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Natalia Nikolaevna Zackharenko -

Natalie Wood was born to Ukrainian-Russian immigrant parents in San Francisco in 1938. Her birth name was Natalia Nikolaevna Zackharenko.

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Irving Pichel takes her on -

By the age of four, Wood had already landed a couple of uncredited roles in two 1943 motion pictures: ‘The Moon is Down’ and ‘Happy Land.’ This got her noticed by the films' director Irving Pichel, who started her on the road to success.

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Moving to Hollywood -

Wood’s family moved to Los Angeles under Pichel’s direction, and also followed his advice to change her name to something more American. At the age of five, she went from Natalia Nikolaevna Zackharenko to Natalie Wood.

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‘Tomorrow Is Forever' (1946) -

Wood got her first big role in 1946. She played Margaret Ludwig in the drama ‘Tomorrow Is Forever,’ starring opposite none other than Orson Welles.

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Impressing a master -

Welles was highly impressed by the up-and-coming child star. Speaking about Wood, he said she was "so good, she was terrifying." She went on to land many more speaking roles over the next couple of years.

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‘Miracle on 34th Street' (1947) -

In 1947, Wood landed one of the biggest roles of her life. The world fell in love with her after watching her play Susan Walker in the Christmas classic ‘Miracle on 34th Street.’

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Signing the deal -

At the young age of eight, Wood was already a bonafide Hollywood star. Her success landed her a seven-year contract with 20th Century Fox, which would increase from US$1,000 a week to $3,300 as she got older.

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‘The Green Promise’ (1949) -

When she was nine years old and filming the movie ‘The Green Promise,' Wood suffered a terrible accident. She fell through a broken bridge and dangled over raging water, just about hanging on until the crew could rescue her. She broke her wrist and was left with a lifelong fear of water, having come very close to drowning.

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Crossing the barrier from child to adult -

In the early 1950s, Wood was faced with the challenge of proving that she could transition from a child star to an adult actress. She struggled as a preadolescent and could only get TV roles, but she emerged as a dark haired beauty within a few years.

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'Rebel Without a Cause' (1955) -

When she was 16 years old, she was cast in the starring role opposite James Dean in the movie ‘Rebel Without a Cause.' This got her a new seven-year contract with Warner Bros.

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The first Oscar nomination -

The movie was overshadowed by Dean’s untimely death in a car accident that same year, but Wood received her first Oscar nomination for her performance.

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A high-profile fling -

When she was 17 years old, Wood had a brief romance with Elvis Presley! They were photographed together in his hometown being swarmed by fans after she flew in for a visit.

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Robert Wagner -

In 1957, the studio set Wood up on a date with another one of their actors: Robert Wagner. She was 18 and he was 26, and they were married before the end of the year in a winter wedding.

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The studio contract system -

Wood had been vocal about her frustration with the studio system in Hollywood during this period. Actors would sign contracts with the studios that kept them under control for years, and they were assigned movie roles without any say in the matter.

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Suspended from Warner Bros. -

In 1959, Wood was put on suspension by Warner Bros. for failing to meet her contractual obligations. Wood had refused to appear in two movies that she wasn’t interested in, and failed to show up on the set of another project she had been signed up for.

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Earning greater freedom -

Her protest paid off, sort of. Warner Bros. agreed to let her choose one of her own movies per year.

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'West Side Story' (1961) -

In 1961, Wood landed the biggest role of her adult career. She was cast as Maria in the film adaptation of the musical ‘West Side Story.’ Wood did all of her own dancing in the movie, but the singing was dubbed with the voice of Broadway star Marni Nixon.

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Natalie Wood and Warren Beatty -

In 1962, Wood and Wagner divorced after five years of marriage. Wood got involved with Warren Beatty, her co-star in the movie ‘Splendor in the Grass.’ There were rumors of infidelity on Beatty’s part, and the relationship only lasted two years.

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The second Oscar nomination -

She was nominated for her second Oscar in 1962 for the movie, this time for Best Actress, and at the time she was one of the top actresses in the industry. This led to another huge role for her in 1963.

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‘Love with the Proper Stranger’ (1963) -

Wood starred in the movie ‘Love with the Proper Stranger’ opposite Steve McQueen. This performance earned her her third Oscar nomination. She was only 25 years old, and she still holds the title for the youngest person to receive that many nominations.

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A rough patch -

Wood’s career hit a bit of a slump at this point, and she appeared in several unsuccessful movies. Her mental health was also suffering at this time, and she took a break from acting after she made an attempt on her life in 1966.

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The comeback -

Wood was still in demand at this time, and turned down big roles like the lead in ‘Bonnie and Clyde' (1967) to prioritize her well-being. She made her comeback a few years later with the critically-acclaimed movie ‘Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice’ (1969).

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Richard Gregson -

That same year, she married British producer Richard Gregson, who she had been dating for a few years. They welcomed their daughter Natasha Gregson in 1970, but divorced in 1972.

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Reconnecting with Robert Wagner -

Wood reconnected with her ex-husband Robert Wagner, and they were married again the same year. Two years later, they had their first child together, a girl named Courtney Brooke Wagner. They raised Courtney together with their children from their previous marriages.

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'Brainstorm' (1983) -

Wood cut back on work and focused her energy on her young family. She was asked to audition for the role of Daisy Buchanan in 'The Great Gatsby' (1974), but turned it down. Her final movie was the 1983 flick ‘Brainstorm,’ in which she starred opposite Christopher Walken. It would be released after her death.

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Wood's yacht, the "Splendour" -

The movie was still in production when a 43-year-old Wood met her untimely end. She drowned on November 29, 1981, during a vacation on her yacht with her husband Robert Wagner, her co-star Christopher Walken, and the boat’s captain Dennis Davern. It was ruled an accidental death.

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The funeral -

She was buried two days later after a star-studded funeral, and her teary-eyed widower sent her to her resting place with a kiss on her coffin.

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Case closed? -

This was not, however, to be the end of Wood’s story. There were still some nagging questions about the circumstances surrounding her death, and some of her loved ones were not convinced it was an accident. One of these people was her sister, Lana Wood.

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Lana Wood -

Over the years, Lana Wood has continued to ask questions, publishing a tell-all memoir in 1984. While there were some inconsistencies in Robert Wagner’s story about that night, no further investigations were made at the time.

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The captain speaks out -

The yacht’s captain Dennis Davern came forward in 2000 and revealed that Wagner had been jealous of his wife’s alleged flirtations with Christopher Walken, and that the couple had been arguing. Wagner and Wood disappeared after an epic fight, and Davern claims that Wagner returned alone looking disheveled.

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An unsolved mystery -

The case was reopened in 2011, and her death was reclassified as “suspicious.” In 2018, Wagner was named a person of interest. He has always denied the allegations, and even agreed to an interview for the 2020 documentary ‘Natalie Wood: What Remains Behind.’ However, he was cleared in 2022. The mystery of Natalie Wood's death remains unsolved. 

Sources: (Britannica) (Harper's Bazaar) (Biography) 

See also: The most mysterious murders of all time

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