Natalie Wood — actress with roots in the Russian Empire
Natalie Wood (born Natalia Nikolaevna Zakharenko) was an American actress who began as a child star and became one of Hollywood's most celebrated leading ladies. Miracle on 34th Street, Rebel Without a Cause, West Side Story, and Splendor in the Grass define a career of extraordinary range and beauty.
Tracing the roots — Kharkiv / Barnaul
Born in San Francisco in 1938 to Nikolai Stepanovich Zakharenko, a Russian immigrant from Barnaul, Siberia, and Maria Stepanovna Zudilova from Khabarovsk, Wood grew up in a Russian-speaking household. Her father changed the family name to Gurdin. She spoke Russian fluently and her parents maintained strong ties to Russian culture throughout her life.
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Kharkiv / Barnaul. At the time, this region lay within the Russian Empire, which spanned from Poland to the Pacific.