Actress Natalie Wood. Born Natasha Gurdin, on July 20, 1938, in San Francisco, California. The elder of two daughters of Russian immigrant parents, Wood got her start at the age of four, with a bit part in Happy Land (1943), crying over a dropped ice cream cone. With hopes of an acting career for their daughter, Wood s parents moved the family to Los Angeles. With the role of Susan Walker in the Christmas favorite Miracle on 34th Street (1947), the young Wood solidified her reputation as a talented child actress. After more than a dozen other starring and supporting roles, Wood made the transition from child star to young actress at age 17 with Rebel Without a Cause (1955) costarring James Dean, for which she received her first Academy Awar PUBLICATIONxNOTxINxUKxFRAxUSA Copyright: xPhotoshotx xAvalonx 0506857304