After another lengthy break, she appeared in the ensemble disaster film Meteor (1979) with Sean Connery and the sex comedy The Last Married Couple in America (1980) with George Segal and Valerie Harper. [91], In 2012, Los Angeles County Chief Coroner Lakshmanan Sathyavagiswaran amended Wood's death certificate and changed the cause of death from accidental drowning to "drowning and other undetermined factors". Authorities classified her death as an accident, concluding the 43-year-old star of . Filming The Great Rae took its toll on her and she attempted suicide after filming wrapped, her daughter Natasha Gregson Wagner reveals in the documentary. Both Wood's sister Lana, a former Bond Girl (in Diamonds Are Forever), and the yacht's skipper Dennis Davern the only other person on board during the trip now claim Wagner murdered Wood. [65], In 2013, former FBI agent Donald G. Wilson claimed that he and Wood had had a four-year affair, from 1973 to 1977, that began when she was pregnant with Courtney Wagner. Copyright 2023 Distractify. Walken, now 76, has been married to Georgianne Thon since 1969 but has hinted that he is bisexual. 1. At the time of her too-early demise, more than a few suspicious fingers pointed directly at Wood's then-husband. After becoming pregnant in 1970 with her first child, Natasha Gregson, she went into semi-retirement and would act in only four more theatrical films during the remainder of her life. It seemed to be that they should be together. The actress had something of an interesting history and we'll certainly get to all of that soon enough. Menu. Watson has two sons from a previous marriage. After winning a starring role at the age of eight in Miracle On 34th Street, she had earned three Oscar nominations before she was 25. Hayley Williams Is Our March 2023 Music Director. [64], Following this starter marriage, Wood dated Warren Beatty, Michael Caine and David Niven Jr. She also had a broken engagement in 1965 with Venezuelan shoe manufacturer Ladislav Blatnik. On November 28, 1981, Natalie Wood was on a weekend trip to Catalina with her husband, Robert Wagner, aboard his 55-foot yacht, Splendour. Seen more on TV, she appeared as a regular on the crime mystery series Pasadena (2001) and as a recurring character on the sci-fi series The 4400 (2004). However, after having a crush on actor Robert Wagner for most of her life ever since she was a child, she ended up pursuing a relationship with him. After marrying in 1970, the pair had a daughter named Natasha. On Nov. 29, 1981, the body of Natalie Wood, 43, was found floating in the ocean off Santa Catalina, where she had gone for a holiday weekend on a yacht with her husband, Robert ["R.J."] Wagner . Natalie's net worth hovers over $10,000 - $24,999 with a yearly income that's about $50 - 59,999. Wagner admits in the documentary that there was tension in the relationship because her career was skyrocketing. [41] She was then cast in Kazan's Splendor in the Grass (1961) with Warren Beatty. Then she was given the lead in a prestigious project, Marjorie Morningstar (1958). She earned three Oscar nominations by 25 before a tragic accident claimed her life at 43. "Her marriage was considered to be one of the best in Hollywood, and there is no question that she was a devoted, lovingeven adoringmother and stepmother," said her sister Lana Wood. California law required that until age 18, child actors had to spend at least three hours per day in the classroom, notes Harris. She reportedly hid his secret about being bisexual until her tragic demise at 43. Natasha is Natalie's eldest daughter. [24] In 1942, they bought a home in Santa Rosa, where Wood was noticed by members of a crew during a film shoot downtown. Her mother was of Russian heritage and was christened Natalia but affectionately nicknamed Natasha during her childhood -- hence, the name. Natasha Gregson Wagner on the forthcoming HBO documentary Natalie Wood: What Remains Behind, in which she sits down with her stepfather to discuss her mother's tragic 1981 death. [27] According to Wood's younger sister Lana, Pichel "discovered her and wanted to adopt her. Staff recalled a very strained and 'eerie' atmosphere in the restaurant as Wagner, Wood and the younger Walken, who rose to fame in the 1978 film The Deer Hunter, continued to drink heavily as they had all day, consuming 'massive quantities of alcohol'. Wagner was eight years older than her and single. This seemed right.. Now 92 years old, Robert Wagner resides far from Hollywood, where some remain . Wood heard the rumours that Wagner was bisexual but told a friend: 'All these people are just jealous of us.'. Natalie Wood was a BIG star in 1953/4 and Kirk Douglas was not. Another commentator described him as the couple's 'English man-about-the-house'. [60] The ending of Brainstorm had to be re-written and Wood's character written out of at least three scenes, while a stand-in and sound-alikes were used to replace Wood for some of her crucial shots. In it, Wood refuted rumours that the marriage ended because she was having an onset affair with Warren Beatty (the affair started after she separated from Wagner). She also reveals the contents of Wood's never-published memoir, in which she made clear the real reason for the end of her first marriage to Wagner. As soon as the teacher let us go, I ran to the set as fast as I could. [92] On January 14, 2013, the Los Angeles County coroner's office offered a 10-page addendum to Wood's autopsy report. The film has become a Christmas classic; Wood was counted among the top child stars in Hollywood after the film and was so popular that Macy's invited her to appear in the store's annual Thanksgiving Day parade.