The Best Natalie Wood Movies

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Updated August 11, 2023 4.2K votes 684 voters 35.7K views
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List of the best Natalie Wood movies, ranked best to worst with movie trailers when available. Natalie Wood's highest grossing movies have received a lot of accolades over the years, earning millions upon millions around the world. The order of these top Natalie Wood movies is decided by how many votes they receive, so only highly rated Natalie Wood movies will be at the top of the list. Natalie Wood has been in a lot of films, so people often debate each other over what the greatest Natalie Wood movie of all time is. If you and a friend are arguing about this then use this list of the most entertaining Natalie Wood films to end the squabble once and for all.

If you think the best Natalie Wood role isn't at the top, then upvote it so it has the chance to become number one. The greatest Natalie Wood performances didn't necessarily come from the best movies, but in most cases they go hand in hand.

List contains films like Scudda Hoo! Scudda Hay! and This Property Is Condemned.

"This list answers the questions, "What are the best Natalie Wood movies?" and "What are the greatest Natalie Wood roles of all time?"

Natalie Wood worked with many famous directors, including big names like John Ford and Blake Edwards. If you're a fan of Natalie Wood, then check out our lists of the best Rod Steiger and Lillian Gish movies as well.

Most divisive: The Burning Hills
Ranked by
  • Splendor in the Grass
    1

    Splendor in the Grass

    Natalie Wood, Warren Beatty, Pat Hingle
    161 votes
    • Released: 1961
    • Directed by: Elia Kazan
    Bud (Warren Beatty) and his high school sweetheart, Deanie (Natalie Wood), are weighed down by their parents' oppressive expectations, which threaten the future of their relationship. Deanie's mother (Audrey Christie) and Bud's father (Pat Hingle) caution their children against engaging in a sexual relationship, but for opposing reasons: Deanie's mother thinks Bud won't marry a girl with loose morals, while Bud's father is afraid of marriage and pregnancy that would ruin Bud's future at Yale.

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  • This Property Is Condemned
    2

    This Property Is Condemned

    Natalie Wood, Robert Redford, Charles Bronson
    154 votes
    • Released: 1966
    • Directed by: Sydney Pollack
    In this film adaptation of a Tennessee Williams play, Alva (Natalie Wood) is a radiant Southern belle who clashes with her oppressive mother, Hazel (Kate Reid). Hazel is trying to force Alva to take an affluent husband, but the young woman has eyes for Owen Legate (Robert Redford), a handsome city slicker visiting their tiny Mississippi town. Hazel disapproves of Owen and forces him to stop seeing her daughter. In an act of revenge, Alva takes up with her mother's beau, J.J. (Charles Bronson).

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  • Rebel Without a Cause
    3

    Rebel Without a Cause

    James Dean, Natalie Wood, Sal Mineo
    121 votes
    • Released: 1955
    • Directed by: Nicholas Ray
    After moving to a new town, troublemaking teen Jim Stark (James Dean) is supposed to have a clean slate, although being the new kid in town brings its own problems. While searching for some stability, Stark forms a bond with a disturbed classmate, Plato (Sal Mineo), and falls for local girl Judy (Natalie Wood). However, Judy is the girlfriend of neighborhood tough, Buzz (Corey Allen). When Buzz violently confronts Jim and challenges him to a drag race, the new kid's real troubles begin.

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  • Love with the Proper Stranger
    4

    Love with the Proper Stranger

    Natalie Wood, Steve McQueen, Edie Adams
    122 votes
    • Released: 1963
    • Directed by: Robert Mulligan
    Angie Rossini (Natalie Wood), an innocent New York City sales clerk from a repressive Italian-American family, engages in a short-lived affair with a handsome jazz musician named Rocky Papasano (Steve McQueen). When Angie becomes pregnant, she tracks down Rocky hoping he'll pay for her abortion. Rocky agrees to help, but after seeing the unsanitary abortion facility, he refuses to let Angie go through with the procedure and attempts to make her an honest woman.

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  • West Side Story
    5

    West Side Story

    Natalie Wood, Richard Beymer, Russ Tamblyn
    145 votes
    • Released: 1961
    • Directed by: Jerome Robbins, Robert Wise
    In the heart of New York City, a tale of love and rivalry unfolds in West Side Story. Tony (Richard Beymer) and Maria (Natalie Wood), two star-crossed lovers, find themselves caught between the warring Jets and Sharks, two teenage street gangs of different ethnic backgrounds. The movie, a musical drama, is an adaptation of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet set to Leonard Bernstein's score. Directed by Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins, it won ten Academy Awards including Best Picture. However, this urban romance is marred by tragedy as tensions escalate to fatal consequences.

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  • Gypsy
    6

    Gypsy

    Rosalind Russell, Natalie Wood, Karl Malden
    119 votes
    • Released: 1962
    • Directed by: Mervyn LeRoy
    Rose Hovick (Rosalind Russell) pushes her two young daughters into the entertainment industry, traveling and promoting them with minimal success. After years in the business, younger daughter June quits and elopes, leaving Rose searching for work for her other, less talented daughter, Louise (Natalie Wood). The only offer is at a burlesque house, but Louise takes to it and transforms herself into the popular Gypsy Rose Lee. As Louise gains notoriety, she grows tired of her mother's influence.

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