From Hollywood royalty to homeless – to indie movie star at 76: Natalie Wood’s Bond Girl sister Lana – who played Plenty O’Toole in Diamonds Are Forever – reveals new film role changed her life after fans raised $40K to save her from living in a motel
- Lana, now 76, was propelled into stardom after starring as James Bond’s girlfriend in the action-packed 1971 flick alongside Sean Connery
- However, the movie star came upon hard times in 2017, and was forced to live in a motel with her cancer-stricken daughter, her son-in-law, and her three grandkids after the family was evicted from their home
- At the time, she credited high medical bills and little work as the reason she was unable to afford a place to live; her daughter died that same year of heart failure at age 42
- Now, the actress has turned her life around – thanks to her fans, who helped raise her $40,000 through a GoFundMe page set up by a family friend
- Lana is currently gearing up to return to the big screen in an upcoming Indie movie called Dog Boy, which premieres tomorrow, and she couldn’t be more ‘grateful’ for the role
- While the 76-year-old admitted that it was ‘frightening’ and ‘a little overwhelming’ for her to walk back onto a movie set, she said it ‘felt like coming home’ in the end
Natalie Wood’s Bond Girl sister Lana Wood – who is best known for playing Plenty O’Toole in the flick Diamonds Are Forever – has landed a new film role, after revealing she had become homeless five years ago.
Lana, now 76, was propelled into stardom after starring as James Bond’s girlfriend in the action-packed 1971 movie alongside Sean Connery.
However, the movie star went from Hollywood royalty to impoverished vagrant, after coming upon hard times in 2017 – revealing at the time that she had been forced to live in a motel with her cancer-stricken daughter, Evan Taylor Maldonado, her son-in-law, and her three grandkids after the family was evicted from their California home.
At the time, she credited high medical bills and little work as the reason she was unable to afford a place to live; her daughter died that same year of heart failure at age 42.
Natalie Wood’s Bond Girl sister Lana Wood (seen recently) – who is best known for playing Plenty O’Toole in the flick Diamonds Are Forever – has landed a new film role, after revealing she had become homeless five years ago
Lana, now 76, was propelled into stardom after starring as James Bond’s girlfriend in the action-packed 1971 movie alongside Sean Connery. They are pictured together in the movie
However, the movie star revealed in 2017 that she had been forced to live in a motel with her cancer-stricken daughter, Evan Taylor Maldonado, her son-in-law, and her three grandkids after the family was evicted from their home. She is seen in 2017
At the time, she credited high medical bills and little work as the reason she was unable to afford a place to live; her daughter died that same year of heart failure at age 42. She is seen with her daughter in 2000
Now, the actress has turned her life around – thanks to her fans, who helped raise her $40,000 through a GoFundMe page set up by a family friend, which she said she was ‘grateful’ for.
‘It meant the world to me, it really did,’ she gushed to Fox News recently of the fans’ support. ‘I just never imagined that people would help. I’m extremely grateful.’
Lana is currently gearing up to return to the big screen in an upcoming Indie movie called Dog Boy, which premieres tomorrow.
She is set to play Vera Summers, who according to Fox, is ‘a self-absorbed Hollywood movie star who is on the brink of financial ruin.’ The outlet added, ‘But a chance encounter with a cab driver will take her life on a completely different path.’
Lana – who is the younger sister of late actress Natalie, whose death rocked the nation after she mysteriously downed in 1981 during a boating trip with her husband, Robert Wagner – explained that her past problems helped her ‘identify’ with Vera.
‘It touched so many parts of me,’ she told Fox, while discussing the upcoming role. ‘I identified with so many of the things that the character was going through or had gone through.
‘There were some moments when it could have been me. It fascinated me. Scared me. But it was really great to do.’
Lana explained that at one point in the movie, Vera is told that she’s going to lose her home, which ‘really resonated with her.’
She revealed: ‘[In the movie, Vera] was asked, “What did you do with all your money when you were working all the time?” And she said, “I just spent it. I thought the money would always come.” And it didn’t.
‘Then she found herself in a position where she was going to lose her home. That really resonated with me.’
While the 76-year-old admitted that it was ‘frightening’ and ‘a little overwhelming’ for her to walk back onto a movie set, she said it ‘felt like coming home.’
‘This is a little independent film with an enormous crew. I made friends with everyone. I got over my nerves,’ she explained.
