Friday Spotlight: Natalie Wood

She was the scene-stealing child star turned sexy ingénue whose warm spirit and hauntingly beautiful brown eyes enchanted audiences.

Natalie Wood worked her way through the ranks of Hollywood from the late 40s to the early 80s, appearing in over 70 films. To this day, she is still one of the most beloved actresses of all time.

Born to Russian immigrants, her mother was determined to make her a star, though Natalie already seemed destined to be one. Making her film debut at the tender age of four, Natalie soon became the breadwinner for her family, working on picture after picture. Not even able to read yet, she would memorize lines after they were read aloud to her.

She was sculpted into the perfect child actor under the stern and superstitious guidance of her domineering mother. Interestingly, their strained relationship would be a recurring theme in Wood’s later films, including Splendor in the Grass (1961) and Gypsy (1962), two of her most memorable pictures.

Natalie was one of the few child stars from the old Hollywood studio system who seamlessly transitioned from child star to teen celebrity. Her dramatic role opposite James Dean in Rebel Without A Cause (1955) marked a turning point in her career, earning her an Academy Award nomination at the age of 16.

She continued to find huge success as an adult actress in West Side Story (1961) and Love with the Proper Stranger (1963), receiving three Academy Award nominations before she was 25 years old.

Losing all three Academy Award nominations, Natalie longed to be taken seriously by the industry. Not wanting to rely on her star image, she pushed herself to explore different genres—unfortunately with films that critically and commercially failed. This drove Natalie to desperately achieve her ideal of movie star status—a status she had already surpassed in viewers eyes.

Maybe this was due to the fact that she battled to reconcile her own persona vs. her star persona throughout her life. To the public, she was “Natalie Wood.” But to herself she was just Natasha, a Russian girl with big dreams.

Wood was unsure of exactly who she was, a conflict that would hinder her happiness throughout her life. It’s ironic that the girl whose infectious laugh lit up the silver screen, battled to find joy in her life much of the time, even though she had everything to live for.

This may be because Natalie was never given the level of recognition she deserved as an actress—not from the public, but from Hollywood. A natural in front of the camera, she brought deep emotion and vulnerability to her roles that make you feel something. Something that deserved to be acknowledged with an Academy Award.

It’s been 34 years since Natalie Wood’s tragic and mysterious death, but she still shines brightly as the doe-eyed beauty who could just tilt her head and make you laugh, cry and sympathize.

#quote #classicfilm #classicfilmstar #nataliewood