By. Katherine Gonzalez
Black and white picture of Natalie Wood reading a magazine. BBC News, 18 Nov. 2011, https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-15789921.
Maria from West Side Story, Judy from Rebel Without a Cause , Natalie Wood is a theatrical icon for all things related to Americana fame. But her death continues to cast a dark shadow on Hollywood. A woman, a daughter, a wife, a mother who’s death was just as mysterious if not more than her complicated personal life. On November 29, 1981, at just the age of 43, Natalie was found underwater “at Two Harbors on Catalina's West End” dead after being said to disappear at 3 a.m. (Watson). The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department would initially rule her death as an accidental drowning only to change it 32 years later to “drowning and other undetermined factors” after determining that bruises found on her then diseased body during the initial autopsy were possibly inflicted while she was still alive (Roberts). Since her death shook the world, people turned to theories; some being that:
1. Natalie Wood committed suicide after a history of suicide attempts and mental
health issues.
2. Natalie Wood was involved in a violent physical altercation with her then
husband Robert Wagner which led to her untimely homicide.
Let’s take a look at Natalie Wood and the conspiracies surrounding her death, as the most plausible answer being a violent physical altercation with her than husband Robert Wagner which lead to her untimely homicide.
Horton, Adrian. Black and white picture of Natalie Wood looking into the camera. The Guardian, 4 May 2020, https://www.theguardian.com/film/2020/may/04/what-remains-behind-the-life-and-death-natalie-wood.
The Beauty
Natalie Wood was born “Natalia Nikolaevna Zakharenko on July 20, 1938” in San Francisco, California (Chilton 1). Born to Russian immigrant parents, she was made the family's “sole breadwinner at seven” (Moore). Natalie's childhood was far from perfect, with an alcoholic father, violence in the home including decades of psychological abuse (1).
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Pfeiffer, Lee. Black and white picture of Natalie Wood as a child on the set of Miracle on 34th Street hugging Santa. Britannica, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Miracle-on-34th-Street.
Natalie Wood to many people is made unique by the many iconic roles she played as a young actress. Although Natalie always wanted to move away from her childhood stardom, many people including other celebrities always remembered her as the little girl from Miracle on 34th Street. This is made very obvious through several interviews, most notably one with Bill Boggs, where he said “I will not hide the fact that Natalie Wood ever since I saw her in Splendor in the Grass, I wanted to give her the biggest hug… I think lots of people feel that way about you” he then proceeded to ask the audience “remember Miracle on 34th Street? Natalie Wood played the little girl who didn’t believe in Santa Claus” as a response to the question the whole audience clapped (BillBoggsTV). But despite what Natalie is known for as an actress, as a person she was overall an extremely ambitious, and strong women.
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Black and White picture of Natalie Wood accepting an award. Golden Globe Awards. https://www.goldenglobes.com/person/natalie-wood.
From the start of Natalie’s career her ambitious persona is evident. In a segment from Good Morning America, it is said that “Wood’s storied career would span four decades” (“Natasha Gregson Wagner Remembers Her Mom, Natalie Wood”). According to IMDB, the actress has 74 acting credits, and almost 20 of those are from her days as a child actress(“Natalie Wood”). She had also been nominated for 29 awards and won 8 other awards in her career (“Natalie Wood”). Natalie Wood in fact, had a record for being the youngest person to have ever received three Academy Award nominations before the age of 25 (Chilton 23). As a young female in a career path that was mostly overtaken by men at the time, her accomplishments are astronomical. In 1962, Natalie became one of the highest-earning female actresses in America. (Chilton 19).
In Gavin Lambert’s book, Natalie Wood: A Life, on page 115, Lambert spoke of Natalie’s discomfort in some of her roles. When she signed to Warner Brothers, she was constantly kept busy in the typical typecast role of “the girlfriend”, she found this role to be unsatisfying she wanted more from her career (Lambert 115). Despite her not liking all of her roles, Natalie constantly wanted to engage in a deeper understanding of all the characters she played. In a 1979 interview, Natalie talks about how she chose to be tutored to further her knowledge of the Russian language for a role she played in a movie called Meteor “ I spoke it when I was a child and so this part… I found it really necessary to study it formally” (“Natalie Wood Interview – 1979”). Natalie was given the part because she spoke Russian as she mentioned in the interview, but she wanted to further her understanding this shows her greater ambition as an actress since mediocrity is not enough for such a big role. In that same interview, Natalie was asked what she would change in her career for the past character she had played. Natalie responded, “well I mean one would always change something if you had the chance to redo a part there are always things you would change” (“Natalie Wood Interview – 1979”). This clearly expresses her character of wanting constant improvement something only visible in an ambitious person.
