Lana Wood (born Svetlana Lisa Gurdin; March 1, 1946) is an American actress and producer. She made her film debut in The Searchers as a child actress and later achieved notability for playing Sandy Webber on the TV series Peyton Place and Plenty O'Toole in the James Bond film Diamonds Are Forever. Her sister was Natalie Wood.
Early life Wood was born Svetlana Lisa GurdinBirth registration at californiabirthindex.org; accessed June 24, 2015. to Russian émigrés, Marusia Zoudilova (1908–1998), also known as Mary Tatuloff, Marie Tatuloff or Maria Gurdin, and Nicholas Zacharenko (1912–1980). They had each left Russia as child refugees with their parents following the Russian Civil War, and they grew up far from their homeland. Her father's family left Vladivostok after her grandfather, a chocolate-factory worker who joined the anti-Bolshevik civilian forces, was killed in a street fight in 1922;Finstad, 2001, p. 14. they settled in Vancouver, British Columbia, with their relatives, then moved to San Francisco. Lana's maternal grandfather owned soap and candle factories in Barnaul; he left Russia with his family in 1918 after his eldest son was killed by the Red Army, and settled in a Russian community in Harbin, China.Natalie Wood's Russian roots excerpts from Natalie Wood: A Life by Gavin Lambert, 2004. Maria married Armenian mechanic Alexander Tatuloff there in 1925,Tatuloff, Alexander (September 17, 1934). Declaration of Intention, no. 89199. U.S. District Court Naturalization Index, 1852-1989. and they had a daughter, Olga Viripaeff (1928–2015), before divorcing in 1936."Interlocutory Divorce Decrees Granted". The San Francisco Examiner. March 17, 1936.
When Nicholas and Maria married in February 1938, she brought her daughter Olga, then known as Ovsanna, to the household, sharing joint custody with her ex-husband in El Cerrito, California. The couple had two daughters together; the first was Natalie, known as "Natasha", the Russian diminutive. The family settled in Santa Monica, near Hollywood, and changed their surname to Gurdin. Svetlana, known as "Lana", was born there. RKO executives David Lewis and William Goetz changed the surname of her elder sister, making her Natalie Wood, after she started her acting career as a child. She was named after director Irving Pichel's friend Sam Wood.Lana Wood, Natalie: A Memoir by Her Sister, p. 8. When Lana made her film debut in The Searchers (1956), her mother was asked under what last name Lana should be credited. Maria agreed to use "Wood" for Lana, building on Natalie's recognized work.
Through her paternal cousin Kaisaliisa Zacharenko, Wood is distantly related by marriage to baseball player Tim Lincecum.
Career
In her early career, Wood usually performed in films in which Natalie appeared. Starting in the 1960s, her own career took off. After appearing on the short-lived drama series The Long, Hot Summer, she landed the role of Sandy Webber on the soap series Peyton Place. She played the role from 1966 to 1967. She turned down the Karen Black role in Easy Rider (1969), a decision she now cites as the worst mistake she has made in her career. She was cast as a Bond girl, Plenty O'Toole, in the James Bond film Diamonds Are Forever (1971). In 1970, Wood was approached by Hugh Hefner and she agreed to pose for Playboy. The Playboy pictures appeared in the April 1971 issue, along with Wood's poetry.
Wood has more than 20 other films and over 300 television series episodes to her credit, including The Fugitive, Bonanza, Mission: Impossible, Wild Wild West, Police Story, Starsky & Hutch, Nero Wolfe, Fantasy Island, and Capitol. After appearing in the horror film Satan's Mistress (1982), she retired from acting, concentrating on her career as a producer, but since 2008 she has returned to acting in a number of low-budget films. Wood is a character in the Steve Alten book Meg: Hell's Aquarium (2009).
She has written two autobiographies, Natalie: A Memoir by Her Sister (1984) and Little Sister: My Investigation Into the Mysterious Death of Natalie Wood (2021), in which she claimed veteran actor Kirk Douglas sexually assaulted her sister Natalie when she was just 16.
Personal life
Wood has been married six times: Jack Wrather Jr. – (1962–1963; annulled when she was 16 years old) Karl Brent – (1964–1965; divorced) Stephen Oliver – (1966–1966; annulled) Dr. Stanley William Vogel (1968–1968; divorced) Richard Smedley – (1972–1976; divorced) one child, Evan Taylor Smedley Maldonado (August 11, 1974 – July 18, 2017), by whom she has three grandchildren. Allan G. Balter (1979–1980; divorced)
Between marriages, Wood dated actors Dean Stockwell, Adam West, Eddie Fisher, Warren Beatty, Sean Connery, Alain Delon and Ryan O'Neal, as well as talent agent Guy McElwaine, producer Jerome Hellman and composer Leslie Bricusse. For most of the 1980s she was in a relationship with Alan Feinstein.Profile , sun-sentinel.com, July 20, 1985.Lana Wood, sister of Natalie Wood, is comforted by then boyfriend Alan Feinstein as she leaves Natalie Wood's funeral service, which was held at Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery on December 2, 1981. Daughter Evan Smedley holds her mother's hand.
Wood's sister Natalie was married to actor Robert Wagner until her drowning death on November 29, 1981. She has long been at odds with both Wagner and his third wife Jill St. John, her feud with the latter dating back to when both appeared in Diamonds Are Forever. Wood is totally estranged from her nieces, Natasha Gregson and Courtney Wagner, who failed to attend the funeral of their maternal grandmother Maria Gurdin in 1998, and responded with silence when their cousin Evan Maldonado died in 2017.Interviewer: Jim Moret (February 7, 2018). "Natalie Wood Death Investigation". Inside Edition. Season 30. Episode 108. ABC.
