Kim Novak

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Marilyn Pauline "Kim" Novak (born February 13, 1933) is a retired American film and television actress. Novak began her film career in 1954 after signing with Columbia Pictures, appearing in many films, including Picnic (1955).

She appeared in The Man with the Golden Arm (1955) and Pal Joey (1957).

She is best known for her role in Alfred Hitchcock's epic Vertigo (1958) with James Stewart. Novak was thrilled with box-office success and portrayed many well-known leading men of the period, including Fred MacMurray, William Holden, Frank Sinatra, Tyrone Power, Kirk Douglas, and Laurence Harvey. Novak ceased acting in 1966 but has only worked in film since she was in her mid-30s.

She appeared in The Mirror Crack (1980) and appeared on the primetime show Falcon Crest (1986–1987).

After a disappointing experience during the filming of Liebestraum (1991), she decided against acting again.

Two Golden Globe Awards, an Honorary Golden Bear Award, and a celebrity on the Hollywood Walk of Fame have all been lauded for her contributions to cinema.

She works as both a painter and a visual artist.

Early life

Marilyn Pauline Novak was born in Chicago, Illinois, on February 13, 1933. She is Joseph and Blanche (née Kral) Novak's second daughter (who appeared with her in the 1962 film The Notorious Landlady). Both of her parents were born in Chicago to people of Czech descent. Joseph (1897-1987) was a history teacher who worked as a freight dispatcher on the Chicago, Milwaukee, and St. Paul Railroad during the Great Depression.

She attended William Penn Elementary, Farragut High School, and Wright Junior College. Novak won two scholarships to the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, 71–74, and during the summer break in her last semester of junior college, she went on a cross-country tour modelling for a refrigerator company at trade shows.

Personal life

She had friendships with Ramfis Trujillo, the son of Dominican dictator Rafael Leónidas Trujillo, and Sammy Davis, Jr., Jr., who died before her marriage was terminated if he did not marry a black woman within 48 hours. Michael Brandon, Wilt Chamberlain, David Hemmings, and Porfirio Rubirosa were also dated by Novak. In 1959, she married director Richard Quine.

Richard Johnson, an English actor, appeared on Novak's first marriage from March 15, 1965 to May 26, 1966. Both the two became close friends after.

Novak left Hollywood in 1966 for Big Sur, where she raised horses and painted, as well as filming occasionaly. When she made a house call after one of her Arabian mares was colic, she met her second husband, equine veterinarian Robert Malloy. They married on March 12, 1976. She has two adult stepchildren as a result of her marriage. Near Chiloquin, Oregon, the couple built a log house along the Williamson River. Malloy died on November 27, 2020, according to the author.

Novak bought a 43-acre farm in Sams Valley, Oregon, which the couple converted into their house in 1997. Novak took lessons in pastels from artists Harley Brown and Richard McKinley. They burned to the ground in July 2000, and she lost all of her art and the only draft of the autobiography she had been working on for ten years.

Novak was injured in a horse-riding crash in 2006. She had a punctured lung, broken ribs, and nerve damage, but she recovered in a year.

Novak's boss, Sue Cameron, revealed it in October 2010. Novak is also "undergoing medical care" and "her doctors" say she is in excellent physical shape and should recover quickly." She did recover well.

In 2014, Novak's rare public appearance at the 86th Academy Awards, she was barely acknowledged, prompting widespread rumors that she had undergone extensive cosmetic surgery; Donald Trump tweeted, "Kim should sue her plastic surgeon!" Novak was shattered by the criticism: "It really put me into a tailspin and it hit me hard," she wrote an open letter in which she addressed all of her Oscar-night "bullies." Novak admitted she had "fat injections in my face" because she felt "they were much less invasive than a facelift," she later regretted it, "So why did I do it?" I trusted someone who was doing what they should do best. I should have known better, but what do you do? "We do some stupid stuff in our lives."

Novak's artistic interests as a photographer, writer, and visual artist painted in watercolor, oil, and pastel. Her paintings are both impressionistic and surrealistic. The Butler Institute of American Art in Youngstown, Ohio, held a retrospective of her work from June to October 2019. Novak was on hand at the opening on June 16. Kim Novak: Her Art and Life was also published in 2021 by the Butler Institute, which included a collection of her paintings.

