Natalie Wood - Tapa dura

Gavin Lambert's life-long friendship with Wood began when she wanted to star in the movie adaptation of his novel Inside Daisy Clover. Now he tells her story, from her Russian parentage and the urgings of her driven 'stage mother', through her awkward adolescence, to her flowering as a glamorous movie star. He documents her marriages, divorces and love affairs; her suicide attempt at 26; the birth of her children, her friendships, her struggles as an actress and her tragic death by drowning.

Gavin Lambert is the author of four biographies - On Cukor, Norma Shearer, Nazimova and Mainly About Lindsay Anderson - and seven novels. His screenplays include The Roman Spring of Mrs Stone, and the Oscar-nominated Sons and Lovers. He lives in Los Angeles.