Top 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsMost Popular Video GamesMost Popular Music VideosMost Popular Podcasts
    Release CalendarBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV NewsIndia TV Spotlight
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsBest Picture WinnersBest Picture WinnersSundance Film FestivalIndependent Spirit AwardsBlack History MonthSXSWSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • All
  • Titles
  • TV Episodes
  • Celebs
  • Companies
  • Keywords
  • Advanced Search
Watchlist
Sign In
Sign In
New Customer? Create account
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
  • Biography
  • Awards
  • Trivia
IMDbPro

Lana Wood(I)

  • Actress
  • Producer
  • Additional Crew
IMDbProStarmeter
See rank
Lana Wood
Trailer 1
Play trailer2:24
Wild Faith (2018)
9 Videos
72 Photos
Provocative and ever the temptress in her prime, the dark-maned, gorgeous Lana Wood was born Svetlana Gurdin on March 1, 1946, in Santa Monica, California, to Nick Gurdin (née Nikolai Zacharenko) and Maria Gurdin (known by countless aliases, usually Mary Zudilova), émigrés of Ukrainian and Russian descent. Both her parents' families fled their Russian homeland following the Communist takeover and the couple met and married in San Francisco. Lana's more famous acting sister was christened Natalia eight years earlier and the eldest girl in the family was an Armenian half-sister named Olga Tatuloff, their mother's child from a 1920s marriage.

Young Natalia (renamed Natalie Wood, out of respect to director Sam Wood) became a child star in the late 1940s, with such classics as Miracle on 34th Street (1947), and younger sis Lana would inevitably be drawn into films as a result of Natalie's overwhelming success. She made her "debut" as a baby in Natalie's "B" film Driftwood (1947) only to have her cute bit cut from the picture. Her first screen credit actually came with the John Ford classic The Searchers (1956) as a younger version of Natalie's character, and she was off and running.

In an effort to break away from her sister's looming shadow and find her own place in Hollywood, Lana set out to secure TV roles and did quite well on such popular programs as Playhouse 90 (1956), Have Gun - Will Travel (1957), Dr. Kildare (1961) and The Fugitive (1963), while continuing her minor appearances in such films as Marjorie Morningstar (1958) (again with Natalie), Five Finger Exercise (1962) and the The Girls on the Beach (1965).

In 1965 she earned a contract at Twentieth Century-Fox and was cast in her first television series, The Long, Hot Summer (1965), playing the Southern belle role Lee Remick had played in the 1958 film (The Long, Hot Summer (1958)). Better yet was her 1966 breakthrough role as hash-slinging waitress "Sandy Webber" on the original prime-time soap opera smash Peyton Place (1964), which she played for two seasons. Unlike the glamorous and refined Natalie, Lana developed an earthier "bad girl" persona. Her character femmes bore typical hard-luck stories--tarnished girls from the wrong side of the tracks who were often more trouble than they were worth. Off-screen, she married Peyton Place (1964) co-star Steve Oliver, who played her abusive husband and jailbird "Lee Webber." The marriage lasted approximately one month.

After Peyton Place (1964), Lana continued to exude sex appeal in such films as For Singles Only (1968) and Scream Free! (1969), a drug tale that reunited Natalie's West Side Story (1961) co-stars Richard Beymer and Russ Tamblyn. She kept her name alive on TV as well, making the guest rounds on The Wild Wild West (1965), Bonanza (1959), The Felony Squad (1966) and Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In (1967).

In April 1971, Lana posed for Playboy in an attempt to gain added exposure. It worked. A major career boost presented itself in the form of producer Albert R. Broccoli (nicknamed "Cubby"), who caught the spread and offered her the role of Bondian femme fatale "Plenty O'Toole" in Diamonds Are Forever (1971) opposite Sean Connery. Following all this sexy publicity, Lana somehow nabbed an unexpected role in the Disney romp Justin Morgan Had a Horse (1972).

Although she stayed fairly active throughout the next decade or so with such TV movies as Black Water Gold (1970), QB VII (1974) and Nightmare in Badham County (1976), and the films Grayeagle (1977) and Demon Rage (1982), her star began to diminish.

