Natalie Wood’s eyes drew audiences into her characters in movies such as Rebel Without a Cause and Splendor in the Grass. She was a force to be reckoned with on screen, but her life outside the spotlight was full of drama.

In November 1981, the actress was 43 when she drowned near Catalina Island off Southern California. She was a passenger on her husband’s yacht with actor Christopher Walken and the boat’s captain, Dennis Davern. Find out more about Natalie Wood Death as you continue through the article.

As a young girl, Natalie Wood charmed movie-goers as the believer in Santa Claus in 1947’s Miracle on 34th Street. Wood’s family immigrated to the United States from Russia in 1938 and she began appearing in movies as a child. By the ’50s, she was one of the most active studio child stars, with roles in many popular films.

Despite being the image of innocence in her film work, she could also portray pain and tragedy as well. Her eyes were expressive and sparked with emotions on screen, especially when playing troubled women like Judy in West Side Story, Alva Starr in Splendor in the Grass and Daisy Clover in This Property is Condemned.

Wood married actor Richard Gregson in 1969 and she went on a semi-retirement from acting in order to focus on raising their daughter Natasha. She appeared in only four more theatrical films before her death, including the thriller Peeper and science fiction films Meteor and Brainstorm (which was posthumously released).

Though she inhabited glamour easily — as captured in the photos taken throughout her career and home videos of her with her family — she had a strong sense of independence and self-determination. She refused to be typecast and demanded that her director and producer allow her to choose her roles. In her later years, she was still a stalwart supporter of her children and made sure to spend time with them.

In her private life, she was a reserved, intelligent woman. She loved her friends and was very giving to those who were close to her. She enjoyed camping and establishing meaningful connections with fellow members of NAFCA (Chapter 49ers) and would often be found cross stitching or sewing in their company.

In the book Natalie Wood: The Biography, author Suzanne Finstad paints a picture of a beautiful and talented girl nicknamed “Natasha” who became a studio commodity, a doe-eyed well of emotion on screen but a fragile soul off it, battling demons from her tumultuous childhood, a stage mother and abusive people in Hollywood. Her autobiography is a compelling and fascinating read.

Her Work

As she progressed from child star to mature leading lady, Wood took on a wide array of roles. From Westerns to romance, her ability to play numerous dynamic roles — including a little girl on Miracle on 34th Street — led her to become one of the biggest Hollywood leading ladies of her time. She received three Oscar nominations and several Golden Globe Awards in her long career.

Wood was also a popular fixture in gossip columns, dating such men as hotel heir Nicky Hilton and singer Elvis Presley. But her acting talent was what really made her famous.

She starred in Splendor in the Grass (1961), West Side Story (both 1961) and Gypsy (both 1962). She was also nominated for an Academy Award for her role as Judy, the troubled ingenue in Rebel Without a Cause.

In her later years, Wood opted to make more television movies and mini-series, rather than big budget films. She gave exceptional performances in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof in 1976 and the 1979 mini-series From Here to Eternity.

Natalie Wood was an accomplished ballet dancer and could also act in musicals. In this film, she plays the daughter of a famous ballet teacher who falls for a jazz musician. The film was a major hit, and it showcased some impressive dancing from Wood.

Although this film is not considered to be a classic, it shows how versatile Wood was as an actress. In it, she plays a woman who is torn between love and her family’s expectations. It’s a drama that isn’t always easy to watch, but it’s worth it.

In 1969, Natalie married British producer Richard Gregson. They had one daughter, Natasha, before divorcing in 1972. She then remarried Wagner that same year, and they had a daughter, Courtney, in 1974.

While she was at the peak of her success, Wood started to struggle in the public eye due to her turbulent personal life. She had a number of relationships with high-profile men, including her Splendor in the Grass co-star Warren Beatty. She was also a regular in the gossip columns for her romantic interests and had an affair with hotel heir Nicky Hilton.

Her Family

At age 4, Natalie Wood began acting in silent bit parts, but it was her role in 1947’s Miracle on 34th Street that made her a star. It’s easy to see why when watching old clips of her; anxiety, sadness and resilience ripple along her skin and pool into her brown eyes. Wood was a natural onscreen.

She would continue to act for years, garnering multiple Oscar nods and a reputation as one of Hollywood’s great ingenues. In addition to her acting, she was a devoted mother and wife. She married her first husband, actor Robert Wagner, in 1957 and the couple divorced two years later. She married her second husband, British producer Richard Gregson, in 1969 and the couple had a daughter together before they separated in 1972.

While Wood’s early career was largely micromanaged by her mother, she soon found her own way as an actress. Her most notable films were Rebel Without a Cause and Splendor in the Grass, both of which earned her Academy Award nominations.

After the end of her tumultuous marriages, Wood began to find peace in her work and in her personal life. She loved her daughters Natasha and Courtney and treated them with tremendous affection and care. Her daughters remember her as a fun-loving, lively woman who cooked them huevos rancheros and loved to host parties.

Natalie’s death remains a mystery. A book written by her sister, Lana Wood, and Captain Dennis Davern, the skipper of the vessel that she was sailing aboard when she died, has reopened the investigation into her death. In addition, a documentary about the case produced by HBO is being released on May 30.

Natalie Wood’s tragic death has fueled decades of rumors and speculation about what really happened. Her family continues to honor her legacy and keep her memory alive. Her daughters, who have also acted and written books about her, remain close to each other and raise their own daughter, Clover, with the same love and care that they gave to their late mother. She is remembered for her brilliance on screen, as well as off.

Her Legacy

Almost 40 years after her death, Wood is still known mostly for the mystery surrounding her drowning off the coast of Catalina Island. But what if her final days were instead a story of vivacity, a tale about a woman who refused to give up on her dream? That’s what Natasha Gregson Wagner hopes to do with her new documentary, What Remains Behind. The film seeks to shift Wood’s narrative from a tragic question mark to a triumphant one of her life, and it does so through extensive interviews with friends and family—including husband Robert Wagner speaking on-camera about his wife for the first time.

Through a mix of vintage photos, archival footage and never-before-seen home movies, What Remains Behind offers an intimate and engrossing portrait of the actress. Close friend Mia Farrow recalls her fierce devotion to her children, while actor George Hamilton speaks of her kind professionalism and co-star Robert Redford remembers how she fought for him to get the lead role in his 1965 film Inside Daisy Clover. Meanwhile, home videos show a much looser yet still magnetic persona. “She really inhabited glamour, but not in a big-budget way,” daughter Natasha notes, and the film’s photos capture a beautiful sense of style that’s unmistakable.

In the end, however, what truly defines Wood is the courage and commitment she showed in her day-to-day life. Her daughter points out that while Wood was famous, she remained a steadfastly private person who “loved being a mother and wife.”

Gregson Wagner’s documentary spends much of its runtime celebrating Wood as a family woman. It is a rare look at an actor’s private life, and it serves as a reminder that there was so much more to Natalie Wood than the rumors and conspiracy theories surrounding her final moments.

We may never know exactly what happened to Natalie Wood on that fateful night in 1981, but What Remains Behind leaves the rumors and suspicions to the waters where they belong. The film celebrates the life of a brave and charismatic trailblazer and, in so doing, gives viewers a whole new reason to love her.