Natalie Wood’s 2 Children: All About the Actress’ Daughters Natasha and Courtney — and What They’ve Said About Her Untimely Death

Legendary Hollywood actress Natalie Wood was “larger than life,” not just on-screen but also as a mom, according to her children.

The Rebel Without a Cause star became a mother for the first time when she welcomed daughter Natasha Gregson in 1970 with her second husband, film producer Richard Gregson. Wood later gave birth to her daughter Courtney Wagner in 1974 after she reunited with her first husband, fellow actor Robert Wagner. Wood was also a stepmom to Katie Wagner, Wagner’s daughter from his previous marriage to Marion Marshall.

“She was really funny and she was fierce and she was happy,” Natasha told PEOPLE in 2016. “That’s how I remember her.”

Since she was a child, Natasha has considered Wagner a second father — whom she still calls “Daddy Wagner” today — and loved the fun they’d have together as a family.

But in November 1981, she had a bad feeling the day her mom and stepdad left for a boat trip off California’s Catalina Island.

Wood tragically died during that trip following a mysterious accident — she disappeared from the yacht overnight and drowned. She was 43 years old.

Looking back, Courtney shared how her family carried one another through the difficult situation. “My Dad and sisters experienced a true tragedy together, and were each traumatized, but we had each other to make living bearable, and found ways to move on,” she told PEOPLE in 2020.

Now, Natasha and Courtney have devoted their lives to keeping their mom’s memory alive by writing books, making documentaries, creating a fragrance line and sharing details about who Wood was as a person — not just a celebrity.

Here’s everything to know about Natalie Wood’s children: Natasha and Courtney.

Wood welcomed Natasha and Courtney four years apart

Wood married Gregson in 1969 and became a mother for the first time a year later when they welcomed their daughter, Natasha Gregson, in 1970.

After parting ways with Gregson, Wood reconnected with Wagner (to whom she had been married from 1957 to 1962.) They remarried in 1972. Wood and Wagner later welcomed their daughter Courtney in 1974.

By this point, Wagner was also a father to his daughter Katie, who was born to him and his ex-wife Marshall in 1964, according to the Los Angeles Times. She was later raised alongside Natasha and Courtney.

When Wagner legally adopted Natasha, she nicknamed him Daddy Wagner and saw him as another paternal figure next to her biological father, “Daddy Gregson.” She also took Wagner’s last name. becoming Natasha Gregson Wagner.

Natasha and Courtney say their childhood was filled with “love and happiness

Wood brought the same sense of wonder she shared on-screen into her home.

Natasha and Courtney revealed that their mom was kind and filled their childhood with “a sense of adventure and mischief.” That meant Russian fairy tales at bedtime and over-the-top celebrations for special occasions.

“My parents celebrated all the holidays to the maximum: Easter, Christmas, Halloween and birthdays were all a big deal,” Natasha recalled to PEOPLE.

Reflecting on their upbringing, Courtney shared that happy memories blurred together.

“From as far back as I can remember my family was so happy and engaged with each other,” she recounted in the 2020 HBO documentary Natalie Wood: What Remains Behind. “I can remember feeling the love and happiness in the air.

They were “shattered” by Wood’s sudden death

When Wood died at age 43 on Nov. 29, 1981, Natasha was 11 and Courtney was 7 — and it changed everything for their family.

“The day my mom died, my entire world was shattered,” Natasha said in Natalie Wood: What Remains Behind, which she helped produce.

Wagner was the one to confirm the news to his daughters. “It was just the unthinkable,” Natasha told PEOPLE in 2016. “I just remember it was the worst thing ever. My whole world just went to black and white and I couldn’t hear anything.”

In her 2020 memoir More Than Love: An Intimate Portrait of My Mother, Natalie Wood, she noted that she was always “gripped by fear” of something happening to Wood.

“My mom was so huge in her love and her heart and her laughter and in her life, and then overnight, it just left, and I became a shadow of myself,” she elaborated to PEOPLE.

In the aftermath, Katie recalled supporting Natasha and Courtney alongside their father. “Our bond is stronger than any kind of glue,” Katie said in the 2020 HBO documentary Natalie Wood: What Remains Behind. “I stood by my dad’s side and we loved them as best we could.”

