Natalie Wood (born Natalia Nikolaevna Zakharenko; Russian: Наталья Николаевна Захаренко; July 20, 1938 – November 29, 1981) was an American film and television actress. After first working in films as a child, Wood became a successful Hollywood star as a young adult, receiving three Academy Award nominations before she was 25 years old.

Wood began acting in movies at the age of four and at age eight was given a co-starring role in the classic Christmas film Miracle on 34th Street. As a teenager, her performance in Rebel Without a Cause (1955) earned her a nomination for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. She went on to star in the musical films West Side Story (1961) and Gypsy (1962). She received 2 more Academy Award nominations, for Best Actress in Splendor in the Grass (1961) and Love with the Proper Stranger (1963).

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