Natalie Wood was once a Hollywood icon—until she was found dead in the Pacific Ocean less than a mile from her husband's yacht. Was Wood's death a freak accident, or did someone know more than they were willing to let on?
Young Starlet
Natalie Wood was one of few actresses who managed to make the successful transition from child star to A-lister. She debuted on-screen at the age of eight in Miracle on 34th Street as the precocious Susan Walker; in the blink of an eye, Wood had blossomed into a stunning ingenue. Then, on November 29, 1981, her body was found floating in the Pacific Ocean.
Who Killed Natalie Wood?
By the time she turned 25, Wood had taken Hollywood by storm. She was sitting on three Academy Awards nominations and worked with cinema legends like John Ford and Elia Kazan. Wood even had a brief fling with Elvis Presley, but she was last seen aboard the yacht of her husband, actor Richard Wagner. Her death was classified as an accident—until it wasn't.
Electric Connection
Natalie Wood was only 43 years old when she boarded Splendour on Thanksgiving weekend in 1981. She was in the middle of filming Brainstorm, in which she played Christopher Walken's wife. Although it was later said by the film's assistant director David McGiffert that Wood and Walken weren't "lovey-dovey," the pair had undeniable chemistry. "... They just had a current about them, an electricity," said McGiffert.
Cruising the Pacific
Wood and Wagner invited Walken along on a short weekend trip to sail around Catalina Island, about twenty-two miles off the coast of Los Angeles. Wood and Wagner spent as much time as they could on Splendour. Wood once said that the yacht allowed them some much-desired privacy. "It's easy with the boat," she said.
That was 1979. Only two years later, Wood's body would be drifting in the water less than a mile away from the retreat that had once allowed her to escape the public eye.
A Premonition
Natalie's name was changed by studio executives shortly after she had been thrust into the limelight: Natalia Nikolaevna Zakharenko became Natalie Wood. Her mother, Maria, desperately wanted her daughter's career to take off. She knew Natalie was destined for great things—but she also was warned of her untimely demise.
Beware the Dark Water
When Maria herself was a young girl, she encountered a fortune teller who said her second child "would be a great beauty" and a famous celebrity. However, the fortune teller told Maria to "beware of dark water."
Wood rose to fame after securing a role in Miracle on 34th Street. At the age of 16, Wood's performance in Rebel Without a Cause earned her an Oscar nomination. While her life seemed picture-perfect from the outside, things were beginning to unravel behind the scenes.
Rebellious Streak
As a teenager, Wood began to explore a new side of herself. She had love affairs with the 44-year-old director of Rebel Without a Cause, Nicholas Ray, as well as her co-star Dennis Hooper. Wood even dated Elvis Presley until the age of 18, when she encountered Robert Wagner. The two were married by 1957, but their relationship had problems of its own.
On and Off
Wood and Wagner divorced five years after their marriage, but they rekindled their love and married once again in 1972. Wood gave birth to their daughter. She settled into family life and began to shy away from the spotlight. When Wood signed on for Brainstorm with Walken, it was the last film she would ever do.
"The argument started the day before," said Dennis Davern, who captained Splendour the night of Wood's death. "The tension was going through the whole weekend. Robert Wagner was jealous of Christopher Walker."
Tension Building
According to Davern, Wood and Walken spent hours drinking and talking at a bar on Catalina Island. By the time Wagner appeared, he was furious, under the impression that Walken and Wood had been acting flirtatious toward one another. The pressure began to mount during dinner at Doug's Harbor Reef Restaurant.
Their Final Night
During dinner, the group began to drink heavily, consuming two bottles of wine, champagne, and cocktails. Employees of the restaurant said that at one point, either Wood or Walken launched a glass against the wall. The manager watched as Wood, Wagner, Davern, and Walken drunkenly stumbled outside just after 10 p.m. Wood would be dead before sunrise.
It Didn't Add Up
What happened on the evening of November 28, 1981, has been reviewed again and again with no clear conclusion. According to the investigators' initial report, this is what happened: after returning to the yacht, Wood went to bed and Wagner left to join her, but he noticed that both Wood and the yacht's dinghy were missing. Around 8 a.m. the following morning, Wood's body was found. She was clad in a flannel nightgown, down jacket, and socks.
Wood was terrified of the water.
Listed as an "Accident"
Wood's autopsy noted that she had multiple bruises on her arms and an abrasion on her left cheek, but the coroner chalked it up to "superficial" injuries that were "probably sustained at the time of drowning." Still, pieces of the puzzle just didn't fit together.
What Happened?
Accounts of what happened on the night of Wood's death have varied considerably. In one version, Walken told investigators that he and Wagner got into a "small beef" about parents being separated from children for an extended period while shooting; Natalie was away from her daughter while filming Brainstorm. In another more recent telling, Davern confessed that once the four boarded Splendour that evening, they continued drinking into the night—leading to an explosive argument.
He Had a Temper
In the midst of an argument, Davern says that Wagner smashed a bottle of wine on the table the yelled at Walken, "Are you trying to f*** my wife?"
Wood went to bed. Walken followed soon afterward, which was the last Davern saw of him. Davern heard Wagner and Wood arguing on the deck of the boat. Then, he says that "everything went silent."
Vanished in the Night
After Davern heard Wagner and Wood stop fighting, he went outside to check on them—except Wood wasn't there. Wagner stood alone on the deck. "Natalie is missing, he said.
Wagner told Davern to go look for his wife. "The dinghy is missing, too," he added. That's when Davern began to grow suspicious.