She is a Catholic.

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Acting career

Novak was named "Miss Deepfreeze" by the refrigerator company while stopping by Los Angeles. Although she and two other actresses were in line to appear in two RKO films: The French Line (1954), starring Jane Russell and Son of Sinbad (1955), she and two other actresses were in line to be extras in two RKO films: The French Line (1954). She was uncovered by an agent who negotiated with Columbia Pictures for a long time. She wanted to be a pioneer and not just another stereotype right from the start of her career. Consequently, she fought with Columbia's chief, Harry Cohn, over the name change. "Nobody's gonna go see a girl with a Polack name," he suggested. "I'm Czech, but Polish, Czech, no matter," she said. As a result, the two sides eventually settled on the term "Kim Novak" as a compromise.

Columbia intended Novak to be their replacement for Rita Hayworth, their biggest actress of the 1940s, whose career had faded; also, the studio was hoping that Novak would give them the same box-office success as Marilyn Monroe did in 20th Century-Fox. Novak's first film appearance for the studio was in the film noir Pushover (1954), in which she received third billing below Fred MacMurray and Philip Carey. She co-starred in the romantic comedy Phfft (1954) as Janis, a woman who finds Robert Tracey (Jack Lemmon) "real cute." Both films were well-received at the box office, and Novak's appearances earned praise. She received equal billing in her third feature film, 5 Against the House (1955), a gritty crime drama, with Guy Madison. It was only a minor key and box office triumph that it was profitable.

Madge Owens appeared in the film version of Picnic (1955), from William Inge's production, co-starring William Holden and Rosalind Russell. Joshua Logan, the film's producer, felt that having red hair would be more in character for Novak; she promised to wear a red wig during filming. Picnic was a resounding critical and box-office triumph, and Novak received the Most Promising Newcomer award from the Golden Globe. She had been nominated for the BAFTA Film Award for Best Foreign Actress, but she did not win. She appeared on Game show What's My Line? as a mystery guest. The Film's Opening at the Radio City Music Hall was on February 5, 1956, to celebrate the film's opening. In The Man with the Golden Arm (1955), director Otto Preminger's sultry ex-girlfriend in Frank Sinatra's sultry ex-girlfriend. Eleanor Parker, Novak's lead actor in the film's best scenes, and the film was a box-office hit.

Marjorie Oelrichs, the wife of pianist Eddy Duchin's wife, was played by Tyrone Power in Novak's forthcoming film The Eddy Duchin Story (1956). Novak nearly considered denying the project because the two leads did not get along during recording, but decided against it. The film was both a critical and box-office hit at the time, with many claiming that Novak's ads for No-Cal diet soda contributed greatly to the film's success. She was given the opportunity to work on her next project and portrayed Jeanne Eagels (1957), in which she played the stage and silent-screen actress who was addicted to heroin. The film, starring Jeff Chandler, was largely fictional representation of Eagels' life. The film received critical feedback, but at the box office, it brought in a profit. The Eagels' family sued Columbia over the way Eagels were depicted in the film.

Novak was one of the top box-office draws of 1957 and 1958 after appearing in a string of hit films. Columbia followed her in a film adaptation of Pal Joey (also 1957), based on John O'Hara's 1940 novel and Broadway play. Linda English, a naive showgirl, co-starred Frank Sinatra and Rita Hayworth. The film, which was released in October, received rave feedback; Variety called the film "strong, funny entertainment," but Novak's role has prompted mixed reactions, partly due to a noticeable lack of on-screen charisma. The film was a box-office smash and has been regarded as one of Novak's finest performances.

When Vera Miles, his leading actress, became pregnant and had to walk away from the complicated role of Judy Barton, director Alfred Hitchcock was filming Vertigo (1958). Before ordering a screen test, Hitchcock approached Harry Cohn to give Novak the female lead. Though Cohn reacted angrily to the script, Novak accepted it because Hitchcock, a great producer, was able to read it. Novak loved it because she could identify with the character and decided to attend the film without knowing Hitchcock. She was working for more money from Columbia at the time, and she refused to turn up for work on the Vertigo, a week of $1,250 per week. Novak recruited new agents to represent her and requested that the terms be changed. Cohn, who had been charged $250,000 for Novak to do Vertigo, resigned after a few weeks of talks, but after a few weeks of negotiations, he regained control and gave her a new deal worthy of a major actress. "I don't like to have anyone abuse me," she said to the world.

