Natalie Wood (1938–1981)

Born: July 20, 1938 in San Francisco, California, USA

Died: November 29, 1981 (age 43) in Santa Catalina Island, California, USA

Natalie stayed very busy as a child actress, appearing in no less than 18 films in the late 1940s and early 1950s. When she was 16 Natalie appeared in Rebel Without a Cause (1955) with James Dean, Sal Mineo and Dennis Hopper. She played Judy, a rebellious high school student who was more concerned with hanging out with the wrong crowd than being a sweet teenager like her contemporaries. The result was her first Academy Award nomination and a defining moment in her development as an adult actress. She appeared in Splendour in the Grass (1961), West Side Story (1961), Gypsy (1962), and Love with the Proper Stranger (1963).

The Star 1952 dir. Stuart Heisler Starring Bette Davis Wood Sterling Haydena

The Searchers 1956 dir. John Ford Starring John Wayne Vera Miles

Splendor in the Grass 1961 dir. Kazan starring Wood Warren Beatty

West Side Story 1961 dir. Robert Wise Jerome Robbins Starring Wood Richard Beymer Gypsy 1962 dir. Mervyn LeRoy Starring Rosalind Russell Wood Karl Malden The Candidate 1972 dir. by Michael Ritchie starring Robert Redford Peter Boyle