Though it was technically her third marriage, it was her second relationship. 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. For decades, it's been one of Hollywood's darkest rumors: A teen-age Natalie Wood was sexually assaulted by a top movie star more than twice her age when she met with . Quarry, who appeared with him in the 1956 film A Kiss Before Dying (in which, ironically, Wagner played a man who pushes his fiancee to her death from the roof of a building), said the 'pretty boy' star would come off set and put his arm around whichever young actress the studio was promoting as his girlfriend, posing for photographers like a man in love. Dec 22, 2021 05:35 P.M. Golden Age actress Natalie Wood's marriage with Robert Wagner was plagued with secrets. "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. How is that possible? There were rumours, which he has always strenuously denied, that Wagner was gay or bisexual. Because Gregson had left for his home country of England after his split from Natalie, Wagner adopted Natasha and she considers them both to be her father. Her mother insisted they stay together for their child and they did briefly, but they ended up being divorced in 1972. DeVincentis became an item, and the couple married in 2003. In his memoir Pieces of My Heart, Wagner admitted that he had an argument with Wood before she disappeared. F*** my wife?'. [95], In February 2018, Wagner was named a person of interest by the police in the investigation. She debuted in a minor part in Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992) and initially went around playing cute and plucky in such innocuous TV-movie fare as The Shaggy Dog (1994), the remake of the 1950s Disney classic, and the juvenile delinquent 1950s spoof Dragstrip Girl (1994), which easily recalled her mother's own classic Rebel Without a Cause (1955). "[27], Wood's mother continued to play a significant role in her daughter's early career, coaching her and micromanaging aspects of her career even after Wood acquired agents. Wood's career was in a transition period, having until then consisted of roles as a child or as a teenager. It was David Cavendish, Wagner's English butler, according to a startling new biography of the troubled star. But her sister Lana Wood believes there is one person to blame for the "West Side Story . 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. [70], Celebrity bodyguard Kris Herzog has stated that Wood told his grandmother, an Avalon socialite, that she was going to divorce Wagner and that he himself saw Wood the morning before she disappeared.[71][72]. Wood's father opposed the idea, but his wife's "overpowering ambition to make Natalie a star" took priority. After her split from Beatty but before her second marriage, Wood was linked to several famous men, including singer Frank Sinatra, actor Henry Jaglom, actor Michael Caine, producer Arthur Loew Jr., Ladislav Blatnik, the shoe king of Venezuela, and actor David Niven Jr. She also had a brief dalliance with singer Elvis Presley in 1956, according to Bobbie Ann Masons book Elvis Presley: A Life, but the two didnt have much of a connection. Chicago Tribune August 30, 1976: b7. Good for her. The discovery of her body only yielded more questions than answers. . 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. Gregson Wagner says she and St. John talked about it in therapy and it was definitely a process, but they are all one big family now. Among the celebrities were Frank Sinatra, Elizabeth Taylor, Fred Astaire, Rock Hudson, David Niven, Gregory Peck, Gene Kelly, Elia Kazan, and Laurence Olivier. 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. Natalie Wood: The Complete Biography, by Suzanne Finstad, is published by Broadway Books, 20. Stanyer will be recognized by Berri O'Neal, chair of the Panola College Alumni Association, and recipient of the 2016 Alumna of the Year, at the spring commencement ceremony scheduled for Thursday, May 10, at 5 p.m. in the Arthur Johnson Gymnasium. After their split in 1964, Wood struggled with some mental health issues. [3][4], On November 29, 1981, at the age of 43, Wood drowned in the Pacific Ocean near Santa Catalina Island during a break from production of her would-be comeback film Brainstorm (1983). Authorities classified her death as an accident, concluding the 43-year-old star of . Wood sang when she starred in the film Gypsy (1962) alongside Rosalind Russell. The "West Side Story" star was traveling on the family's yacht Splendour with her husband,. [29] Welles later said that Wood was a born professional, "so good, she was terrifying."[30]. Despite the brief part, she attracted the notice of the director, Irving Pichel. [63] They first married on December 28, 1957, in Scottsdale, Arizona when Wood was 19. Lana Wood claims Douglas assaulted her sister when the actors met at Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles at the urging of Wood's mother, Maria, who thought it could benefit her daughter . Wood's best-known film as a child was Miracle on 34th Street (1947), starring Maureen O'Hara at Fox. In fact, we were both so confused that we thought fighting and hostility meant real emotional honesty.. A fairy-tale ending, at least, for a starry-eyed actress whose Prince Charming had feet of clay. 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. Image: Natalie Wood & Robert Wagner. As Marjorie Morningstar, Wood played the role of a young Jewish girl in New York City who has to deal with the social and religious expectations of her family as she tries to forge her own path and separate identity. [32] As a child actress, Wood received significant media attention. Natalie Wood was only 43 years old when her body was found floating off the coast of Catalina Island. "[40] "Her roles raised the possibility that one's sensitivity could mark a person as a kind of victim," noted Tibbetts.