Claim: Natalie Wood acted in films.

West Side Story is a 1961 American musical romantic drama film directed by Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins . The film is an adaptation of the 1957 Broadway musical of the same name , which in turn was inspired by William Shakespeare 's play Romeo and Juliet . It stars Natalie Wood , Richard Beymer , Russ Tamblyn , Rita Moreno , and George Chakiris , and was photographed by Daniel L. Fapp , A.S.C. , in Super Panavision 70 . Released on October 18 , 1961 through United Artists , the film received high praise from critics and viewers , and became the second highest grossing film of the year in the United States . The film was nominated for 11 Academy Awards and won 10 , including Best Picture -LRB- as well as a special award for Robbins -RRB- , becoming the record holder for the most wins for a movie musical .