As for Natalie’s strength she was never scared to speak her mind. In 1956, she publicly expressed her frustrations with the system she was under and how she was never able to choose her own roles (Chilton 12). Natalie constantly expressed the need for more control in her career, but as a woman in the field, she wasn't taken seriously at first. Three years later in 1959, she was placed under suspension for refusing roles and neglecting to show up. This courage and strength although difficult and extremely risky for her career it led to great things. She was now permitted to choose one of the movies she was in every year (Chilton 16).Although to us that may not seem like a great accomplishment, for the time it was and as a woman this was a privilege that few even had. Many people accredit this show of strength to what led her to the first big role as Maria, in West Side Story only a few years following the short suspension (Chilton 18). A person can still be strong and troubled at the same time. In 1966 after a string of “poorly received films” and receiving Harvard Lampoon’s worse actress of the year award, following a series of letdown Natalie stepped back from films after a suicide attempt (Chilton 25-27). Natalie was strong enough to decide to get better and seek help instead of cutting her own life short. In a vulnerable interview with Bill Boggs Natalie spoke of the fact she had a year of intense therapy, including psychoanalysis, Bill asks “eight years five days a week didn’t that get in the way of your career...the only time I could get to my session which
was during the lunch hour” (BillBoggsTV). Natalie was extremely strong and courageous when she decided to speak out about her receiving help, speaking about topics regarding mental health especially in women was extremely taboo but Natalie opens up her heart and soul with such strength that most likely helped many young girls who looked up to her including her own daughters .
Through all the pain and suffering in her life, many people still saw Natalie Wood as a happy glowing personality that they wanted in their lives, despite the many skeletons in her closet.
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Bayard, Louis. Natalie Wood holding her young baby daughter with yellow flowers in the picture. The Washington Post, 5 May.2020, https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/natalie-woods-daughter-opens-up-about-the-life-and-death-of-her-famous-mom/2020/05/04/f07a4188-8e14-11ea-9e23-6914ee410a5f_story.html.
The Mystery
In the infamous case of Natalie Wood’s mysterious death, there are dozens of conspiracy theories but two will be highlighted in this argumentative essay. One of the notable theories in the case of Natalie ended her own life, and lastly the possibility of a violent physical altercation with her then-husband Robert Wagner which led to her untimely homicide.
Waller Rogers, Lisa. Natalie Wood leaning against her boat with her husband in the background. Lisa’s History Room, 20 Nov. 2011, https://lisawallerrogers.com/tag/pictures-of-natalie-woods-boat/.
The first conspiracy that will be addressed suggests that Natalie Wood chose to end her own life. This theory seems plausible because of Natalie’s long history of mental health problems. The first notable suicide attempt was in 1966 as explained by Harper’s Bazaar “ After a string of poorly received films and receiving Harvard Lampoon’s Worst Actress of the Year award Natalie decide to take a step back from film to care for her mental health after a suicide attempt” (Chilton 26).
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Spargo, Chris. Black and white picture of Natalie Wood and her sister Lana Wood. The Sun, 5 May 2020, https://www.thesun.co.uk/tvandshowbiz/11549797/natalie-wood-drowning-robert-wagner-murder-lana-turner/
Although it isn’t well known or confirmed by the living involved party of Robert J Wagner, it was explained by Suzanne Finstad the writer of “Natalie Wood: The Complete Biography” that after interviewing many people, including her sister and Robert Hyatt, he inadvertently tells Finstad that Natalie saw Wagner engaging in an extramarital relationship with another man, also known to Natalie as her butler (Finstad). He then continues to explain “I was awakened in the middle of the night with a phone call from Natalie’s mother… I answered the phone it was late at night, so Marie just started telling me everything” (1). As a longtime friend of Natalie’s and a family close to the Wood family, they often confided in each other, which credits the story. Also, the fact that many other people involved including Lana, and Roberts’s mother all remember it the same way gives the story more gravitas. In the same article, Lana tells the author that “ Natalie arrived at the house bleeding from a crystal glass she’d crushed in her hand… Natalie shut herself in her old bedroom… found her in a coma from an overdose of sleeping pills” (1). As the article continues, Robert Hyatt states “I would still say that she was in such shock over that, that she took the pills to go to sleep not to commit suicide. Of course, in that state she could have overdosed without even realizing it” (1).
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Ashton Irick, Whitney. Natalie Wood and her husband Robert J Wagner. NBC Los Angeles. 6 May. 2020, https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/1981-death-of-actress-natalie-wood/143029/.
