Natalie Wood was an American actress who began her career in film as a child and successfully transitioned to young adult roles.

Natalie Wood started acting at age four and was given a co-starring role at age 8 in Miracle on 34th Street (1947). As a teenager, she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in Rebel Without a Cause (1955), followed by a role in John Ford's The Searchers (1956).

She went on to star in the musical films West Side Story (1961) and Gypsy (1962) and received nominations for an Academy Award for Best Actress for her performances in Splendor in the Grass (1961) and Love with the Proper Stranger (1963). Her career continued with films such as Sex and the Single Girl (1964), Inside Daisy Clover (1965), and Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice (1969).

Critics have said that Natale Wood’s films represented a "coming of age" for her and for Hollywood films in general. It was also suggested that her cinematic career represented a portrait of modern American womanhood in transition, as she was one of the few to take both child roles and those of middle-aged characters.

She drowned off the coast of Santa Catalina Island on November 29, 1981, at age 43, during a brief holiday. The events surrounding her death have always been a bit mysterious.

The beautiful and talented Natalie Wood died too soon and is now forever In Heaven with the Stars.