Natalie Wood

Natalia Nikolaevna Zakharenko (July 20, 1938 – November 29, 1981), better known as Natalie Wood, was an American film actress. She was the sister of actor and producer Lana Wood.

Child and adult actor

She was born in San Francisco, California to Russian Orthodox immigrants, Nikolai and Maria Zakharenko. Her parents changed their surname to the less cumbersome and ethnic-sounding Gurdin, and by the age of 4 she was billed as Natasha Gurdin. A well-known child actor, her mother tightly managed and controlled the young girl's career and personal life from her start in films at the age of five. Her father is described by Wood biographers as a passive alcoholic who went along with whatever his wife demanded. At the age of 16 Natalie celebrated her release from child-star status by sleeping with her director on Rebel Without a Cause, Nicholas Ray, and her co-star Dennis Hopper. She was one of the relative few who made a successful transition to adult stardom. By the time she was 28, she was already a three-time Oscar nominee, with nominations for Rebel Without a Cause, Splendor in the Grass and Love With the Proper Stranger. Another of her widely noted films was the Leonard Bernstein musical West Side Story, in which she played Maria. Wood was initially signed to do her own singing but in the end she was dubbed by professional singer Marni Nixon, which is said to have disappointed her. Nonetheless she enjoyed worldwide celebrity and was compared favorably with Elizabeth Taylor. As a restless on-screen companion of James Dean and an off-screen date of Elvis Presley, she was much admired and envied by young girls.

Related Topics:
San Francisco, California - Russia - Orthodox - Child actor - Nicholas Ray - Dennis Hopper - Oscar - Rebel Without a Cause - Splendor in the Grass - Love With the Proper Stranger - Leonard Bernstein - West Side Story - Marni Nixon - Elizabeth Taylor - James Dean - Elvis Presley

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