‘Dog Boy was made with such love. Usually when a film wraps, everybody just scatters. But everyone here was just so involved and truly worked very hard to tell a great story.
‘And it’s an interesting view into someone’s life, a former celebrity who learns about herself… it’s a story of hope. There’s hope out there and you never know who’s going to come to the rescue.’
Lana made her acting debut as an infant in the movie Driftwood, and continued to star in a slew of flicks throughout her childhood, often alongside Natalie.
Her first major role on her own was in the drama series The Long, Hot Summer in 1965, and she then went on to star in the soap opera Peyton Place.
In the years following her role in Diamonds Are Forever, she started in more than 20 movies and made appearances in more than 300 shows, but she retired from acting in 1982 at age 36. She is seen above in Diamonds Are Forever
She then spent years working as a producer, before she returned to acting in 2008, and acted in a few low-budget films since. She was married six times, and had one daughter in 1974. She is seen with her daughter and two of her grandkids in 2000
Lana’s career seemed to fall apart after her sister, Natalie, went on a yachting trip with her husband, actor Robert Wagner, and her Brainstorm co-star Christopher Walken – and never returned. Lana and Natalie are seen together as kids
In the years following her role in Diamonds Are Forever, she started in more than 20 movies and made appearances in more than 300 shows, but she retired from acting in 1982 at age 36.
Natalie’s body was found floating in the water about a mile from the yacht the next morning, and the coroner determined that she had died of a combination of drowning and hypothermia
She then spent years working as a producer, before she returned to acting in 2008 for the TV movie Divas of Novella, and has acted in a few low-budget films since. She was married six times, but only had one daughter, who was born in 1974.
While chatting to Fox recently, Lana recalled struggling to balance being a mom while acting, explaining that her daughter was diagnosed with the lung condition COPD early on.
She said: ‘After I had my daughter, I was still acting, and I remember the traveling back and forth, just worried about her.
‘People think filmmaking is glamorous and easy. It’s really not. There are long hours that keep you away. And when you’re done, you’re off to do something else.
‘And I had reached a point where I was just very disillusioned. I wasn’t getting enough roles to sustain myself and my young daughter.
‘I remembered I walked away from acting and got a job as a director of development, behind the camera. I absolutely loved it.’
And while she admitted that there were times she wished she chose a different career path, in the end, she said she ‘always enjoyed telling a story’ through the big screen, whether it was behind or in front of the camera.
Lana’s career seemed to fall apart after her sister, Natalie, went on a yachting trip with her husband, actor Robert Wagner, and her Brainstorm co-star Christopher Walken – and never returned.
At the time, the death was reported as a tragic accident, but questions about the circumstances have always been asked — most vocally by Lana herself. The sisters are seen together in the ’60s
In April 2017, the once-glamorous Lana revealed to Vanity Fair that she had lost her house, explaining that she woke up one morning ‘to find a ‘Foreclosure’ sign tacked to the front door of her home. She is seen in 2017
Lana (seen in 2016) was eventually able to purchase a ‘little house’ where she now lives with her grandchildren. She said: ‘We’ve got each other… I’m very content’
Natalie’s body was found floating in the water about a mile from the yacht the next morning, and the coroner determined that she had died of a combination of drowning and hypothermia.
At the time, the death was reported as a tragic accident, but questions about the circumstances have always been asked — most vocally by Lana herself.
Lana has since released two memoirs about her sister and her death, the first was entitled Natalie, A Memoir by Her Sister in 1984, and the second was called Little Sister in 2021.
In April 2017, the once-glamorous Lana revealed to Vanity Fair that she had lost her house, explaining that she woke up one morning ‘to find a ‘Foreclosure’ sign tacked to the front door of her home.
‘I have just been evicted from my home where I’ve lived for seven years,’ she wrote in a Facebook post at the time. ‘I got 10 days to move, don’t have moving money, don’t know if there’s anything available, have no one to take in a family of six.
‘My daughter’s COPD has worsened and her cancer is back. My grandchildren are hysterical. I have to somehow remain calm, and not kill myself. I don’t know how much more we can take.’
Lana was eventually able to purchase a ‘little house’ where she now lives with her grandchildren.
‘They’ve always been with me,’ she said of her grandkids. ‘We’ve got a little house, we’ve got our dogs and cats. We’ve got each other … I’m very content.’
Source: Read Full Article