Novak finally arrived for work, and Hitchcock says she had "all sorts of preconceived ideas" about her appearance, including what she would and would not wear. She told the director that she did not like the black suit and black shoes she was supposed to wear before shooting started, because they were too heavy and stiff for her character. Later, Novak said, "I didn't think it would matter to him" what kind of shoes I wore. I had never met a director who was particular about the costumes, the way they were made, and the precise colors. The shoes and the gray suit were the two things he wanted the most. In fact, Hitchcock told Novak that the film's visual aspect was even more important to him than the plot, and that she remained insistent on wearing the suit and the shoes that he had been planning for several months. Novak learned how to make it work for her, seeing it as a sign of her femininity. Nonetheless, Hitchcock gave Novak the freedom to develop the character herself. "It excites me to work on dual personalities because I know I have many myself," she said later. And I think I was able to use so much of myself in that film. "Is this right?" I started feeling anxious because I kept asking, "Is this right?" How do you want me to act this role? "I recruited you and that's who I want, so I want what you bring to this position," Hitchcock said. However, what I do want from you is to stand where I want you to, wear what I want you to, and speak in the rhythm I want you to." He spent a long time with me to try to get the right rhythm." When she first landed in Hollywood, the role took on a personal significance for her because she felt she went through the same thing as her character: she felt she went through the same thing as her character.

Novak described Hitchcock as a gentleman, but she found the whole process of working with him to be strange. "I'm not sure if he ever liked me." Except for one cast dinner and was late to this, I never sat down for dinner, tea, or anything else. It wasn't my fault, but I suspect he waited to make a celebrity appearance, which he held against me. He never really told me what he was thinking during the shooting." Novak discovered later that the director was actually mad to have her instead of Vera Miles. "Hitchcock didn't like being photographed in his portrait, and he felt I was ruining it." I only learned how much money he thought I'd destroyed his film after it was finished. I felt I did a lot of good work in that film, and I received some of my best notices of my career. However, Hitchcock couldn't blame himself, so he blamed me." Novak got along well with her co-star, James Stewart, who helped her during the filming of the film. "He treated me so well." I learned a lot about his behavior from him. When we had emotional scenes, we had to first prepare ourselves by reaching deep inside of himself, and we didn't know to leave him alone when he was like that. And if it was over, he wouldn't just walk away. He encouraged himself to gradually come out of it. "I'd take my hand and I'd squeeze his hand so we both had time to recover from the emotion."

At the time of its initial release in 1958, mixed reviews existed and even broke at the box office, but the film has since been re-evaluated and is widely considered one of the director's best efforts. Vertigo was named as the best film of all time in the 2012 British Film Institute's Sight & Sound critics' poll, displacing Orson Welles' Citizen Kane from its position it had occupied since 1962. Novak received mixed praise for her performance, but she managed to surprise film critics by a wide variety of outlets. Although Bosley Crowther, a reporter for The New York Times, said she was "very surprising" and was "nearer an actress" under Hitchcock's direction and was "nearer an actress than she was in either Pal Joey or Jeanne Eagles," the Variety review noted. Her reputation as a result of time has also changed with time. It was "one of the best female performances in the cinema," film critic David Thomson said, while film director Martin Scorsese called it "extraordinary," adding that Novak's performance was "both brave and emotionally touching." Novak, on the other hand, was dissatisfied with her results when she first watched the movie in 2013. "I was completely distraught." Both characters were exaggerated. I'll always remember me from Vertigo, and I'm not that strong in it, but I don't blame me because there are a few scenes where I was fantastic."

Novak appeared in Richard Quine's Bell, Book and Candle (also 1958), a modern-day witchcraft parody, which was a box-office hit. She starred in the acclaimed romantic drama Middle of the Night (1959), not only her favorite of her films, but also her best performance in Middle of the Night.

