Although she is perhaps best known for her role as Plenty O’Toole, the seductive Bond girl in Diamonds Are Forever, Lana Wood’s cinematic career ultimately took a turn for the worse, leaving the 71-year-old homeless. As her medical expenses continued to rise and she was unable to pay her rent, Lana’s social status plummeted. Hold tight as we fill you in on the tragic story of Bond girl Lana.
Who is Lana Wood
Lana Wood is a stunning actress who once ruled Hollywood with her sister, Natalie Wood. Both sisters had successful acting careers. ‘The Searchers’ from 1956 marked her first film role. The acting careers of Lana and her sister were managed by their mother, Maria. At first, Lana appeared in movies alongside her sister, but things changed in the 1960s. She had starring roles in shows like “The Long Hot Summer” and “Peyton Place.” In 1970, she was featured in Playboy magazine. The next film she appeared in, “Diamonds are Forever,” a James Bond film that became a huge success and for which she is still remembered, cemented her place in pop culture history. Her acting career flourished, and she appeared in numerous films and TV series. Soon after taking a sabbatical from performing, she began working as a producer. However, this led to a decline in her career and overall renown for her. She has been in a handful of films released after the year 2000, but those roles did not boost her career. The actress has been married six times, but her only child, Evan Maldonado, came from her marriage to Richard Smedley. Over the course of her career, Lana has appeared in over 20 other films and 300 episodes of television, some of which are Mission: Impossible, The Fugitive, and Wild, Wild West.
How it all fell apart.
Inside Edition previously revealed that Natalie Wood’s younger sister was struggling to make ends meet while living in a motel room outside of Los Angeles with her daughter Evan, son-in-law, three grandchildren, and two dogs. Over the course of several years, Lana shared a California rental house with her son Evan and their children. The inability to keep up with the rent forced them to look for other accommodations. The family found themselves unexpectedly without a house after they were rejected by everyone they had asked for help. After being forced to keep their belongings in storage during their eviction, the family discovered that they had lost half of their possessions. Furthermore, they had a difficult time finding a motel that permitted dogs, and when they did, it was very expensive.
However, Lana stated that the family’s mounting medical expenses were to blame for their economic hardships. Although they were not anticipating any particularly severe or bizarre health issues, they experienced more of them than they had ever imagined.
It was stated by Inside Edition that Evan had Hodgkin’s cancer and that the radiation treatments she underwent left her lungs permanently scarred, forcing her to use an oxygen compressor for breathing. The family believed that they had finally prevailed over Evan’s condition, but instead, it came back even more severe. In addition, Lana mentioned that she didn’t feel comfortable discussing Evan’s various medical issues on her behalf. On the other hand, Lana also struggled with her own health problems, such as arthritis. She alleged that despite several treatments being tried by the doctors, nothing had offered long-lasting comfort. She forced herself to live in silence with her ailment for so long, which she recognized wasn’t the best course of action given that it was degenerative and there wasn’t much that could be done about it.
She claimed that their improvised kitchen could barely hold a few nibbles and some water. They didn’t cook very often, if at all, because it was costly, so most of their meals were comprised of fast foods. Rather than the expensive evening gowns she once wore, Lana had to find great deals at thrift stores like Goodwill. Even though the conditions weren’t ideal, she tried to make it feel like home as much as possible, especially because her grandchildren felt like they had no privacy.
Tragic details in her family.
Although Lana and his family were still experiencing a financial crisis, they had no idea how bad it could get.
Evan experienced complete cardiac arrest and went without a heartbeat for more than 20 minutes. To keep her alive, a tube was inserted into her windpipe, and she was put on life support. The family’s life became a living nightmare as a result of these disasters, which also increased their financial concerns. Unfortunately, Evan’s battle with Hodgkin’s lymphoma, which she was already dealing with, led to her death from cardiac arrest. That wasn’t, however, the first significant loss she had ever experienced. In 1981, Lana’s sister, Natalie Wood, died from drowning. Everyone, with the exception of Lana, thought Natalie’s passing wasn’t an accident. She’s the only one who has spoken out the most regarding the unusual circumstances surrounding Natalie’s death. She has publicly claimed on several occasions that Wagner was responsible for her sister’s death. According to Lana, Natalie and Wagner were on the verge of divorce because of their numerous marital issues.
