Started smoking at age 16.

Once interviewed Arnold Schwarzenegger, before his career took off, for the magazine "Hollywood Reporter" in 1979 two years before her her death. The article was entitled "The Body meets the Face".

Though some people cite her mother as being French, her mother was Russian. The source of this misconception comes from the studio that Natalie worked at when she was young -- people noticed her mother's accent and when asked if she was French, Maria replied: "Oh yes", a white lie that would contribute to this confusion.

Turned down the role of Judith Anderson in The Devil's Disciple (1959) because she didn't want to work with Kirk Douglas for "personal" reasons.

Was commonly listed as 5' 3" wearing heels in movie magazines, though her actual height was 5' 0".

Attended ballet classes with two time husband Robert Wagner's third wife Jill St. John and Wagner's "Hart to Hart" (1979) co-star Stefanie Powers.

In the 1950s she was known as a "Hollywood Badgirl" along with Janet Leigh & Debbie Reynolds.

People Magazine (USA) named her one of "The 25 most intriguing People of 1976" for the January 3 1977 issue.

Measurements: 32-20 1/2-32 (at age 18), 32B-22-33 ("Parade" magazine December 1962), (Source: Celebrity Sleuth magazine).

was voted in 1970s playboy magazine as one of the top sexy stars

Stepmother of Katie Wagner.

"Natalie`s Song" by David Pack, was written about Natalie Wood.

She is credited for discovering Robert Redford and Sydney Pollack.

Don Henley wrote the song "Dirty Laundry" to express his outrage at the tabloid press for their treatment of her after her death.

Her death was listed at number 24 on E! Televisions 101 Most Shocking Moments in Entertainment.

Once interviewed Arnold Schwarzenegger, before his career took off, for the magazine

Called "The most Beautiful Teenager in the World" by Life magazine in 1955.

Voted one of the top sex stars of the 1970s in Playboy magazine.

Entertainment Weekly placed her on the "100 greatest stars of all time" list, at #70.

People Magazine (USA) named her one of

Barbara Rush replaced her in The Young Philadelphians (1959) after she had been put on studio suspension for refusing the role.

Biography in: "The Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives." Volume One, 1981-1985, pages 889-890. New York: Charles Scribner`s Sons, 1998.

She is the inspiration of High School Musical (2006) (TV) star, Vanessa Anne Hudgens.

Both she and her sister Lana Wood have played the love interest of Richard Beymer in 2 separate films: she as Maria opposite Richard`s Tony in West Side Story (1961), and Lana as Karen opposite Richard`s Dean in Scream Free! (1969) (aka Free Grass).

Wood knew screenwriter Gavin Lambert as both were intimates of director Randy Suhr. In the early 1960s, he wrote a novel about a Hollywood child star in the 1930s, Inside Daisy Clover (1965). After reading the book, Wood telephoned Lambert and said,

She was cast as Maggie in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1976) (TV) quite unexpectedly, without campaigning for the role. Wood explained that when Laurence Olivier would come to Hollywood, she would often be seated with him at the table at formal sit-down dinners. When Olivier decided to make a version of the Tennessee Williams play, he thought of casting Wood, his dinner companion, and her husband, Robert Wagner, in the husband-wife roles of Brick and Maggie. Naturally, they accepted.

Turned down the films Bonnie and Clyde (1967), Barefoot in the Park (1967), and Goodbye, Columbus (1969).

Turned down the role of Judith Anderson in The Devil`s Disciple (1959) because she didn`t want to work with Kirk Douglas for

Portrayed by Rebecca Budig in James Dean: Race with Destiny (1997) (TV), by Justine Waddell in The Mystery of Natalie Wood (2004) (TV) and by Abi Young in Elvis (1979/I) (TV).

Measurements: 32-20 1/2-32 (at age 18), 32B-22-33 (

Wore dress size 5.

Younger sister Lana Wood made a ABC TV special on Natalie`s life, The Mystery of Natalie Wood (2004) (TV).

Though some people cite her mother as being French, her mother was Russian. The source of this misconception comes from the studio that Natalie worked at when she was young -- people noticed her mother`s accent and when asked if she was French, Maria replied:

Spoke Russian and English.

Her mother, Maria, claimed that the family was closely related to the Romanov dynasty.

The daughter of a Russian architect and a French ballerina could do a proper plié before she could barely walk.

Her and co-star Richard Beymer`s singing voices were both dubbed in West Side Story (1961). The woman who dubbed Natalie, Marni Nixon, also dubbed Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady (1964) and Deborah Kerr in The King and I (1956).

Dated Elvis Presley in the 1950s; Elvis wanted to marry her, but his mother did not like Natalie.

Her death was kismet, as she always cited a fear of water.

Daughter with Richard Gregson: Natasha Gregson Wagner (b. 29 September 1970).

Daughter with Robert Wagner: Courtney Wagner (b. 9 March 1974).

By the early 1960s, Natalie Wood was considered one of Hollywood`s most valuable and wanted actresses. However, her career lost steam and never recovered from the box office failure of the highly-touted Inside Daisy Clover (1965) despite the fact that film critics had blamed the production`s failure on a poor script that included stilted dialog written for Wood`s character by screenwriter Gavin Lambert.

Pallbearers at her funeral were Rock Hudson, Frank Sinatra, Laurence Olivier, Elia Kazan, Gregory Peck, David Niven, and Fred Astaire.

Attended ballet classes with two time husband Robert Wagner`s third wife Jill St. John and Wagner`s

Director Sydney Pollack credits her with his big break.

Had planned to produce as well as star in I Never Promised You a Rose Garden (1977), but the leading role of Deborah went to Kathleen Quinlan by the time the film was made.

The rubber dinghy "Prince Valiant" she`d been trying to board after falling from husband Robert Wagner`s yacht that fateful Thanksgiving weekend in 1981, was named after Wagner`s 1954 movie Prince Valiant (1954), a film the actor considered among his worst.

An accident on a movie set when she was 9 years old left her with a permanently weakened left wrist and a slight bone protrusion, which, for the rest of her life, she hid with large bracelets. Regardless of the movie role, or anytime that she was out in public, she always wore a large bracelet on the left wrist.

Splendour, the name of the yacht Wood was on the night she died, was named after her 1961 movie Splendor in the Grass (1961). She co-starred in the film with former love Warren Beatty.

Reportedly turned down Warren Beatty`s offer to play opposite him in Bonnie and Clyde (1967) because she didn`t want to be separated from her analyst while the film was on location in the Midwest.

On April 23, 1966, she made Harvard history when she became the first performer voted the year`s worst by the Harvard Lampoon to show up and accept her citation.

Was commonly listed as 5` 3

Interred at Westwood Memorial Park, Los Angeles, California, USA, Section D, #60.

Suffering from a deep fear of drowning after having barely survived an accident during the filming of The Green Promise (1949), her fear was so great that Elia Kazan had to lie -- promising a double -- and trick her into doing the scenes at the water reservoir in Splendor in the Grass (1961).

In the 1950s she was known as a

Favorite actress was Vivien Leigh.

Named after director Sam Wood.

Mother of Natasha Gregson Wagner and Courtney Wagner.

Sister of Lana Wood and Olga Wood.