In the romantic drama Strangers When We Meet (1960), which received mixed feedback but was a hit financially, Novak starred opposite Kirk Douglas. Richard Quine was the producer, as well as her fiancé at the time. During the filming as part of the story line as a wedding gift, the studio wanted to give them the house that was not built as part of the story line during the filming, but their wedding never took place. Rather, Quine and her partner made the British mystery/comedy The Notorious Landlady (1962) together with Jack Lemmon, she discovered and purchased her future home by the sea near Big Sur in central California. After leaving Hollywood, she found solace and spiritual renewal.

She formed an independent five-picture contract with producer Martin Ransohoff and Filmways Pictures to co-produce, but it was a poor call due to personalities and scripts clashes. The comedy Boys' Night Out (1962), which was their first attempt, was sadly ineffective. She lived the Hollywood house after the big Bel Air Fire of 1961 in 1961, but it was finally lost a few years later, a mudslide swept away the majority of her possessions in 1966. In the intervening years, she produced W. Somerset Maugham's drama Of Human Bondage (1964) with Laurence Harvey in Ireland. This third film adaptation of the famous tale went over schedule and budget, and it also failed.

Billy Wilder, director Billy Wilder, was the subject of a sex comedy Kiss Me, Stupid (1964). Actor Peter Sellers had been chosen but he had been injured in a heart attack, so Ray Walston was recalled. Dean Martin was also co-starring. Because of problems with the Legion of Decency, the film had trouble getting released. Novak's career was not helped by the film, which led to scathing critiques. Novak's performance as "Polly the Pistol" was revived and celebrated years later for its forward thinking and accolades, particularly for its performance. Novak appeared in the English comedy The Amorous Adventures of Moll Flanders (1965) in England with British actor Richard Johnson. It was not well received at the box office and was influenced by Tom Jones' similar film Tom Jones. Novak married Johnson in 1965 and divorced him in the spring of 1966. The divorce was amicable, and they remained friendly. Novak was the female lead in the occult themed mystery Eye of the Devil, co-starring David Niven in 1966. Novak's curiosity at the film's concept was intriguing, but she found the shooting difficult and uncomfortable. Novak was forced to leave the film after falling off a horse, resulting in serious injuries that required extensive rehabilitation, and Deborah Kerr was the first to recover from her injury.

By the end of 1966, she had been physically exhausted and no longer wanted to live the life of a Hollywood film actress in the glare of the spotlight, with the public scrutinizing every move. When the mudslide took her Bel Air home and cost her entire life's savings in bulldozer fees, she turned away from Hollywood to discover herself anew. Acting became a career from there, but it was no longer a career of choice. Novak preferred to concentrate on her first passion, the visual arts, often writing poetry to go with her paintings, and even writing some song lyrics. In the 1960s, Harry Belafonte and the Kingston Trio recorded some of her folk songs.

Novak directed The Legend of Lylah Clare (1968), starring Peter Finch and Ernest Borgnine and directed by Robert Aldrich, returning to the screen for the first time. She played a dual role, portraying a woman who is possessed by a look-alike film actress who is subsequently dominated by her obsessive director lover. Robert Aldrich asked Novak to do a German accent for the role, but she refused because it was too high and over the top, so she did not want to do it, and he never bothered. Novak was shocked to learn that her voice had been dubbed by a German actress in several scenes at the premiere. Aldrich never told her, nor had he given her the opportunity to scream it out herself. Critics and journalists blasted the film, and Novak received some of the worst critiques of her career. It was also a box office fire. She was incredibly upset and regretted her role in the film. The Western comedy The Great Bank Robbery (1969), starring Zero Mostel, Clint Walker, and Claude Akins was Novak's last film in the 1960s.