Marriages during the 1970s included a union with actor/co-star Richard Smedley, whom she met on the set of A Place Called Today (1972). They produced her only child, daughter Evan, in 1974. She later married producer Allan Balter after meeting him during the filming of Captain America (1979). Six marriages would come and go before 1980.

In the mid-'80s she appeared for a time on the daytime soap opera Capitol (1982) but made a decision to move away from the acting arena after this period. Following the tragic drowning death of sister Natalie in 1981, Lana penned the controversial tell-all book "Natalie, A Memoir by Her Sister". What was meant as a candid, caring and cathartic expose on Lana's part was denounced by both critics and family alike as self-serving and hurtful. Later years included behind-the-camera work as a producer, which included co-producing the ABC-TV special The Mystery of Natalie Wood (2004). She also had her own casting company at one point.

After an extended absence, Lana was seen again on the screen into the millennium. Independent features include Deadly Renovations (2010), Donors (2014), Bestseller (2015), Killing Poe (2016), Subconscious Reality (2016), Wild Faith (2018) and The Marshal (2019). A devoted animal lover, the still-stunning grandmother-of-three occasionally appears at celebrity conventions and continues to work in films.
BornMarch 1, 1946
  • More at IMDbPro
    • Contact info
    • Agent info
    • Resume
BornMarch 1, 1946
IMDbProStarmeter
See rank
  • View contact info at IMDbPro
  • Awards

Photos72

Arte Johnson and Lana Wood in Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In (1967)
Lana Wood in The Searchers (1956)
Lana Wood in A Question of Guilt (1978)
Lana Wood in A Question of Guilt (1978)
Lana Wood in Scream Free! (1969)
Richard Beymer and Lana Wood in Scream Free! (1969)
Lana Wood in Scream Free! (1969)
Lana Wood
Lana Wood
Natalie Wood and Lana Wood in Natalie Wood: What Remains Behind (2020)
Natalie Wood, Lana Wood, Nick Gurdin, and Maria Gurdin in Natalie Wood: What Remains Behind (2020)
Peter Mark Richman and Lana Wood in For Singles Only (1968)

Known for

Sean Connery, Jill St. John, and Lana Wood in Diamonds Are Forever (1971)
Diamonds Are Forever
6.5
  • Plenty O'Toole
  • 1971
John Wayne, Natalie Wood, Ward Bond, Jeffrey Hunter, and Vera Miles in The Searchers (1956)
The Searchers
7.9
  • Younger Debbie Edwards
  • 1956
Jim Greulich, Anthony Hornus, Victoria Jackson, Terence Knox, Greg Mason, DJ Perry, Dean Teaster, Lana Wood, Dennis Therrian, Zoie Dye, Tessa Dye, Ian Griffin, Randy Spence, Shane Hagedorn, Nathaniel Nose, Robert Bradley, Melissa Anschutz, Erika Hoveland, Travis Hayward, and Karl Manke in Best Years Gone (2021)
Best Years Gone
4.5
  • Edith
  • 2021
Shane Hagedorn and Lauren LaStrada in Wild Faith (2018)
Wild Faith
4.7
  • Opal
  • 2018

