Natalie Woods: Biography in Details
Who was Natalie Wood?
Natalie Wood was an American Golden Globe Award winner, child actor, actress, model, and devoted mother, an actor-wife whose off-screen tragedy was awarded a ‘Cold Case’.
Natalie Wood is iconic of a woman in transition- the portrait of a modern American who started reel life as a child and in real life disappeared into the Pacific- a woman beloved of all.
She attained Hollywood status before adulthood. As a teenager, she was nominated for Rebel Without a Cause and also received the Golden Globe award for From Here to Eternity.
Natalie Wood: Age, Parents, Siblings, Family
Natalie Wood was born Natalia Nikolaevna Zakharenko on 20 July 1938 to immigrant Russian parents, Nikolai Stepanovich Zakharenko (1912-80) and Maria (née Zudilova- 1912-1996). They were of Ukrainian-Russian descent.
The Zakharenko family first fled to Montreal from Russia and later moved to San Francisco from Canada. This is where Natalia Nikolaevna Zakharenko was born, adopted her mentor’s name Wood and became Natalie Wood.
Her younger sister is Lana Wood, an actress.
Natalie Wood: Education, Professional Life, Career
Natalie Woods began acting at age 4 as a child star and then in 1972 the 8-year-old Natalie co-starred in Miracle on 34th Street.
Natalie started her on-screen persona and was a very responsible teenie-tiny actor at that.
California law requires under-18 actors to spend at least three hours in the classroom. Wood recalled ‘I always felt guilty with the crew waiting for 3 hours. As soon as class was over I ran to the sets as fast as I could.
Director Joseph L. Mankiewicz always recalled and said of Natalie ‘I never met a smarter moppet!’
Natalie Woods graduated in 1956 from Van Nuys High School and signed with Warner Brothers.
As a television actor, Wood had even more success and received high ratings and critical acclaim.
Elia Kazan wrote that when he auditioned for Natalie for Splendor in the Grass, he asked what makes her tick. Wood answered ‘I am being psychoanalyzed by (her husband) Robert J. Wagner.’
Kazan then writes ‘Well that did it!’
Her incomplete science movie ‘Brainstorm’ was posthumously released.
Natalie Wood Sails into the Night
On November 29, 1981, off Catalina Island, California, Wood was found missing from the boat in which she was sailing with her husband Robert Wagner, and actor Christopher Walken. Her body was discovered the next morning by a search boat.
With only circumstantial evidence Natalie’s death was regarded as a ‘cold case’.
However, in 2018, fresh evidence prompted law enforcement officials to reopen the case and Robert Wagner now became a ‘person of interest.
Boat Captain Dennis Davern’s testimony which was initially regarded as hearsay is now regarded as crucial in connection with the final moments leading to Natalie’s death.
With Natalia Nikolaevna Zakharenko or Natalie’s murder no longer a ‘cold case’, she reposes peacefully at Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery, Los Angeles.
Natalie Wood: Some Awards, Nominations & Net Worth
Hall of Fame
- 2011, Inducted, Golden Palm Star
- 1986, Inducted, Hollywood Walk of Fame
Awards
- 1964, Mar del Plata, Best Actress Award
- 1957, 1966, 1979, Golden Globe Award
Nominations
- 1955, Nominated for Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress
- 1956, Star of Tomorrow Award
- 1961, 1962, 1963, Nominated for Academy Award for Best Actress and BAFTA
Dedication
30th September 1983, Natalie Woods’s incomplete science movie ‘Brainstorm’ was posthumously released and dedicated to her.
Natalie Wood: Net Worth, Earnings
As of 2022, her net worth is estimated at $2.5 million and her earnings from television were approximately $15k per episode and more.
Body Measurements
Natalie Woods was a brunette with gypsy-brown eyes.
She had an hourglass figure- a 10 US dress; body measurements 34-23-35, cup size B US. Feet 7 US; height 5.0 feet and weight 56 kg.
Youtube, Facebook, Instagram
Natalie Woods has 89 k views on Youtube, 24.7 k on Instagram, and 10 k followers on Facebook.
Natalie Woods’s Birthday Dates
| Year | Date | Day |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | July | Saturday |
| 2025 | July | Sunday |
| 2026 | July | Monday |
| 2027 | July | Tuesday |
| 2028 | July | Thursday |