Mysterious Circumstances
It was no secret to anyone that Wood was "deathly afraid of water." Davern knew the last thing she would have done was take the dinghy out on her own.
Wagner told Davern not to call for help and to keep the boat's floodlights off. He was worried that they might draw attention to Wood's disappearance. Meanwhile, key witness Marilyn Wayne was only eighty feet away from the yacht. She heard a woman screaming around 11 in the evening.
They Heard Her Screams
Wayne heard a woman shrieking for help: "Somebody please help me, I'm drowning!"
She and her boyfriend made a call to the harbormaster, but nobody answered. The cries went on until 11:30 p.m. The pair uneasily declared that it was probably a joke; there was a boat moored on the nearby island hosting a party. Meanwhile, Wagner refused to call anyone about Wood's disappearance until 1:30 in the morning.
Wood's sister Lana couldn't understand the circumstances surrounding her death.
How Did She Drown?
"She never would have left the boat like that, undressed, in just a nightgown," Lana said.
How had Natalie Wood, who was notoriously afraid of water, ended up dying from her worst fear? Investigators puzzled over the same question. Fortunately, Wood's case wasn't buried with the coroner report. In fact, it continued for decades—with new leads being discovered as recently as 2018.
Davern's Admission
In 2011, the case of Natalie Wood's death was reopened after Davern came forward with a startling admission: he had lied during the original investigation. Furthermore, he accused Wagner of being "responsible" for Wood's death.
Deafening Silence
The authorities attempted to contact Wagner, but he refused to speak to them. Christopher Walken, on the other hand, cooperated fully with investigators. Years passed, and Wood's certificate was amended from "accidental drowning" to "drowning and undetermined factors." Wagner had yet to be named a person of interest—until the year 2018.
Suspicions Emerge
L.A. County Sheriffs Department Lieutenant John Corina cited Wagner as a person of interest in 2018.
"As we’ve investigated the case over the last six years, I think he’s more of a person of interest now," he said. "I mean, we know now that he was the last person to be with Natalie before she disappeared."
Wagner declined any and all attempts investigators made to speak with him. What was he hiding?
What Did Walken See?
Wood's Brainstorm co-star was one of the only other people aboard Splendour on the night of her death, but Walken has remained tight-lipped when it comes to the subject. He proved to be a crucial witness for investigators. However, as the years wore on, it became evident that the subject was a sore one for Walken.
Her Final Film
When Brainstorm was released in 1983 Walken spoke to ET about the media coverage surrounding Wood's death. At first, he was civil. "They handled it in the only way they could," Walken said. "It was a shocking thing."
But three years later, he snapped.
Putting His Foot Down
In 1986, sick of the constant reminders, Walken drew a line during an interview with People magazine. "I don't know what happened," Walken said. "She slipped and fell in the water. I was in bed then. It was a terrible thing. Look, we're in a conversation I won’t have. It's a f***ing bore."
The magazine noted that Walken's eyes had become "icy" while relaying his response.
Wood's sister admitted that she wasn't sure about the real nature of Walken's relationship with Wood...
Something More Between Them
Lana's own 1984 book, titled Natalie, raised the possibility that everyone had been wondering about.
"I don’t know if Natalie's [love affair] with Chris was imaginary or real, though my strong suspicion is that it was all in her mind and that perhaps she was only wishing it to be so," Lana wrote, confirming Wood's affection for Walken.
Even if Walken wasn't a suspect in Wood's murder, Dennis Davern had his own convictions...
Accusations Fly
"You could hear things being thrown around the stateroom," Davern said on Dr. Phil. "I think the argument got out of control, she was knocked unconscious by a physical fight from Robert Wagner and put in the water."
Davern wasn't the only one to point fingers at Wagner; Lana Wood was also convinced that Wagner had something to do with her sister's murder.
Taking it Public
Lana criticized the original investigation. She was furious with Wagner for refusing to speak with authorities, believing that Wagner had "something to hide" regarding her sister's early demise.
"Are you suggesting that he knocked her out and threw her in the water?" asked Dr. Phil McGraw.
"Something like that, absolutely," she replied.
Jealous Husband
"We would love to talk to Robert Wagner," said Lieutenant Corina. "He's refused to talk to us… We can never force him to talk to us. He has rights and he can not talk to us if he doesn’t want to."
In 2009, Wagner wrote in his memoir that he was jealous of the way Walken interacted with his wife. They seemed to share a connection that he just couldn't understand, and he felt like a third wheel with his own spouse.
Her Daughter Weighs In
Since Wood's death in 1981, Natasha Gregson Warner is attempting to refocus the conversation surrounding her late mother. Warner approached Laurent Bouzereau, a filmmaker, and asked if he would create a documentary about Wood's death.
What Remains Behind
The documentary premiered at the 2020 Sundance Festival, titled Natalie Wood: What Remains Behind.
"In 2012, I became a mom, so it started to become very important to me that I take a little bit of a hold of the narrative and diffuse some of the noise and shine a light on all of the amazing qualities about my mom that not everybody knows," Warner said.
When Bouzereau started looking deeper into the story, he realized there was more than what met the eye.
Mourning Natalie
Wood's death has been a lasting source of controversy. It is believed that Wagner played a part in her death, but his refusal to cooperate with the police makes it impossible to confirm exactly what took place on the deck of Splendour in 1981. We may never know for sure, but Lieutenant Corina maintains his position.
"She got in the water somehow," he said, "and I don’t think she got in the water by herself."