The Mystery Of Natalie Wood.

Splashed all over the news this morning was that Detectives have re-opened their investigation after almost thirty years into the mysterious death of Hollywood starlet and glamour puss, the stunningly beautiful Natalie Wood.

She was born Natalia Nikolaevna Zakharenko in July of 1938 in America to Russian parents and grew up fluent in both languages. Their father changed their name to Gurdin , it was RKO Radio Pictures who changed her name to Wood later. The eldest of two daughters, ( Her sister was called Svetlana - better known as Lana Wood, who also became a famous actress ), Natalie was one of Hollywood's child actors beginning at the tender age of four in such classic films as Miracle on 34th Street 1947. She grew to star in some of the most well known movies along side the biggest stars of the Twentieth Century - Rebel Without A Cause 1955, West Side Story 1961, Gypsy 1962, All the Young Cannibals 1960, The Searchers 1956,  and one of my favourites The Ghost and Mrs Muir 1947.

Wagner & Wood in 1960.

Wood always claimed that she had a crush on actor Robert Wagner and on her 18th birthday the studio arranged a date with the then 26 year old actor. They married a year later in 1957 against Natalie's mother's wishes. The couple divorced in 1962 and eight years later in 1969, Natalie married British film producer Richard Gregson. Together they had a daughter Natasha in 1970, but divorced in 1972.

It was in 1972 that Natalie resumed her relationship with her ex husband Robert Wagner and the couple married just months after her new divorce. Their own daughter Courtney was born shortly after in 1974.

On November 29th 1981 her lifeless body was found floating in waters near Santa Catalina Island, South California. She was aged just forty three and was mid way through filming her latest movie with actor Christopher Walken, Brainstorm, which was released posthumously in 1983.

Today, November 18, 2011 the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department announced it had decided to re-open the case of her death after they were made aware of comments made by the skipper of the yacht that he deliberately misled investigators at the request of the actor Robert Wagner, Wood’s then husband.

The married couple had been spending the Thanksgiving weekend together on their yacht, The Splendour, with actor Christopher Walken, when she died. Walken has never spoken publicly about the actress' death to this day.

According to Wagner at the time, they had all been drinking and Natalie had  left to go to the master cabin's bathroom after an argument erupted between the husband and wife. He said when he went to bed later she was not there. At the time of her death being reported there was wide speculation in the press that foul play was involved, but the Los Angeles Coroner ruled that the actress had died from "an accidental drowning".

The coroner's office wrote that Wood had been drinking and was "possibly attempting to board the dinghy and had fallen into the water, striking her face". The dinghy that had been previously attached to the couple's yacht was later found in a Catalina cove.

Today the Los Angeles County Sheriff , Lee Baca, announced to the eager press that they wish to interview the then captain of the yacht, a  Mr Dennis Davern, after he himself recently recounted the case in an interview given to mark the 30th anniversary of Natalie Wood's death. "He made comments worthy of exploring," the Sheriff commented.
According to CNN, the autopsy report at the time said that Natalie Wood had two dozen bruises on her body, including a facial abrasion on her left cheek and bruises on her arms.

However, none of the controversy that surrounds her death has ever been alluring to me. It was always a terrible tragedy to read. To me, Natalie Wood will always be a mystery of Beauty. She will always be the little girl in the Ghost and Mrs Muir with her childish charm and pigtails, or the wild teen in Rebel without a cause. Seeing photos of her and James Dean goofing about on set during filming, or the glamorous woman she grew up to be in the most magnificent photo shoots throughout the Sixties. She was sooooo beautiful, perfectly poised with her almond eyes and pencilled eyes. Luscious glossy dark hair and sweet inviting upturned mouth. A vision of loveliness to behold. Dressed by the studios and turned out with charm, grace and style. I have long envied her. She carried herself with a trace of mystery making beauty look easy and effortless.

Her big doe eyes were in my opinion her best feature. How did she apply her eye makeup was always one of life's biggest mystery's to me and I would spend hours in front of the mirror as a teenager poised with liquid eyeliner in hand and a photo of her taped to my bedroom mirror, trying desperately to get my eyes as perfect as hers and not to poke one of mine during the unsteady hand process of gaining a perfect black straight line. Nerve wrecking stuff for a novice. Even to this day I will have her eyes in mind as I apply my 'everyday look' liquid liner and mascara.
For nearly thirty years a dark mystery has hung in the air surrounding one of Hollywood's most beautiful and fragile stars, who knows - perhaps 2012 will be the year that she can finally rest in peace without any more controversy..... and the truth will finally be revealed to the satisfaction of the world once and for all.

Natalie Wood 1938 - 1981.