Interview with Bond girl Lana Wood (Diamonds Are Forever)

By: Anders Frejdh

Published:
2012-12-29

For the 50th anniversary of James Bond on the big screen, From Sweden with Love (Anders Frejdh) caught up with Lana Wood, the American actress from Diamonds Are Forever (1971).

>READ OUR INTERVIEW WITH LANA WOOD

About Lana Wood:
Lana Wood was born Svetlana Gurdin to White Russian Immigrant parents.

Her sister, Natasha Gurdin, became Natalie Wood. Natalie was taken from Natasha and Wood from director Sam Wood. On the first day of shooting classic western The Searchers (1956), Lana’s first film role, starring John Wayne and Jeffery Hunter and directed by John Ford, a person went up to her mother and said:

- "Well, what name do you want your other daughter to have?"
She replied, "Oh well, I guess...Wood".

So, that's how much thought went into it, says Lana.

It would be nearly a decade before Lana began her performing career in earnest, co-starring in the 20th Century Fox TV series The Long, Hot Summer (1965) and Peyton Place (1966-1967 season) as, respectively, "Eula Harker" and "Sandy Webber". Projecting a sexier image than sister Natalie, Lana was supremely suited for such film roles as Plenty O'Toole in the 1971 James Bond flick Diamonds Are Forever (1971). She later essayed the more sedate characterization of middle-aged matron "Fran Burke" in the CBS daytime drama Capitol (1983).

Lana has guest starred in popular tv shows such as The Fugitive (1964), Dr. Kildare (1964), Mission: Impossible (1972), Starksky & Hutch (1976-1979), Fantasy Island (1978) and The Fall Guy (1981).

In 1985, Lana Wood published a biographical book about her sister, Natalie: A Memoir.

In later years she has turned her hand to producing, and in 2004 helmed The Mystery Of Natalie Wood for ABC. For a full listing of Lana Wood's career as an actress, check out her profile on IMDB.

Photo above:
A personal portrait of actress Lana Wood.

Visit Lana Wood's official website to read more about her life and career:

www.lanawood.info

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Interview with Bond girl Lana Wood (Diamonds Are Forever)

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