We then have a second known suicide attempt. As stated by Gregson Wagner, “While she was filming The Great Race, she felt lonely and unhappy and afraid of never being able to maintain a stable and healthy relationship, so she took enough sleeping pills to kill herself” (Reiher). As it continues after swallowing the pills, Natalie ran down the hall to get Mart Crowley her good friend (1). Gregson Wagner believed “It was really a cry for help. After she swallowed the pills, she banged on Mart’s door so obviously, she wanted to live” (1). As the second person to state similar opinions of the seriousness of the suicide attempts, the accounts strengthen each other and helps discredit the theory .
Her friend Mia Farrow stated in that same article that “With her own significant intelligence and a good therapist, she was able to make sense of some pretty severe nonsense that had come her way” (Reiher). This can be seen in an interview with Bill Boggs where he asks Wood “ you (Natalie) were in analysis… eight years for five days a week…Did it work?” and Natalie simply responds, “Well I sorted out a few problems…I feel good I feel happy” (BillBoggsTV). This all discredits the theory that Natalie was still going through a sensitive time , although Natalie was a damaged soul there is far more proof that her death was not a suicide. As stated by Fox News her bruises were “consistent with her being the victim of assault” (Nolasco).
The second theory is the most plausible theory which is that a violent verbal turned physical altercation ensued between Natalie Wood and her then-husband Robert Wagner which led to her untimely homicide.
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Rogers, Lisa Waller. Natalie Wood with Warren. Lisa’s History Room, 7 Jan. 2011, https://lisawallerrogers.com/2011/01/06/whos-so-vain-warren-mick-kris-or-yusuf-islam/.
In a Flix Chatter Blog entry over the “Natalie Wood: What Remains Behind” documentary it is said that “Though he was more famous when they first met, soon her career far outpaced Robert’s, which became a strain to her marriage” (Ruth). This quote can be believed to be open proof that Robert Wagner was jealous of Natalie’s career. The entry continues with “ Robert himself admitted to being so jealous when…she (Natalie) started dating her Splendor in the Grass‘ co-star Warren Beatty” (1). Many theorists point to this to show how Robert’s jealousy expanded into Natalie’s other relationships (1).
As the story goes as explained by Inside Edition “Natalie, RJ, Christopher Walken and the captain of the boat (Dennis) were all present, dining, and drinking the night Natalie Wood died” (New Natalie Wood Documentary Explores Actress’s Death). As the news story continues RJ is explaining the events of that night where he says, “ He's (Christopher Walken) telling me what she should do and how she should be. I said, why don't you just, you know, don't tell her what to do and stay out of our life, and I picked up the bottle and smashed it on the table and, you know, I was really angry” (1). Although RJ doesn’t outright say if he was angry at Natalie, a person in his level of intoxication and anger would make rash decisions. As the news piece continues “The LA Sheriff's Department announced in 2018 that it had reopened the investigation into Natalie Wood's death. He's a person of interest. He was there with her, last person with her before she ends up dead…. The lead investigator Detective Fernandez has said that her bruises are consistent with someone who was beaten” (1). RJ claims to have not seen Natalie for several hours; a Harper’s Bazaar article explains that “1:30 a.m., a ship-to-shore call was made and two hours later, at 3:30 a.m., the Coast Guard was finally called. This part of the timeline has become of particular interest to investigators” (Roberts).
A copy of Natalie Wood's autopsy report 27 Jan. 2021, https://www.frontpagedetectives.com/p/fatal-voyage-natalie-woods-tragic-final-hours.
But, it isn't just theorists and investigators that think RJ could have been involved in the death of Natalie Wood as Dennis Daven the captain of the boat told Today, he “believes that RJ is responsible for Natalie Wood’s death” (Strump).In an interview for Extra TV, Lana makes the claim that “she was either unconscious or had already died when she hit the water, she didn't have water in her lungs (and a) great number of bruises” (Natalie Wood’s Sister Lana Reflects on Her Mysterious Death). In an US Weekly interview previously mentioned in this essay Lana Wood also believes that RJ is at fault for the death of her sister Natalie (Lana Wood Speaks out 37 Years after Her Sister Natalie Wood’s Mysterious Death). In this interview Lana claims “he (RJ) will not talk to the police he will not under any circumstance… since the case has been reopened… well how about if he is perfectly innocent which is what he says then why isn't he talking the police” (1).The interview continues with the interviewer asking Lana what she believed happened to which she responds, “they had a terrible fight and he either pushed her, threw her, or let her, and left” (1). The bruises on her body. the conflicting accounts, a strange timeline of her disappearance, intoxication, and the strong implications against RJ from people close to Natalie Wood was all enough to validate this theory and reopen the case, and to prove this theory as the most plausible.