Credits

Edit
IMDbPro

Actress

  • Dog Boy (2022)
    Dog Boy
  • The Bond Girl Affair (2022)
    The Bond Girl Affair
  • Bestseller (2022)
    Bestseller
  • Jim Greulich, Anthony Hornus, Victoria Jackson, Terence Knox, Greg Mason, DJ Perry, Dean Teaster, Lana Wood, Dennis Therrian, Zoie Dye, Tessa Dye, Ian Griffin, Randy Spence, Shane Hagedorn, Nathaniel Nose, Robert Bradley, Melissa Anschutz, Erika Hoveland, Travis Hayward, and Karl Manke in Best Years Gone (2021)
    Best Years Gone
  • The Marshal (2019)
    The Marshal
  • Shane Hagedorn and Lauren LaStrada in Wild Faith (2018)
    Wild Faith
  • Subconscious Reality (2016)
    Subconscious Reality
  • Killing Poe (2016)
    Killing Poe
  • Bestseller (2015)
    Bestseller
  • Donors (2014)
    Donors
  • The Executive (2013)
    The Executive
  • Last Wish (2010)
    Last Wish
  • David Borowicz, Johnny Dark, Anthony Hornus, Terence Knox, DJ Perry, Dean Teaster, Lana Wood, Fred Griffith, Michael Rivers, Dean Mauro, Charlene May, Noel Allison, Shawn Rougeron, Nathalie Ben-Kely, and Laura Bendele in Deadly Renovations (2010)
    Deadly Renovations
  • War of Heaven (2010)
    War of Heaven
  • Gretchen Becker, Carman, Dan Haggerty, Rebecca Holden, Eleese Lester, DJ Perry, Robert Shepherd, Lana Wood, Fred Griffith, Kera O'Bryon, Ray Nikolaison, Russ Stine, Salvatore DiSalvatore, Nicholas X. Parsons, Sherry Morris, Kent Butler, Terry Bomar, Christopher Flores, and Bergen C. Hembree in The Book of Ruth: Journey of Faith (2009)
    The Book of Ruth: Journey of Faith

Producer

  • Natalie Wood, Alice Krige, Margaret O'Brien, Helen O'Connor, Nathalie Roy, Justine Waddell, Keira Wingate, Lana Wood, Leanne Mauro, Nadia Scappa, Emily Cascarino, Slava Orel, Chelsea Smith, Michael Atherton, Rebecca Davis, Sophie Mentis, and Sun Park in The Mystery of Natalie Wood (2004)
    The Mystery of Natalie Wood
  • Murder Me, Murder You (1983)
    Murder Me, Murder You

Additional Crew

  • Born to Be Sold (1981)
    Born to Be Sold
  • In-development projects at IMDbPro

Videos9

Captain America II: Death Too Soon
Clip 2:39
Captain America II: Death Too Soon
Trailer
Trailer 2:25
Trailer
Official Trailer
Trailer 3:39
Official Trailer
Wild Faith
Trailer 2:24
Wild Faith
Deadly Renovations
Trailer 1:25
Deadly Renovations
The Book of Ruth: Journey of Faith
Trailer 1:27
The Book of Ruth: Journey of Faith
Subconscious Reality
Trailer 2:16
Subconscious Reality
Divas of Novella
Trailer 0:44
Divas of Novella
Wild Faith (Official Teaser)
Trailer 1:16
Wild Faith (Official Teaser)

Personal details

Edit
    • March 1, 1946
    • Santa Monica, California, USA
    • Allan BalterOctober 20, 1979 - December 16, 1980 (divorced)
    • Evan Maldonado
    • Maria Gurdin
    • Natalie Wood(Sibling)
  • Other works
    Book (about Natalie Wood): "Natalia: A Memoir By Her Sister,".
  • Publicity listings
    • 1 Print Biography
    • 1 Portrayal
    • 1 Interview
    • 1 Article
    • 9 Pictorials
    • 13 Magazine Cover Photos

Did you know

Edit
  • Trivia
    When Diamonds Are Forever (1971) aired on ABC the network had the scene where Lana, as Plenty O'Toole, walked around wearing nothing but a flimsy pair of see-through pink panties artificially altered to make it appear as though she were wearing a black bra with black panties.
  • Quotes
    [on being thrown half naked into the pool in Diamonds Are Forever (1971)] I was told that I was going to be thrown in basically naked, but they told me not to worry because they were going to be doing it in the middle of the night. And it's Las Vegas! Half the world's up in the middle of the night! There were all these people trying to get a look at me from their windows!
    • Capitol
      (1982)
      $2,500 /week

Related news

Contribute to this page

Suggest an edit or add missing content
  • Learn more about contributing
Edit page

More to explore

Recently viewed

Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
Get the IMDb App
  • Get the IMDb App
  • Help
  • Site Index
  • IMDbPro
  • Box Office Mojo
  • IMDb Developer
  • Press Room
  • Advertising
  • Jobs
  • Conditions of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Your Ads Privacy Choices
IMDb, an Amazon company

© 1990-2023 by IMDb.com, Inc.