"Drowning is one of the top
causes of accidental death worldwide", is Natalie Wood included in that
statement; or was there something more sinister behind her death
("Drowning Facts and Figures")? The Hollywood actress mysteriously died
in what seemed to be an accidental drowning. However, there is a great deal of
mystery and conspiracy surrounding the death of the academy award winning
actress, such as:
- Why would Wood adventure so close to the water if she
was afraid of it?
- Was Wood murdered, or was it an
accidental drowning?
- Did her husband, Robert Wagner
have something to do with her death?
Let’s explore these theories and
examine the probability that Wood’s drowning is most likely linked to her
husband, Robert Wagner.
Born Natalie Zakharenko on July 20,
1938, to poor Russian immigrants Maria Zakharenko and Nicholas Zakharenko. The 43 year old Hollywood actress was
at the pinnacle of her career. Imagine,
a Russian American woman born in San Francisco California 20 July 1938. Growing up to weigh in at 119 pounds, 5’ tall
with a petite frame, and styled dark brown hair, she was the envy of many. “Thanks to her acclaimed
performances and stunning beauty, Wood was one of the most admired actresses of
her day” (Jenkins 1). She was a
star on the screen and remained in the spotlight even after her death. She is still remembered today by the many
qualities that made her extremely unique
and one of a kind.
One example of such a quality that
Wood expressed would be that she was a very talented actress. “Natalie Wood - an American film and television actress who became a
successful Hollywood star as a young adult, and is best known for her screen
roles in Miracle on 34th Street, Splendor in the Grass, Rebel Without a Cause,
and West Side Story.” (Tommer 1) This really showcases her talent as a young
actress due to the major roles she played in these major films; though she is
most widely known for playing the roles of Maria in West Side Story (1961) and Judy in Rebel Without a Cause (1955).
Another
popular trait that could be associated with Wood is that she was in
relationships that were very contentious and problematic. In fact, it was one of those relationships
that most likely led to er death. ‘“Even
though I grew up in a town where people change marital partners like
hairstyles, I was raised in an old-fashioned family with traditional values,”’
(“Natalie” 1) Wood confided to her private diary. ‘“I wanted, and still do, the things the girl
next door takes for granted: a house with a husband, and children.”’ (1) During her relationship with Wagner, the
couple argued constantly and this was very similar to her relationship with
Richard Gregson. She was married to
Wagner twice in her life but, “their first shot at marriage didn’t last.” and
their second ended with death. However,
her relationship with Gregson ended in an affair. She had caught Gregson
talking rather explicitly to Wood’s secretary at the time. Wood even had a romance between her co-star
Warren Beatty while filming Splendor in
the Grass in 1966.
One
of the most interesting qualities about Wood is the fact that she had a hard
time earning others respect in the film industry because of her involvement in
acting when she was a child. Many people
thought that Wood was only a glorified child star not destined to remain in the
spotlight for very long after she grew older.
This idea is proven by the statement, “Many people thought she wouldn't
make it past her child star days of Miracle
on 34th Street.” (“Natalie Wood” 1)
The thought is also portrayed by the quote, “Wood had a difficult time
as an adult finding work as a former child star.” (1)
The
most interesting aspect about Wood is that she was a very expressive person,
which had its good and bad qualities.
“Thanks to her gift for self expression, she can be the life of the
party, and the center of attention. When
used constructively, Natalie's talent for self expression can be a great
inspiration force in the world, uplifting others, and bringing much success and
happiness to her. However, Natalie Wood
could easily squander her talent by becoming a social butterfly.” (Jenkins
1) This really hits the nail head on for
many reasons, it portrays how very talented she was as mentioned earlier, but
it also mentions the cons of Wood being such a kind, and social person. “Wood could be an inspiration to others by
showcasing her talents, or she could be a social butterfly.” (2)
“Natalie Wood was one of the
brightest Hollywood stars in the '70s, and July 20 marks what would've been her
80th birthday” (Sisavat 1). There is mass amounts of
conspiracy surrounding the case of the former Hollywood star, Natalie Wood’s,
death. When the topic is introduced into
a discussion, there are three questions that typically must be addressed. Is Robert Wagner responsible for his wife’s
death? Was the drowning of Natalie Wood really an accident? Lastly, why would it make sense that Wood
ventured so close to the water if she had been so extremely afraid of water her
entire life? Throughout the essay, we
will explore the most probable theory that Wagner is most likely responsible
for the death of his former spouse, Natalie Wood, and has covered it up pretty
perfectly; leaving little evidence of fowl play and fundamentally, getting away
with murder. The case was closed due to
the lack of evidence at the time, but “in 2011 the case reopened with enough
evidence to deem Wood’s death as ‘suspicious.’” (Jenkins 1)
Natalie Wood’s last day alive went
like this. On 28 November 1981 (Sisavat
1), Wood and her husband Robert Wagner decided to make a weekend endeavour of
sailing around Catalina Island on their 60-foot yacht named Splendour (1). When Wood was reported missing by her
husband, Wagner, “Authorities
found Natalie's body one mile south of the Splendour yacht, off an isolated
cove called Blue Cavern Point. She was wearing a flannel nightgown, wool socks,
and a down-filled jacket. After an autopsy was conducted, authorities revealed
that Natalie's arms had been covered in bruises, a scratch was found on her
neck, and she had abrasions on her face. They also believed that all of those
injuries had occurred prior to her drowning. Robert told the police that
Natalie had gone to bed before him and he didn't notice she was missing until
he went to their bedroom sometime after midnight and noticed she wasn't there.
