Natalie Wood

Natalie Wood

Over the last few weeks we have looked at some of the best actresses that have ever graced the big screen.

Today we come to the end of out series on Screen Queen's and the last actress to take a look at is Natalie Wood.

The actress enjoyed a career that spanned almost forty years and in that time she worked with the likes of James Dean, Warren Beatty and Tony Curtis.

Wood is an actress who kicked off her career as a child and was one of the most successful young stars.

She was just five when she made her film debut on Happy Land back in 1943 before going on to The Bride Wore Boots and Tomorrow Is Forever.

Her first starring role came in 1947 when she landed the role of Susan Walker in Miracle on 34th Street.

It was a role that catapulted her to fame and she was one of the most successful child stars and her career only went up.

She went from a child star to a teen star as her career picked up pace as she got older.

And one of her most famous roles came at the age of sixteen when she teamed up with James Dean for Rebel Without A Cause.

The movie was released back in 1955 and it was one of the movies that made the most impact that decade.

With the age of rock and roll in full swing the movie industry tapped into the teenage market and the birth of the teen movie was here.

This movie, for the very first time, highlighted teenagers' struggle at finding where they fit in society.

For her performance Wood was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress but she lost out to Jo Van Fleet for East Of Eden.

Wood really established herself as an adult actress with Splendor in the Grass in 1961 alongside Warren Beatty.

The movie was about sexual repression as well as love and heartbreak and the performance from Wood really made everyone sit up and take note.

Another Oscar nomination followed this time for Best Actress, but she once again missed out.

West Side Story was also a hit for the actress that same year before going on to Gypsy twelve months later.

Another Oscar nomination followed in 1962 for her performance in Love With The Proper Stranger - but she failed to picked up the most coveted prize in film.

The actress took time out from acting in 1970 as she gave birth to her first child with husband Robert Wagner.

She returned to the big screen in 1972 when she cameoed in The Candidate before going on to star in the likes of Cat On A Hot Tin Roof and From Here To Eternity.

Wood died in 1981 when she drowned on a trip to Santa Catalina Island, California.

FemaleFirst Helen Earnshaw


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