• Born Natalia Nikolaevna Zakharenko on July 20, 1938, in San Francisco, CA, Natalie Wood was one of Hollywood's brightest stars. Wood started out as a child actor, landing her first bit part in the 1943 film, "Happy Land." By the age of 16, Wood had appeared in 20 movies. In 1955 Wood landed the role of Judy in "Rebel Without a Cause." She fully transitioned from child star to adult actor with 1961's "Splendor in the Grass." Wood continued to make movies until her death on November 29, 1981. She died of a drowning accident. For a complete list of Natalie Wood's films, check the cited sources.
  
  

Early Films

• 1943
  "Happy Land": Directed by Irving Pichel, the four-year-old Wood played the part of a small girl who drops her ice-cream cone. For Wood's mother, the experience encouraged the idea that her daughter was meant to be a star.
  
  1946
  "Tomorrow Is Forever": In another Irvin Pichel film, Wood plays the role of Margaret Ludwig. The film tells the story of Elizabeth and John, two lovers who say goodbye at the start of WW II. At the end of the war, Elizabeth receives a telegram that John was killed in action. Twenty years later, John returns, with a new identity and an adopted daughter, Margaret. This was Wood's first credited screen performance.
  
  1947
  "Miracle on 34th Street": Regarded as Wood's most famous performance as a child actor, Wood played the part of Susan Walker in this perennial Christmas favorite.
  
  

Transitional Roles

• 1955
  "Rebel Without a Cause": Wood's performance as the lost and vulnerable Judy in this film starring James Dean and directed by Nicholas Ray is often credited as a turning point in her career. The role earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress.
  
  1956
  "The Searchers": In this epic John Ford western starring John Wayne, Wood plays the adolescent Debbie Edwards, who was abducted by a Comanche tribe while still just a young girl. The American Film Institute named "The Searchers" the greatest western of all-time in 2008, and it is one of the most highly acclaimed films in which Wood appeared. Her part, though small, is crucial.
  
  1961
  "Splendor in the Grass": Starring opposite Warren Beatty, Wood played Wilma "Deanie" Loomis, a restless teenager who experiences a doomed relationship with Bud Stamper, the town's unofficial Golden Boy. Wood's performance earned her a second Academy Award nomination.
  
  

Later Roles

• 1961
  "West Side Story": Wood is iconic in this Leonard Bernstein musical about star-crossed lovers in New York City. She stars as the bright and beautiful Maria, who falls in love with Tony, a member of the rival American gang, the Sharks. Although Wood had originally signed on to do her own singing, the studio went back and dubbed her voice with singer Marni Nixon. The film itself was nominated for 10 Academy Awards, including Best Picture. Although Wood was praised for the power of her performance, she didn't receive a nomination.
  
  1962
  "Gypsy": Wood further proved her talent as an actress when she played the burlesque dancer Gypsy Rose Lee. Based on the Broadway play, the movie tells the story of Gypsy Rose Lee and her overbearing stage mother, Mama Rose (Rosalind Russell). Wood was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Actress.
  
  1963
  "Love with the Proper Stranger": The role of Angie Rossini, a pregnant Macy's salesgirl, earned Wood her third Oscar nomination. Steve McQueen was cast as Rocky Papasano, Angie's one-night-stand and the father of her baby.
  
  1965
  "The Great Race": Wood, playing a brassy suffragette photojournalist, stars along with Jack Lemmon, Tony Curtis, and Peter Falk in Blake Edward's slapstick comedy about a race from New York to Paris. Although panned by the critics, the film was a box office smash and remains a cult favorite; it also showcased Wood's comic talents.
  
  1966
  "This Property Is Condemned": Directed by Sydney Pollack, Wood played the vivacious and sultry Alva Starr. Robert Redford co-stars as Owen Legate, a railroad official, who comes to the small-town of Dodson, Mississippi to shut down the majority of the town's railway.
  
  1969
  "Bob and Ted and Alice": After battling personal demons, Wood rebounded with this film about two married couples determined to have "enlightened" marriages. After this film Wood worked less frequently so that she could start a family.