Natasha, Courtney and Katie were raised by Wagner after Wood died

At the time of Wood’s death, she and Wagner were raising Natasha, Courtney and Katie together in their home. After the actress’ untimely passing, Wagner took on the primary responsibility of parenting the three girls. (He and Gregson agreed to keep Natasha in Wagner’s custody so she could stay with her sisters.)

“I grew up always thinking I had two dads,” Natasha told PEOPLE in 2016. “I’m certain because my mom died, my relationship with my stepdad is way deeper than it would have been had she lived, because he had to be my mom and dad.”

The two father figures in her life worked together to make sure she and her siblings had everything they needed.

“I think my Dad and Daddy Gregson, they were trying to pick up the pieces for us and stumble forward and find out what our life looked like after that,” she said. “I was so lucky I had two dads who were deeply committed to raising me and helping me through.”

Wagner added that his bond with his stepdaughter is “very, very intense.” In the same interview, he told PEOPLE, “We’ve hung on to each other throughout the years and she means the world and all to me.”

Much speculation surrounded Wood’s death due to the mysterious circumstances, and as likely the last person to see her alive, Wagner has been accused of being involved, which Natasha previously rejected. (After the actor was named a person of interest in the unsolved case in 2018, he was cleared four years later, per Page Six.)

Natasha has worked as an actress like her late mom

Wood left behind a legacy in film, and Natasha followed her mother’s footsteps into the industry. She left college to focus on acting and landed several roles.

Natasha appeared in several projects in the late ‘90s and early 2000s, including Lost Highway, Another Day in Paradise and High Fidelity. In all, she starred in over 60 films and TV shows, including ER, CSI, The 4400 and Medium.

Speaking to VoyageLA in August 2024, Natasha revealed that she took a step back from acting when she and her now-husband, fellow actor Barry Watson, started their family.

“Acting can break your heart like no relationship. After my daughter, Clover was born in 2012, I hung up my acting shoes to be a full time mom,” she told the outlet. “I still miss the feeling of acting but I don’t miss the grind.”

While Natasha is more focused on other projects these days, she has considered returning to acting in the future. Most recently, in 2017, she appeared in the comedy series Date My Dad alongside Watson, who was the show’s lead.

Natasha is a wife and mother

Ahead of the premiere of the HBO documentary Natalie Wood: What Remains Behind in 2020, Courtney reflected on what it was like losing her mother at age 7 and how it impacted her family.

“Having gone through something like that together I always felt especially bonded to my dad and Katie and Natasha,” she told PEOPLE.

While navigating through different stages of grief, Courtney dealt with a drug addiction and eventually became sober. She shared that seeing her sisters become mothers and knowing that she “was breaking my father’s heart” motivated her to make changes

“And so, with many bumps in the road, and a lot of hard work, I pulled myself together,” Courtney said.

In response, Natasha applauded her sister for her effort. “Courtney is somebody who lives in the truth and her recovery demands that of her,” she added. “She is not ashamed of her struggles. She has gotten to a place where she has compassion for herself and forgiveness.”

They have honored their mother’s memory through different projects

Natasha has dedicated several works to her mom’s memory. She wrote the memoir More Than Love to share their stories and collaborated on the HBO documentary Natalie Wood: What Remains Behind.

“Since [she died], there’s been so much focus on how she died that it’s overshadowed who she was as a person,” she said in the documentary.

In an interview with PEOPLE, Natasha also revealed her mission with these projects. “Sharing my experience of grief and trauma and heartbreak and deep sadness, maybe connects us to others who have felt that way. In the shared retelling, there is healing,” she explained.

When the title was finished, Courtney applauded her work. “My sister did a beautiful job capturing what a fierce, professional, loving person my mom was,” she said. “I am so proud of Natasha and I know my mom is too.”

The siblings have also taken more unexpected opportunities to support their mom’s legacy, including creating fragrances. After starting with an eponymous perfume embodying a gardenia scent in 2016, they followed it up with another nostalgic aroma two years later.

“La Rose is a tribute to the beautiful garden roses that grew in our backyard during the summertime,” Natasha told PEOPLE. “She would pick up the rose blossoms and put them in beautiful ceramic or silver vases throughout our house, so that my sister and I were always surrounded by the scent.”

She added, “My goal is to keep her memory alive.”