What is Natalie Wood's Net Worth?
Natalie Wood was an American actress who had a net worth of $2.5 million at the time of her death. That's the same as around $6 million in today's dollars.
Natalie Wood was known for her performances in such films as "Miracle on 34th Street," "Rebel Without a Cause," "The Searchers," "West Side Story," "Splendor in the Grass," and "Love with the Proper Stranger." She also appeared on television, notably in the 1979 miniseries remake of "From Here to Eternity." Natalie Wood won three Golden Globe Awards and was nominated for three Academy Awards. She received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1986 at 7000 Hollywood Blvd. Wood was married to Robert Wagner and Richard Gregson and was the mother of Natasha Gregson Wagner.
At the age of 43 in late 1981, Wood drowned in the Pacific Ocean near Santa Catalina Island under controversial and still-unsolved circumstances.
Early Life
Natalie Wood was born as Natalie Zacharenko on July 20, 1938 in San Francisco, California to Maria and her second husband Nicholas. Both of her parents came from Russia, and she had a younger sister named Svetlana.
Child Acting
In 1942, while living in Santa Rosa, California, Wood was noticed by members of a film crew shooting in the city. She went on to make her screen debut, at the age of four, with a brief uncredited role in the 1943 war film "The Moon is Down," based on the John Steinbeck novel. Wood had another brief uncredited part in the film "Happy Land" the same year. She had her first credited role in 1946, as a postwar German orphan in "Tomorrow is Forever." Also that year, Wood appeared in "The Bride Wore Boots."
Wood appeared in three films in 1947, most notably the Christmas film "Miracle on 34th Street," which gave her her breakout role. In the film, she plays Susan Walker, a disenchanted girl who comes to believe that a department store Santa is in fact the real Santa Claus. "Miracle on 34th Street" was a huge success, and eventually became a Christmas classic. As a result, Wood landed numerous film roles, often as daughters in family films. Among her credits were "Scudda Hoo! Scudda Hay!," "Chicken Every Sunday," "Father Was a Fullback," "No Sad Songs for Me," "The Jackpot," "The Blue Veil," and "The Star."
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Teenage Stardom
As a teenager, Wood had a main role on the television sitcom "The Pride of the Family," which ran from 1953 to 1954. She also appeared in episodes of such programs as "Mayor of the Town," "Four Star Playhouse," and "General Electric Theater." Wood's film credits during this time included the 1954 historical epic "The Silver Chalice" and the 1955 drama "One Desire." In the latter year, she gained her greatest acclaim yet when she appeared opposite James Dean and Sal Mineo in Nicholas Ray's "Rebel Without a Cause." For her role as Judy in this landmark coming-of-age film, Wood earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress.
In 1956, Wood appeared in four films: the Westerns "The Searchers" and "The Burning Hills," the thriller "A Cry in the Night," and the romantic comedy "The Girl He Left Behind." She was cast opposite teen idol Tab Hunter in both "The Burning Hills" and "The Girl He Left Behind." Next, in 1957, Wood starred in "Bombers B-52." She subsequently starred as the titular character in the 1958 drama "Marjorie Morningstar," based on the novel of the same name. Also in 1958, Wood starred opposite Frank Sinatra in the World War II drama "Kings Go Forth."
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Further Career
Kicking off the 1960s, Wood starred opposite James Garner in "Cash McCall" and opposite Robert Wagner in "All the Fine Young Cannibals." The latter was a flop, stalling Wood's career temporarily. She had a major comeback in 1961 with two hit films: Elia Kazan's "Splendor in the Grass" and Jerome Robbins and Robert Wise's musical "West Side Story." For the former, in which she starred opposite Warren Beatty, Wood received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. She also had the lead female role in "West Side Story," as Maria. The adaptation of the stage musical was the highest-grossing film of the year, and won the Academy Award for Best Picture. In 1962, Wood starred in another adaptation of a stage musical, "Gypsy." The next year, she starred opposite Steve McQueen in the romantic drama "Love with the Proper Stranger," for which she earned her third Academy Award nomination. Wood went on to star opposite Tony Curtis in the comedy "Sex and the Single Girl" in 1964. She reunited with Curtis in 1965 for the comedy "The Great Race." The same year, Wood starred in "Inside Daisy Clover."
In 1966, Wood starred in "This Property is Condemned" and "Penelope." Neither were big hits, although Wood received a Golden Globe Award nomination for the former. She then took a three-year hiatus from acting, during which time she focused on improving her mental health. Wood returned to the big screen in 1969 in Paul Mazursky's "Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice," which was a big hit with both critics and audiences. However, after becoming pregnant in 1970, she entered semi-retirement. After a brief cameo in the 1972 film "The Candidate," she starred opposite Robert Wagner in the 1973 television film "The Affair." Wood went on to appear in the 1975 film "Peeper" and the 1976 television film adaptation of "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof." At the end of the decade, she starred in the television film "The Cracker Factory" and the miniseries remake of "From Here to Eternity." For the latter, Wood won a Golden Globe Award. Her final film credits were "Meteor" (1979), "The Last Married Couple in America" (1980), and "Brainstorm" (1983), the lattermost of which was released posthumously. She also starred in the 1980 television film "The Memory of Eva Ryker."
Personal Life and Death
In late 1957, Wood married actor Robert Wagner. They eventually divorced in 1962. Wood went on to date such actors as Warren Beatty and Michael Caine, and was briefly engaged to Venezuelan shoemaker Ladislav Blatnik. In 1969, she married British film producer Richard Gregson, with whom she had a daughter named Natasha. The couple divorced in 1972. Wood subsequently dated future California governor Jerry Brown before she resumed her relationship with Robert Wagner, whom she then remarried. Together, they had a daughter named Courtney. Much later, it was revealed that Wood had allegedly carried out an affair with FBI agent Donald G. Wilson from 1973 to 1977.
On November 29, 1981, Wood drowned in the Pacific Ocean, near Santa Catalina Island, on a weekend boat trip with her husband Robert Wagner. The previous night, she had been with Wagner, actor Christopher Walken, and captain Dennis Davern. Wood's autopsy revealed bruises on her body and an abrasion on her cheek, but the source of the injuries could not be determined. According to Los Angeles County coroner Thomas Noguchi, the death was due to accidental drowning and hypothermia, with the possibility that Wood slipped while under the influence of alcohol. However, the case was never solved, even after being reopened in 2011. Wood's death continues to draw heavy scrutiny from those who believe she was assaulted before she drowned. In 2018, Wagner was named a person of interest in the ongoing investigation.