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Natalie Wood and her two daughters. THE SEAM, https://www.the-seam.com/stories/more-than-love-an-intimate-portrait-of-my-mother-natalie-wood.
The Conclusion
After 30 years the mysterious death of Natalie Wood remains a topic of intrest for many a tragedy to most, and a mystery to all, with countless books, articles, interviews, documentaries, and even podcasts all to either tell the story of Natalie’s life and death or to analyze the case. Although her case remains open, and the investigation remains on-going through the use of new evidence, witnesses, and a re-evaluation of Natalie’s body, people have taken it upon themselves to create many conspiracy theories to explain this unexplainable accident two of which have been thoroughly spoken about throughout this essay the second being the most plausible possibility.
1. Natalie Wood committed suicide after a history of suicide attempts and mental
health issues.
2. Natalie Wood was involved in a violent physical altercation with her then-
husband Robert Wagner which led to her untimely homicide.
As a young Hollywood starlet, a forever female icon, Natalie Wood will be forever remembered as of will her death. A painful unexpected tragedy which stole a mother, a wife, a sister, and a star from the world; not all hope is lost as new evidence continues to be uncovered and the simple truth that a secret can’t stay secret forever.
Natalie Wood looking into the camera with her hair in the wind. TV Guide. https://www.tvguide.com/news/new-natalie-wood-death-report-assault-1059124/.
Works Cited
BillBoggsTV. “Natalie Wood Interview with Bill Boggs”. 2016. Youtube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f26E6jq_BQU.
Chilton, Charlotte. “Natalie Wood’s Life in Photos.” Harper’s BAZAAR, 12 Aug. 2020, https://www.harpersbazaar.com/celebrity/latest/g32433801/natalie-wood-life-photos/. Finstad, Suzanne. et al. “Exclusive: An Explosive New Biography Reveals the Secret That Almost Destroyed Natalie Wood.” Los Angeles Magazine, 22 May 2020, https://www.lamag.com/culturefiles/natalie-wood-biography-exclusive-excerpt/.
Lambert, Gavin. Natalie Wood: A Life. 2004. 1st Edition, Knopf, 2004.
Lana Wood Speaks out 37 Years after Her Sister Natalie Wood’s Mysterious Death. Us Weekly . www.youtube.com, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3QozZbnH0cY. Accessed 14 Nov. 2021.
Moore, Paul. “Natalie Wood’s Life of Beauty, Agony.” Baltimoresun.Com, https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-2001-07-08-0107080329-story.html.
“Natalie Wood.” IMDb, http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000081/.
“Natalie Wood Quotes.” BrainyQuote, https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/natalie_wood_349233. Accessed 5 Dec. 2021.
“Natalie Wood Interview - 1979”. Youtube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lc6UgehvAgI.
Natalie Wood’s Sister Lana Reflects on Her Mysterious Death. extratv. www.youtube.com, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6IEGv4IAjo.
“Natasha Gregson Wagner Remembers Her Mom, Natalie Wood”. Youtube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOQ3olFz7m0.
New Natalie Wood Documentary Explores Actress’s Death. Inside Edition . www.youtube.com, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PG4gaLqE7Fk.
Nolasco, Stephanie. “Natalie Wood’s Bruises Were Consistent with Her Being ‘the Victim of Assault,’ Says Detective on Star’s Death.” Fox News, 19 July 2018, https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/natalie-woods-bruises-were-consistent-with-her-being-the-victim-of-assault-says-detective-on-stars-death.
Reiher, Andrea. “Natalie Wood Attempted Suicide After Warren Beatty Split.” Heavy.Com, 6 May 2020, https://heavy.com/entertainment/2020/05/natalie-wood-suicide-attempt-warren-beatty-split/.
Roberts, Kayleigh. “Natalie Wood’s Daughter and Husband Speak Out About Her Death in New Doc.” Harper’s BAZAAR, 9 May 2020, https://www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/film-tv/a32420871/natalie-wood-death-true-story-timeline/.
Ruth. “Musings on Natalie Wood: What Remains Behind Documentary.” FlixChatter Film Blog, 12 May 2020, https://flixchatter.net/2020/05/12/musings-on-natalie-wood-what-remains-behind-documentary/.
Strump, Scott. “Boat Captain Alleges Actor Robert Wagner Responsible for Natalie Wood’s Death.” TODAY.Com, 21 Nov. 2011, http://www.today.com/popculture/boat-captain-alleges-actor-robert-wagner-responsible-natalie-woods-death-2D80555795.
Watson, Jim. “Mysterious Island: Natalie Wood.” The Catalina Islander, 24 Jan. 2018, https://thecatalinaislander.com/mysterious-island-natalie-wood/.