Filmography
Film Year Title Role Notes1947 Driftwood Infant Scene cut1954 There's No Business Like Show Business Little Laughing Girl Uncredited 1955 One Desire Little Girl Uncredited 1956 The Searchers Debbie Edwards 1958 Marjorie Morningstar Girl Uncredited1962 Five Finger Exercise Mary 1965 The Fool Killer Alice 1965 The Girls on the Beach Bonnie 1968 For Singles Only Helen Todd 1969 Scream Free! Karen aka Free Grass1970 Black Water Gold Eagan Ryan 1970 The Over-the-Hill Gang Rides Again Katie Flavin 1971 Diamonds Are Forever Plenty O'Toole 1972 Justin Morgan Had a Horse Kathleen 1972 A Place Called Today Carolyn Schneider 1974 Goodnight Jackie Jackie 1975 Who is the Black Dahlia? Boarder 1975 Sons of Sassoun Hasmig 1976 Nightmare in Badham County Smitty 1977 Little Ladies of the Night Maureen 1977 Speedtrap New Blossom 1977 Grayeagle Beth Colter 1977 Corey: For the People Janet Hanley 1978 A Question of Guilt Elizabeth Carson 1979 Captain America II: Death Too Soon Yolanda 1982 Satan's Mistress Lisa 2008 Divas of Novella Zeld 2009 The Book of Ruth: Journey of Faith Tani 2010 War of Heaven President Bailey 2010 Deadly Renovations Dr. Nitas 2010 Last Wish Helen 2013 The Executive Margo Steel 2014 Donors Norma 2015 Bestseller Marta 2016 Killing Poe Dean Wood 2016 Subconscious Reality Implicit 2017 Operation: Assassination Lana Wood 2018 Wild Faith Opal 2018 Invasion Lana Wood 2019 The Marshal Ms. Darling Original Title: Bill Tilghman and the Outlaws2020 Alone Maria Clemm 2021 The Sand Dollar Suicide Cordelia Cozzi 2021 Drunk and Roudy Edith Original Title: Best Years Gone2022 Bestseller 2 Marta 2022 Dog Boy Vera Summers TBA Race to Judgment Sofia Jacalone TBA Virtue Celia Lovell
Television Year Title Role Notes1957 Judgment at Nuremberg Judy Episode: "Winter Dreams"1958 Alcoa Theatre Pat Episode: "The Victim"1958 Judgment at Nuremberg Evie Gray Episode: "Point of No Return"1958 Have Gun – Will Travel Becky Coldwell Episode: "The Teacher"1958 The Real McCoys Marilyn Harwick Episode: "The New Neighbors"1964 Dr. Kildare Judy Gaer Episode: "Man Is a Rock"1964 Wendy and Me Millie Episode: "George Burns While Rome Fiddles"1964 The Fugitive The Doll Episode: "Detour on a Road Going Nowhere"1965–1966 The Long, Hot Summer Eula Harker 23 episodes1966–1968 Peyton Place Sandy Webber 80 episodes1967 The Wild Wild West Sheila O'Shaughnessy Episode: "The Night of the Firebrand"1967 Bonanza Dana Dawson Episode: "The Gentle Ones"1969 Felony Squad Sherry Martin Episode: "The Last Man in the World"1969 The Wild Wild West Averi Trent Episode: "The Night of the Plague"1971 Marcus Welby, M.D. Angie Episode: "Don't Kid a Kidder"1971 O'Hara, U.S. Treasury Fran Harper Episode: "O'Hara, U.S. Treasury"1971 Monty Nash Diana Episode: "Code Name: Diana"1972 Disneyland Kathleen 2 episodes1972 Night Gallery Maid Episode: "You Can't Get Help Like That Anymore"1972 Mission: Impossible Marcy Carpenter Episode: "The Deal"1973 Police Story June Lang Episode: "Countdown: Part 2"1974 QB VII Sue Scanlon Episode: "Part One & Two"1976 Starsky & Hutch Ella Episode: "Running" 1976 Baretta Sister Olive Episode: "Shoes"1977 Police Story Rene Episode: "Ice Time"1978 Police Story Gloria Episode: "No Margin for Error"1978 Fantasy Island Cecile Episode: "Fool for a Client/Double Your Pleasure"1978 The Next Step Beyond Peg Enright Episode: "Ghost of Cellblock Two"1979 David Cassidy: Man Undercover Pearl Episode: "Death Is a Close Friend, Too"1979 Starsky & Hutch Sidney 'Sid' Archer Episode: "Ninety Pounds of Trouble"1979,1981 Big Shamus, Little Shamus Unknown 2 episodes1981 Nero Wolfe Delia Brandt Episode: "Might as Well Be Dead"1983 Capitol Fran Burke Unknown episodes1984 The Fall Guy Lana Wood Episode: "Always Say Always"1985 The New Mike Hammer Virginia Warburton Episode: "Deadly Reunion"2009 Tales from Dark Fall Santi Episode: "The Last Laugh"
Awards and nominations Year Association Category Nominated work Result 1966 Photoplay Awards Most Promising New Star (Female) 2019 Burbank International Film Festival Best Faith Based Film Wild Faith Christian Media Association Film Contest Best Justice-Racism / Discrimination Wild Faith 2022 Bare Bones International Film and Music Festival Best Comedy Drunk and Roudy Best Romance Maverick Movie Awards Best Picture Drunk and Roudy
Footnotes
Bibliography
References
External links
Interview with Lana Wood at Classic Film & TV Cafe