emotional range and complex characterization.
In her later years, Wood struggled with erratic personal and professional choices. She divorced twice and married actor Robert Wagner in 1972. He was also her costar in the sci-fi thriller Brainstorm, which she was shooting at the time of her death.