West Side Story - Cast

Richard Beymer(1938-)

Richard Beymer was born in Iowa in 1938, but his family moved to Hollywood in the late 1940s. He began his acting career at the age of 11 when he got a part on a TV series. His first film was "Fourteen Hours" in 1951, but he did not receive billing for his part.

Beymer's career took off after his first major role in a successful film - "The Diary of Anne Frank" in 1959. Beymer has had a long movie and TV career, beginning in 1949 and continuing until the present time. In the 1990s, he appeared on the successful TV series, "Twin Peaks."

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Natalie Wood(1938-1981)

Natalie Wood was born Natalia Nikolaevna Zakharenko in 1938 in San Francisco. Her mother renamed her Natasha Gurdin while she was still very young.

Wood began her career at the age of 4 with a bit part in the film, "Happy Land." Her family moved to Los Angeles, with the hope that Natalie's career would progress, but no new roles came her way until 1946 when she appeared in "Tomorrow is Forever."

Wood's career took off in 1947 when she got good reviews for her performance in "Miracle on 34th Street." She continued to act in films throughout her childhood and into her teens, with 14 films by 1950.

Wood was nominated three times for the Academy Award: the first in 1955 for Best Supporting Actress in "Rebel Without a Cause," followed by Best Actress nominations in 1961 for "Splendor in the Grass" and in 1963 for "Love with the Proper Stranger."

In 1969, after completing "Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice," Wood retired for 10 years to be with her family. In 1981, she was filming "Brainstorm" when she tragically drowned. In her long career before her untimely death, Wood had completed 56 films for movie theaters and television.

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George Chakiris(1934-)

George Chakiris was born in Ohio in 1934 to Greek immigrant parents. As a child, he studied at the American School of Dance and made his professional debut at the age of 12 as a member of the chorus in a production of "Song of Love." After high school, Chakiris worked on his acting, singing, and dancing career at night while he worked at odd jobs during the day to make a living. In the early to mid-1950s, Chakiris got small parts as a dancer in movie musicals but he was not listed in the credits for the films. The movie musicals included "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" (1953), "White Christmas" (1954), "There's No Business Like Show Business" (1954), and "Brigadoon" (1954).

Although Chakiris was a good dramatic actor, he did not get the chance to display that talent until his first dramatic role in "Under Fire" in 1957.

In 1958, Chakiris went to New York and he auditioned for the London production of "West Side Story." He landed the role of Riff and played the part in London for almost two years. Three years later, he won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of Bernado in the movie version.

After "West Side Story," Chakiris was not able to repeat his success in films and after a series of bad movie roles, he switched to performing in nightclubs in Las Vegas and Lake Tahoe. In the 1970s and 1980s, Chakiris occasionally appeared on television shows and from 1985 to 1986 he had a recurring role in the popular evening soap opera, "Dallas."

Chakiris retired from show business in the mid-1990s and today he makes silver jewelry.

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Rita Moreno(1931-)

Rita Moreno was born Rosita Dolores Alverio in Puerto Rico in 1931. She moved with her mother to New York City when she was only six. By the age of 11, she was working professionally, dubbing American films into Spanish.

Moreno made her Broadway debut in "Skydrift" in 1945, but did not appear on Broadway again until 1964. She has appeared in eight Broadway plays, primarily in comedies. In 1975, she won a Tony award for Best Featured Actress for her performance in "The Ritz."

Moreno has had a successful career in movies and television, working consistently in the two mediums from 1950 to 2008. She won an Academy Award as Best Supporting Actress for her performance as Anita in "West Side Story." She has also won a Grammy award (1972, "The Electric Company" album) and two Emmy awards for her performances in "The Muppet Show" and "The Rockford Files."

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Russ Tamblyn(1934-)

Russ Tamblyn was born in Los Angeles in 1934 to an actor father. Like Natalie Wood, Tamblyn became a successful child actor after his first film, "The Boy with Green Hair," in 1948. This film was followed by "Samson and Delilah" in 1949 and "Father of the Bride" in 1950.

In addition to being a talented child actor, Tamblyn was an accomplished gymnast. This skill landed him the role as the youngest brother in "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers" in 1954. This film was followed by several others but no musicals until 1961's "West Side Story." Tamblyn garnered an Academy Award nomination for his acting ability in the 1957 film, "Peyton Place."

After "West Side Story," Tamblyn continued acting and he appeared in local and road companies of popular musicals, such as "Cabaret," "The Music Man" and "Bye Bye Birdie." In the early 1980s, Tamblyn worked as an actor, writer and choreographer on the film, "Human Highway."

Tamblyn also worked in movies and TV from 1948 until 2004. He had a recurring role in the evening soap opera, "Twin Peaks," from 1990 to 1991. In the last ten years, Tamblyn has devoted much of his time to managing his daughter Amber's acting career. He still performs occasionally at charity and benefit shows.

Official Website: www.russtamblyn.com

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