Natalie Wood was born in 1938 in San Francisco, and is of Russian Decent.
She was a child movie star appearing in her first feature film in 1943, however she only appeared on screen for a matter of seconds. In 1946 she was cast in 'Tomorrow is Forever' opposite Orson Welles, however it would be her next film that cemented Wood in feature film history.
In 1947 she was cast in 'Miracle on 34th Street' as 'Susan Walker' which is arguably one of the most loved Christmas films of all time.
Her film career was quite successful throughout her childhood and at age 16 she had her 'big break' starring in 'Rebel Without A Cause' opposite the legendary James Dean. This film awarded her her first oscar nomination for 'Best Supporting Actress'.
In her personal life she dated many famous older men including Dennis Hopper & Elvis Presley, but married Robert Wagner when she was 18. During this time her career hit a few road bumps, with a string of box office flops.
Until 1961 when 'Splendour In The Grass' became a hit for her & Warren Beatty. Wagner & Wood later divorced in 1962 and she started a relationship with Beatty. Another huge hit for Wood was of course 'West Side Story' in 1961, which tells the tale of two rival gangs and a pair of familiar star-crossed lovers.
When 1966 came around Wood had a 3 year break from acting due to stresses in her personal life and an attempted suicide. After this period she married Robert Wagner once again and gave birth to 2 daughters (1 from a previous relationship). Her career was relatively quiet as she chose to concentrate on motherhood, however did make several TV appearances.
Her death in 1981 is surrounded in much mystery & controversy, and has quite famously been re-opened in 2011 due to new evidence. All we know for sure is that Natalie Wood died in tragic circumstances, and was taken from us much too early at the age of 43.
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