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Allegedly, there were significant problems between the pair, and they encompassed a wide spectrum of problems, including disagreements and infidelity. She asserted that Natalie had discussed most of her marriage issues with her. Authorities have said they had no reason to suspect Wagner in her death, and Wagner has denied any involvement. She told the New York Times that she had doubts that her sister would just walk into the boat while wearing only a nightgown without hesitation because of their shared phobia of the water.
Many admirers of Lana questioned why Robert Wagner, a well-known Hollywood actor and her sister’s husband, hadn’t intervened to assist. However, Lana disclosed that Wagner and Natalie’s daughters had not been in touch. Her outspoken nature alienated her from Wagner and Natalie’s children, so she couldn’t seek assistance from them. She also declined to appear in the documentary “Natalie Wood: What Remains Behind,” which was made by Natalie Wood’s daughter, Natasha Wagner. Natasha Gregson Wagner sought out her perspective and invited her to share it, but for some reason, she declined the invitation.
Lana stated that Natalie would have helped in any way she could have if she had been alive. According to her description, Natalie was an extremely caring individual. It seems like Natalie was so concerned with the well-being of others that there was a time when she had to stop caring so much. She was able to achieve this goal through therapeutic means. If Natalie were still alive, Lana claims, she would have been the one to buy her a property.
Lana Wood also revealed the long-kept truth that her sister was raped when she was 16 by a “prominent Hollywood person” whom she refused to identify. This, together with the publication of a new biography of Natalie Wood, has pushed previously hidden information about the actress’s life into the spotlight. According to Lana, when the two were waiting in the car for her sister to return from her appointment with the famous actor, the latter broke down into weeping. But their mom strongly suggested she keep it quiet, so she did. The incident was hardly ever brought up again.
A friend in need is a friend indeed.
A GoFundMe page set up by her buddy Gregor Gillespie to help the actress raise money has already raised $39,635 from generous donors, well surpassing the page’s initial goal of $10,000. After ditching the motel, Lana and her family settled into a charming home. She said her family’s new beginning was made possible by the money raised through the GoFundMe campaign. She explained that she wouldn’t have had electricity, water, or a roof over her head if she hadn’t gotten the money. She was stunned that so many fans pitched in financially. In an interview with Fox News Digital, she expressed her sincerest gratitude to her fans and questioned where she would have been if it weren’t for their support. She thanked them for giving her a continuation to her life, which was falling rapidly apart.
Where is she now ?
After enduring a publicized bout with homelessness in 2017, Lana Wood has triumphantly returned with a new film.
In the independent film “Dog Boy,” the 76-year-old actress plays the role of Vera Summers, a self-centred Hollywood has-been who is on the point of bankruptcy until she meets a cab driver who alters her outlook on life. Lana got very candid about her economic struggles and how the film helped get her back on her feet. According to her, the movie touched so many parts of her life. From the movie, it’s easy to see how much Lana identifies with the experiences the character has gone through. She also claimed there were some awful moments she could have experienced, which scared her, but being able to tell her life as a story made the whole experience fascinating.
Lana expresses gratitude to her audience for keeping her alive despite her suffering. She never ceases to show her appreciation to her generous and god-sent fans.
Lana now lives with her grandchildren and son-in-law as well as dogs and cats in her home, and they’ve got each other. They can now afford to cook and sometimes argue over who to cook and what meals to prepare. One of her grandsons is being homeschooled, and she’s there with him, trying to understand algebra.
Throughout her more than 50-year career, Lana has worked on numerous projects and played numerous TV roles. Yet, she revealed to Fox Digital that returning to the set of a film was terrifying and overwhelming.
It is a little independent film with an enormous crew—but it felt like coming home, she said. She was also able to make friends with everyone, and it managed to get her over her nerves.
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