Because they found alcohol and two types of medication in her system,
authorities ruled her cause of death as an ‘accidental drowning’” (2). However, since the case has been reopened,
more evidence has surfaced to suggest that foul play was indeed the most
probable solution in truly understanding what happened that night.
Was the drowning of Natalie Wood
really an accident? Most evidence points
the this being a false claim and there is plenty of it. There was a report of the couple having a
heated argument the night Wood died and also days prior. It is believed that the argument had
something to do with Wood’s current co star at the time, Christopher Walken. Robert believed that Natalie was swaying away
from him and was jealous of the fact that Wood and Walken had become such close
friends and thought she would end up cheating on him. “Wood, Wagner and
Walken were all aboard Wagner's yacht Splendour
on the night of November 28, 1981, and the two new witnesses reportedly
corroborated Captain Dennis Davern's account from that evening, which differs
from Wagner's. In Davern's account, which he gave when the case was reopened
after authorities received ‘additional information’ about Wood's alleged
drowning back in 2011, he remembered feeling growing tensions between Wagner
and Wood, who were married at the time. When Davern opened a bottle of wine,
Wagner smashed it in front of Wood and Walken.
‘And he yells at
Walken, 'What are you trying to do, [expletive] my wife?'," and this makes this exact story credibly
verified three times by different people that were there or had been around
when the incident occured. This evidence
alone points to the most likely cause of Wood’s death being fowl play. Not to mention the fact that neither Robert
Wagner nor Christopher Walken have agreed to be interviewed about this fateful
night since it happened, even ‘till this day.
Was Wood
murdered? What is believed is that like
previously stated, the couple had gotten into an argument possibly moments
before her death. This evidence alone
points towards the answer being yes.
There is also a small conspiracy about the fact that almost no possible
witnesses of that night have agreed to
talk about what happened. Another,
smaller subtheory is that Robert Wagner discovered that Wood was having an
affair with her co star Christopher Walken and that Wagner blackmailed Walken
into helping him kill her and hide the body.
I believe that this also answers my last conspiracy question; did Robert
Wagner have something to do with her death? The answer is most certainly
yes.
The results of the
survey were as followed, the question I asked my selected people is, “Did
Natalie Wood die accidentally, or was there foul play involved? I asked about
thirty six people and of that thirty six, twenty seven people believed that her
husband had something to do with her murder.
However, the remaining people argued that Wood was extremely intoxicated
and that she had no true sense of what she was really doing which caused her
accidental drowning when she supposedly went to fix a liferaft that was
consistently hitting the side of their boat.
“Drowning is one of the top causes
of accidental death worldwide”, and Natalie Wood was no exception to that bleak
and cold truth (“drowning Facts and Figures”).
On November 28th, 1981 (Sisavat 1), Wood mysteriously went missing when
sailing with the company of her husband only to find her lifeless, bruised body
in the water. Since that night, many conspiracies have surrounded her death:
● Why did Wood venture so close to the
water when she was so afraid of it?
● Was Wood’s drowning really an
accident, or something more sinister?
● Did her husband, Robert Wagner, have
anything to do with her death?
After closely examining each
conspiracy, all of the known evidence hints toward foul play with Robert Wagner
being their number one suspect, even today.
Works Cited
“Drowning Facts and Figures.” International Life Saving Federation, ilsf.org/content/drowning-facts-and-figures.
Jenkins, Aric. “Natalie Wood Death Ruled Suspicious: What Happened to Her?” Time, Time, 2 Feb. 2018, time.com/5131096/natalie-wood-robert-wagner/.
“Natalie Wood.” Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 1 Feb. 2018, www.biography.com/people/natalie-wood-9536320.
"Natalie Wood." Encyclopedia of World Biography, vol. 30, Gale, 2010. Research in Context, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/K1631009502/MSIC?u=j084901&sid=MSIC&xid=0bd8423f. Accessed 16 Oct. 2018.
Salam, Maya. “New Doubts in Natalie Wood's Death: 'I Don't Think She Got in the Water by Herself'.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 3 Feb. 2018, www.nytimes.com/2018/02/03/arts/natalie-wood-drowning-robert-wagner.html.
Sisavat, Monica. “The Mysterious Details Surrounding Natalie Wood's Death Will Make You Angry 36 Years Later.” POPSUGAR Celebrity, 20 July 2018, www.popsugar.com/celebrity/How-Did-Natalie-Wood-Die-43962161.
Tommer, Shlomo. “Natalie Wood.” Celebrities Galore - The Spiritual Encyclopaedia Of The Famous, www.celebrities-galore.com/celebrities/natalie-wood/home/.
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