Kim Novak | |
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Novak in 1962
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Born |
Marilyn Pauline Novak February 13, 1933 Chicago, Illinois, United States |
Residence | Sams Valley, Oregon,United States |
Nationality | American |
Education | Farragut Career Academy High School |
Alma mater | School of the Art Institute of Chicago |
Occupation | Actress, artist |
Years active | 1954–1991 |
Spouse(s) |
Richard Johnson (m. 1965–66) Dr. Robert Malloy (m. 1976) |
Website | kimnovakartist.com |
Marilyn Pauline "Kim" Novak (born February 13, 1933) is a retired American film and television actress, currently engaged as a visual artist.
She began her film career in 1954 after signing with Columbia Pictures. There, she became a successful actress, starring in a string of movies, among them the critically acclaimed Picnic (1955). She later starred in such popular successes as The Man with the Golden Arm (1955) and Pal Joey (1957). However, she is perhaps best known today for her performance as Judy Barton in Alfred Hitchcock's classic thriller Vertigo (1958) with James Stewart. Novak was popular in box office popularity polls, and she starred opposite several top leading men of the era, including Fred MacMurray, William Holden, Frank Sinatra, Tyrone Power, Kirk Douglas and Laurence Harvey.
Although still young, her career declined in the early 1960s, and after several years in a series of lackluster films, she withdrew from acting in 1966. She has only sporadically returned since. She later returned to the screen in The Mirror Crack'd (1980), and had a regular role on the prime time series Falcon Crest (1986–87). After a disappointing experience during the filming of Liebestraum (1991), she has permanently retired from acting, stating she has no desire to return.
Novak was born in Chicago, Illinois on February 13, 1933. She is the daughter of Joseph and Blanche (née Kral) Novak. Both her parents were of Czech descent. Her father was a history teacher and worked as a dispatcher on the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad, and her mother was a factory worker.