[2]. Film historian John C. Tibbetts wrote that for the next few years following her success in Miracle, Wood played roles as a daughter in a series of family films: Driftwood (1947), at Republic;[31] Scudda Hoo! Smith, Cecil. In 2012, the city coroner changed the official cause of death from 'accidental drowning' to 'drowning and other undetermined factors'. Advertisement. Natalie Woods and Joseph Stanyer Wedding Registry Natalie Woods and Joseph Stanyer from SOUTHLAKE, TX have registered at for their wedding on June 28, 2014. Natasha Gregson was born on September 29, 1970, in Los Angeles. Wood's films represented a "coming of age" for her and for Hollywood films in general. One Tribe Foundation is a 501 (c) (3) organization. Later millennium credits include A Kiss and a Promise (2011), Anesthesia (2015), Search Engines (2016) and Thirty Nine (2016). Los Angeles Times September 26, 1973: e17. Browse all their registries in one list. [92] On January 14, 2013, the Los Angeles County coroner's office offered a 10-page addendum to Wood's autopsy report. She made a 'romantic pact' with Wagner possibly driven by her terror of being alone never to be separated. 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. And yet, says Finstad, his decision to have a live-in butler struck observers at the time as odd. However, she revealed more in a passage about why she so related to Daisy Clover, the character she played in the 1965 film Inside Daisy Clover. [100] Justine Waddell portrays Wood.[101][102]. [13][18] They had a daughter named Olga (19282015)[19] and moved to the U.S. by ship in 1930 before divorcing six years later.[20]. 1. [27] According to Wood's younger sister Lana, Pichel "discovered her and wanted to adopt her. This lasted for a year until February 1959. In The Great Race, her ability to speak Russian was an asset given to her character Maggie DuBois, justifying the character's recording the progress of the race across Siberia and entering the race at the beginning as a contestant. The police stated that they know that Wagner was the last person to be with Wood before she disappeared. But they separated just four years later and divorced in 1962. [79] The autopsy report revealed that she had bruises on her body and arms, as well as an abrasion on her left cheek, but no indication as to how or when the injuries occurred. Here's everything you need to know about Natalie Wood's husbands and the story behind each. Finstad has just updated her book, including further evidence that the original investigation was a sham and that Wagner, who was best known in the UK for starring with Stefanie Powers in the TV detective series Hart To Hart, may have been responsible for his wife's death. "But. Wood was with Wagner, Brainstorm co-star Christopher Walken, and Splendour's captain Dennis Davern on the evening of November 28. 14k Followers, 1,107 Following, 380 Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from Natalie Woods Stanyer (@nataliewoods22) nataliewoods22. Tom Leonard In New York For The Daily Mail Wood and Wagner were married until her death in 1981. The director telephoned Wood's mother and asked her to bring her daughter to Los Angeles for a screen test. They had a daughter, Natasha (born September 29, 1970). What was Natalie Wood's love life like, after all? , updated Wood filed for divorce from Gregson on August 4, 1971, and it was finalized on April 12, 1972. She was found floating face-up a mile away the next morning, with unexplained bruises on her body and arms. "[2], Finstad felt that although Wood had never trained in method acting techniques, "working with Kazan brought her to the greatest emotional heights of her career. I talked to [Wood] and said I was going to Europe and do you want to come there and she said no, I have other plans. [42], Kazan cast Wood as the female lead in Splendor, and her career rebounded. "[43] She adds that a scene in the film, as a result of "Kazan's wizardry produced a hysteria in Natalie that may be her most powerful moment as an actress. By 1933, they moved to the US. Natalie Wood was married three times in her life, but she only had two husbands. If you're curious about reading into Natalie's life a bit more than what you may have known about her on the silver screen, we've got all the answers for you. In early 1972, the actress wasted no time when it came to rekindling her earlier romance with ex-husband Robert Wagner. The on-screen character for which she is best remembered, the pure and virginal Maria in West Side Story, was far removed from her immensely troubled real life. Wagner was eight years older than her and single. Some have portrayed the diminutive Wood as manipulative, self- centred and cripplingly insecure, so sexually precocious that she had had a long string of lovers by her mid-teens. The One Tribe Foundation launch celebration event was hosted by Natalie Woods Stanyer, TV personality and former Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader. Wood heard the rumours that Wagner was bisexual but told a friend: 'All these people are just jealous of us.'. Why We're All Obsessed With '90s . 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. I still like it when I see it," wrote Kazan.[45]. 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]. Natalie Wood and James Dean in the 1955 film Rebel Without a Cause. [60] (The material was eventually adapted into a 1990 television film starring Jane Seymour.) Jacobs, who worked for Sinatra from 1953 to 1968, was a silent accomplice to his boss's sexual assignations. Her mother (who also used the names Mary, Marie, and Musia)[15] was from Barnaul. Her Husband Betrayed Her. She reportedly had an affair with 38-year-old Frank Sinatra when she was 15; and, a year older, was 'forced' into a sexual relationship with the 43-year-old director Nicholas Ray to prove she could play a 'bad girl' in Rebel Without A Cause. Wood started acting at age four and was given a co-starring role at age 8 in Miracle on 34th Street (1947). The couple separated the same month and divorced the following year. Wood's character could not handle the sexuality and after a breakdown was committed to a mental institution. "[28], Wood, then seven years old, got the part. 14:26 GMT 23 Mar 2020. Actress Natalie Wood, famous for her impressive talent, started her career as a child actor. 14K followers. Wood graduated from Van Nuys High School in 1956. By The Associated Press. 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