Novak accepted two projects after almost four years of being described as a "self-imposed holiday." She returned to film in 1976's horror anthology film Tales That Witness Madness (1973). Gloria Joyce, a character with whom she could identify in the made-for-TV film The Third Girl From the Left (1973), with her real-life boyfriend at the time, Michael Brandon. Novak confessed to a preference for TV films because they were quicker to shoot than features. She referred to the time's movie scripts as offensive, saying she disliked the unnecessary sex she found in the majority of them. Novak appeared in the ABC film Satan's Triangle in 1975 because she was fascinated by the tale, which was based on the supernatural. Novak appeared in The White Buffalo (1977), a Western starring Charles Bronson, and she came to a close end of the decade by playing Helga (1979), opposite David Bowie. Both films were failures, but Novak was not held accountable for her minor roles in them.

Lola Brewster, a fictional actress in 1979, starred in the British mystery-thriller The Mirror Crack, based on Agatha Christie's book. Angela Lansbury, Tony Curtis, Rock Hudson, and Elizabeth Taylor co-starred alongside Angela Lansbury, Tony Curtis, and Elizabeth Taylor. She loved making the film and joined her co-stars, and the film was moderately successful. Novak did not appear in any feature films for the remainder of the 1980s. Malibu (1983) and the pilot episode of The New Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1985).

Novak was given a role in their film based on her appearance in Vertigo by the producers of the popular primetime soap opera Falcon Crest. In 19 episodes from 1986 to 1987, she appeared as "Kit Marlowe" as the unidentified "Kit Marlowe." Novak's idea was to name her character Kit Marlowe because it was Columbia's desired actress to use when she first started working in the company. Marilyn Pauline Novak wryly characterized this sequence of events as Cohn's retaliation on her from above the grave.

Novak appeared with James Stewart as a host at the 61st Academy Awards in 1989. Novak said in the media room that she was asked about a potential comeback that she should write, with a part she felt she could not refuse to do, she would be able to return to work on the big or little screen. Novak turned down numerous calls for movies, as well as the opportunity to appear in a second season of Falcon Crest, in order to write her autobiography, tentatively titled Through My Eyes. Novak decided to re-establish contact with her agent and pursue challenging roles after she realized she was not content creatively. "I think that I didn't live up to what I should have done with it," she said at the time. In other words, I'm glad I moved away from Hollywood: I don't regret it. I know that it was a big thing and a good thing. It was, on the other hand, like unfinished business." Rose Sellers, the leading role in The Children (1990) opposite Ben Kingsley, has returned to film for the first time. The film, which was a British-German coproduction, premiered at the London Film Festival and received raves. Leonard Maltin lauded the acting and said Novak's "excellent" job. However, following differences with director Tony Palmer and the distributor over editing and music, the film was pulled from release and never distributed.

In his thriller Liebestraum (1991) opposite Kevin Anderson and Bill Pullman, director Mike Figgis gave Novak the role of a terminally ill writer with a strange past. Novak loved the script and thought it would be a pivotal picture. However, her relationship with Figgis was tense, and the two groups had their differences from the start. Novak decided to film under the assumption that she would perform the whole character, but Figgis felt she was unable to perform the flashback role the way he wanted, and hired actress Sarah Fearon for those scenes. The two actors clashed on the script, because their interpretations of the script differed and were in some ways diametrically opposed. Despite thinking him to be a brilliant director, she felt the tale was too personal for him, and Novak was playing his mother. She was also dissatisfied because she felt he wanted her to act like a puppet. "He wanted what he felt Hitchcock had made over." However, Hitchcock didn't do that. Figgis was unaware of Hitchcock. So he treated me the way he felt Hitchcock must have, tried to lure me into doing exactly what he wanted. "I went insane." Novak later said she was hurt and sad because "it took me right back to Harry Cohn and all that time." And I'm back to say, oh, for God's sake, haven't you heard it enough? We don't want you to do something. It's just 'Kim Novak.' That film made me cry more than any movie in the world could do." Novak later told Movieline that she had been "unprofessional" not to obey her director and not to obey her boss. "I know he thinks I'm a complete bitch." The role was incredibly rewarding and full of depth. We're not making a Kim Novak film,' just say the lines,' he said, when I mistook it the way I felt was apparent in the enthralling script.' I'm going to cut you out of the film if you go back to play it this way,' and he's pretty much did."

Novak was supposed to perform a comedy starring Peter Falk and a reimagining of Bell, Book and Candle with Sharon Stone. Neither film was shot, and following the difficult experience with Liebestraum, she has often cited that experience as the reason for her decision to leave the film business.