[27]. Her mother, Maria, was simply delighted that she had become so close to such a powerful industry figure. She had been on a weekend boat trip to Santa Catalina Island on board her husband Robert Wagner's 58-foot (18m) motoryacht Splendour. [21] Her parents met while her mother was still married to Tatuloff. Natalie Woods is known for The Fanglys (2004) and Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team (2006). When Wood was unable to cry on cue, her mother tore a butterfly to pieces in front of her to ensure she would sob for a scene. On December 28, 1957, her wish came true. [47][48] Her appearance in that film led critic Pauline Kael to comment "clever little Natalie Wood [the] most machine-tooled of Hollywood ingnues."[49][2]. Natalie Wood escapes from Typecast Prison In 2012, the city coroner changed the official cause of death from 'accidental drowning' to 'drowning and other undetermined factors'. Poor R.J. [Wagner], I said to myself. [53] Following a disappointing reception to Penelope (1966), Wood took a three-year hiatus from acting. Heres what you need to know about Woods lovers and husbands. But their profligate spending and determination to live it up with the likes of Frank Sinatra, Elizabeth Taylor, Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh caught up with them, says Finstad. In 1995 Natasha had a top role in one of the "Hart to Hart" TV mini-movies that served to reunite her onetime stepfather with his former co-star Stefanie Powers.Natasha started creating a major buzz shortly thereafter as her characters grew edgier, uninhibited and more risk-taking. Wood had to sign to a long-term contract with Warner Bros. but she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. Wood acted in another film directed by Pichel, The Bride Wore Boots, and went on to 20th Century Fox to play Gene Tierney's daughter in The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947). When Natalie Wood's death investigation was reopened, her cause of death was changed to "undetermined." Wood's body was found dressed in her sleeping attire a plaid, flannel nightgown, argyle socks, and a red down jacket. But they separated just four years later and divorced in 1962. They welcomed daughter Natasha in 1970 and the documentary says that was the downfall of their marriage Wood was so enamored with her daughter and with being a mother that Gregson started to feel like there was no room for him. I wanted to find out what human material was there, what her inner life was Then she told me she was being psychoanalyzed. In the investigative memoir, Lana alleges Natalie's husband Robert was responsible for her untimely death. "One affair that, unlike the others, was conducted in top secret was with Natalie . In August 1971, Natalie heard a phone conversation between her secretary and Richard, which prompted a separation. 32K views 3 years ago Natalie Woods Stanyer joins Chad to reminisce about her time as a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader and talk about her role as a producer for CMT's "Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders:. Wagner was aware of rumours that the pair were having an affair while making the sci-fi film Brainstorm. Then, waking one night in their opulent kingsize bed, Wood found Wagner missing. [2] Critics have suggested that her cinematic career represents a portrait of modern American womanhood in transition, as she was one of the few to take both child roles and those of middle-aged characters. Where in Rebel she falls in love with the character played by James Dean, whose gang-like peers and violent temper alienated him from his family, in West Side Story she enters into a romance with a white former gang member whose threatening world of outcasts also alienated him from lawful behavior."[2]. After a "series of bad films, her career was already in decline", according to author Douglas Rathgeb. [63] They first married on December 28, 1957, in Scottsdale, Arizona when Wood was 19. Here's what we know. They welcomed daughter Courtney in 1974. [7], Wood was born Natalie Zacharenko[n 1] in San Francisco, California, on July 20, 1938,[12] the daughter of Russian parents Maria Zudilova (19081998)[a] and Nicholas Zacharenko (19121980). Natasha Gregson was born on September 29, 1970, in Los Angeles. Lana, who was 15, remembers Natalie arriving at their parents' home that night, her hand bleeding, sobbing that her marriage was over. As a teenager, she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance . Natalie Woods Stanyer graduated from Panola College in 1997 with an associate of science degree. Subscribe to the "CBS Sunday Morning" Channel HERE: bit.ly/20gXwJT Get more of "CBS Sunday Morning" HERE: cbsn.ws/1PlMmAz Follow "CBS Sunday, Warren Beatty and Natalie Wood at the Cannes film Festival 1962, Hollywood actressNatalie Woodand her boyfriend, American actorWarren Beattyin1962 CannesFilm Festival, Natalie Woods Death: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know. After that, Wood entered therapy then called analysis which is something she eventually encouraged Wagner to do as well after they reconnected. I also think Id have been able to handle it better if I were older and a bit more experienced., In 1961, Wood co-starred with heartthrob actor Warren Beatty in Splendor in the Grass, for which she earned her first Oscar nomination. Davern alleged that Wagner was responsible for her death. 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