Inside the “West Side Story” Cast’s Lives 65 Years After the Iconic Movie Musical Premiered

Skyler Caruso, Nicole PomaricoWed, November 11, 2026 at 11:30 AM UTC

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George Chakiris, Tony Mordente, Tucker Smith and Russ Tamblyn in ‘West Side Story’Credit: Actors George Chakiris, Tony Mordente, Tucker Smith and Russ Tamblyn in a scene from the musical film 'West Side Story', 1961. (Photo by Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images) -

1961’s West Side Story is based on the 1957 Broadway musical of the same name

The movie starred Natalie Wood, Rita Moreno and Richard Beymer, among others

Moreno was the only original cast member to appear in Steven Spielberg’s 2021 remake

Over six decades after it hit theaters for the first time in 1961, West Side Story remains a classic.

Directed by Jerome Robbins and Robert Wise, the movie musical is based on the 1957 Broadway production of the same name. Since then, there have been various adaptations of the classic story, including Steven Spielberg‘s 2021 remake starring Rachel Zegler and Ansel Elgort.

Inspired by Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, the plot details the rise and fall of two young lovers from different backgrounds amid cultural tensions and gang violence. Set in the 1950s, the Sharks are a Puerto Rican group that feuds with the Jets, a white American gang, over control of New York City’s Upper West Side neighborhood.

The original 1961 movie starred Natalie Wood, Richard Beymer, Russ Tamblyn, Rita Moreno and George Chakiris. After it premiered, it won 10 Oscars at the 1962 Academy Awards, including for Best Picture, and still holds the record for most wins by a musical at the annual awards ceremony.

Some of the cast members have stayed in touch over the years, including Chakiris and Moreno, who reunited at an event celebrating the actress in November 2026.

Here’s where the original 1961 cast of West Side Story is today.

Natalie Wood as Maria

Natalie WoodCredit: Silver Screen Collection/Getty; Ron Galella Collection via Getty

Wood played the lead female character of Maria in 1961’s West Side Story, whose story is drawn from Shakespeare’s Juliet. She’s the younger sister of Bernardo, who leads up the Sharks, and finds herself embroiled in controversy when she falls in love with Tony (Beymer), the head of the rival Jets gang.

Wood shot to stardom at age 16 for her role in 1955’s Rebel Without a Cause, co-starring alongside James Dean and Sal Mineo. In 1961, she also starred in another Oscar-nominated film aside from West Side Story: Splendor in the Grass. The following year, she played the title role in Gypsy, the musical about stripper Gypsy Rose Lee.

The actress had relationships with many notable names over the years, including Dennis Hopper, hotel dynasty heir Nicky Hilton and even singer Elvis Presley. In 1972, she married actor Robert Wagner. The couple welcomed daughter Courtney in 1974, and Wood also had another daughter, Natasha, from a previous relationship.

Wood and Wagner remained together until her death at age 43 in 1981.

Richard Beymer as Tony

Richard BeymerCredit: Artists/Kobal/Shutterstock; Ron Galella Collection via Getty

Beymer played Tony, the male lead in 1961’s West Side Story, who falls in love with Maria after their first encounter. Prior to the musical film, he appeared in 1959’s The Diary of Anne Frank.

Beymer has over 60 acting credits to his name, with his revived role of Benjamin Horne in the 2017 reboot of Twin Peaks being one of them. He drifted away from acting later in his career and shifted toward making films of his own.

“I never left the movies. I just made other kinds of movies. Hollywood was a thing of the past for me because I’d found something that thrilled me,” he told the Los Angeles Times in April 1990. “That was the best fun in the world, doing movies that were spontaneous at every step, as compared with Hollywood movies that are all planned out.”

Russ Tamblyn as Riff

Russ TamblynCredit: United Artists/Kobal/Shutterstock; Roy Rochlin/Getty

Tamblyn played Jets leader Riff in 1961’s West Side Story.

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Prior to the film, he appeared in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954) and earned an Oscar nomination for his supporting role in Peyton Place (1957). Following his turn as Riff, he was in the 1964 film The Long Ships, and also starred in both the original and rebooted Twin Peaks.

Tamblyn has nearly 100 acting credits and is a Golden Globe recipient as most promising newcomer for 1955’s Hit the Deck. He played a part in the 2018 Netflix miniseries The Haunting of Hill House and released his memoir, Dancing on the Edge, in April 2024.

The actor is married to Bonnie Murray and was previously married to Venetia Stevenson followed by Elizabeth Kempton. He has two children, including actress Amber Tamblyn.

Rita Moreno as Anita

RIta MorenoCredit: United Artists/Kobal/Shutterstock; Jamie McCarthy/Getty

Moreno played the unforgettable, Oscar-winning role of Anita, Maria’s best friend, in 1961’s West Side Story. In Spielberg’s 2021 film, she appeared as a new character named Valentina while also serving as an executive producer.

Ariana DeBose, meanwhile, took on the role of Anita in the remake. Like Moreno, she also won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress.

“It is really exciting to work with Rita,” DeBose said in the 2021 special Something’s Coming: West Side Story—A Special Edition of 20/20. “It’s also terrifying!”

In addition to the West Side Story reboot, Moreno’s credits include the 2017 Netflix remake of the 1975 sitcom One Day at a Time and the 2023 film 80 for Brady. She is one of only a handful of people to have won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony (EGOT). She also received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from former President George W. Bush in 2004.

Off-screen, Moreno was married to Leonard Gordon from 1965 until his death in 2010. They had one child, daughter Fernanda, who was born in 1967.

George Chakiris as Bernardo

George ChakirisCredit: United Artists/Kobal/Shutterstock; Tommaso Boddi/Getty

Chakiris played Bernardo, leader of the Sharks, in 1961’s West Side Story. He received the 1962 Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role.

Chakiris appeared in multiple projects following the hugely successful movie musical, including 1962’s Two and Two Make Six (where he played the lead), Diamond Head (1962), Kings of the Sun (1963), Bebo’s Girl (1964) and 633 Squadron (1964). In the early 1960s, he pursued a career in pop music, resulting in a few hit songs.

The actor also had recurring roles on shows such as Superboy, Pale Blood, Human Target and The Girls of Lido. The British sitcom, Last of the Summer Wine, was his last project before retirement in 1996 — though he did play a bank manager in the 2021 film Not to Forget.

William Bramley as Officer Krupke

William BramleyCredit: United Artists

Bramley made his film debut as Officer Krupke in 1961’s West Side Story, the character that served as the inspiration for the comedic song “Gee, Officer Krupke.”

Following his West Side Story role, Bramley took on a number of TV and movie projects with credits including 1963’s The Thrill of It All and 1968’s Madigan. The actor played another lead policeman in the season 2 episode of the Star Trek TV series titled “Bread and Circuses.”

Bramely died at age 57 in 1985.

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”