In 2004, she told the Associated Press:

Novak made only rare public appearances and turned down the majority of offers she received after she came back to acting. In 1996, Vertigo was restored to theaters by Robert A. Harris and James C. Katz. Novak loved their work so much that she agreed to appear at film screenings, something she had declined to do when Universal asked her in 1984. She appeared in Obsessed with Vertigo, a documentary tracing the film's development and restoration of the film. At the 47th Berlin International Film Festival in 1997, Novak was given the Honorary Golden Bear Award for lifetime achievement.

Novak was given the Eastman Kodak Archives Award in 2003 for her major contribution to film. Greta Garbo, Audrey Hepburn, James Stewart, Martin Scorsese, and Meryl Stereep are among the first honorees. Novak received several offers during that time to film some major films and appear on high-profile television shows. In 2004, she appeared on Larry King Live, where she said she would return to the screen "if it was the right job." Novak was the recipient of a special tribute from the American Cinematheque in Hollywood, where her films were seen at Grauman's Egyptian Theatre in 2010. During a rare personal appearance with a Q&A onstage between Pal Joey and Bell, Book and Candle, and Candle, she received a standing ovation at her entrance.

Novak was recognized at the TCM Classic Film Festival in April 2012, where she opened a screening of Vertigo. She participated in a Q&A session with Robert Osborne in which she addressed her work and personal life. On March 6, 2013, Kim Novak: Live from the TCM Classic Film Festival aired on TCM. When discussing Liebestraum, Novak burst in tears. Novak nearly sobbed in front of the audience, "I couldn't do a film after that." I've never been to a movie since that. "I just couldn't do a movie after that." For those who had no idea why Novak made so few films, the interview was an eye-opener. Novak opened up to the audience that she never fully understood herself as an actress, and she said, "I wasn't diagnosed until much later." I go through more of the depression than the mania part of the story. Novak also stated, "I don't think I was ever cut out to have a Hollywood life."

"Did I do the right thing, leaving?

Did I walk out when I shouldn't have?

"I get sick" at this time. In a previous interview with fashion website LifeGoesStrong, Novak discussed the possibility of acting again. "Who knows what the future holds?" says the actress. It would take an awful lot to lure me out there, but I would never say never." Novak was also honored in a handprint and footprint ceremony at Grauman's Chinese Theatre during the TCM Festival. Novak received the San Francisco Museum and Historical Society's San Francisco Cinematic Icon Award that same year.

Novak began to make public appearances more often as she felt her body of work was being acknowledged more. She was named as the guest of honor by the Cannes Film Festival in 2013 and also attended the 2013 Festival, where she introduced a new updated version of Vertigo. She also appeared at the festival's closing ceremony as a hostess, receiving a standing ovation upon her arrival. She appeared at the 86th Academy Awards in 2014 as a host. She debuted her painting Vertigo / Vortex of Delusion at the TCM Classic Film Festival the same year as part of the TCM network's 20th anniversary. During the Festival, Novak also held a screening of her 1958 film Bell Book and Candle. Novak was also invited by Cunard Line to speak at board on board during a New York-to-London cruise on RMS Queen Mary 2. She performed Vertigo and Bell, Book and Candle, and a Q&A session with Hollywood actress Sue Cameron, who is also her boss, and conducteds a Q&A session. Novak exhibited her paintings at the Butler Institute of American Art together with Harley Brown and Richard McKinley.

Novak was in attendance at the 22nd Febiofest international film festival in 2015, where she received the Kristián Award for her contribution to world cinema and also had an exhibition of her paintings at the Strahov Monastery. At the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival, she hosted special screenings of Vertigo starring members of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and San Francisco Symphony Orchestra players. Novak was also invited by Turner Classic Movies to be a guest on their Caribbean cruise in 2016, where she sold five of her paintings and raised almost $7,000 for the prevention of teenage suicide by auctioning a framed giclée of her own.

In 2018, Novak participated in a Q&A session at the Grauman's Egyptian Theatre in honor of Vertigo's 60th anniversary. She was the recipient of a special sold-out tribute from the Castro Theatre the previous year.

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