Kim Novak Probably best known for her performance in Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo in 1958 and for being Columbia Pictures version of Marilyn Monroe. Born Marilyn Novak on February 13th 1933 in Chicago, Illinois to a railroad clerk of Czech heritage and a former teacher, Kim was raised in Catholic home along with her sister. At eighteen years of age, after graduating high school Kim embarked on a modeling career for teen fashions at a department store. With a scholarship to modeling school in hand she continued working as a model only part time. To support her self during her years in school she held down several jobs including elevator operator, dental assistant and a sales clerk. Novak moved to Los Angeles, where she continued with her modeling career until she landed a bit part appearing as a model standing on a stairway in the movie The French Line in 1954 which saw Novak starring with Jane Russell and Gilbert Roland. After being spotted by a talent agent, working for Columbia Pictures, Novak was signed for a six month contract at which point it was decided that Columbia would groom her to become their version of Marilyn Monroe. It was during this period that Kim’s name was changed from Marilyn to Kim, she insisted on keeping her sir name. Novak made the decision to take acting lessons which led to her landing the role of Lona McLane in the 1954 movie Pushover which saw her starring with Fred MacMurray and Dorothy Malone. Her looks, more than her initial talent won her roles in several more movies such as Phffft! in 1954 with Jack Lemmon and in 1955 she would team up with William Holden in Picnic, a film of sexual repression, animal heat, and desperation in small town America. The movie won Kim a Golden Globe for Most Promising Newcomer
Again in 1955 Novak starred opposite another Hollywood great, Frank Sinatra, in both The Man with the Golden Arm and Pal Joey which also starred Rita Hayworth. It was in 1958 when Kim really came to the public’s attention when she in Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo which saw her starring opposite James Stewart. She played a dual role in the movie and it became recognized as the actress’s most outstanding performance of her career. With hindsight, one of Novak’s most regrettable moves in the 1960’s was in turning down the role of Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffany’s, the role eventually went to Audrey Hepburn. More bad luck followed in the sixties when her home was destroyed by a mudslide which cost her her Picasso collection as well as much of her own work. During the sixties she turned down several strong roles which eventually saw her career waning but she did show a humorous side to her acting abilities when she starred in the cult classic Kiss Me, Stupid in 1964 and played opposite Dean Martin. Kim’s career revived somewhat in the 1970’s when she accepted roles the horror anthology film Tales That Witness Madness in 1973. In 1979, she played Helga in Just a Gigolo starring David Bowie, Lola Brewster in Agatha Christie's thriller The Mirror Crack'd where she played opposite Angela Lansbury, Tony Curtis, Edward Fox, Rock Hudson, and Elizabeth Taylor. During her years in Hollywood, Kim had two husbands, the first, an English actor Richard Johnson whom she married 1965 and divorced just a year later and her second husband, veterinarian Dr. Robert Malloy, whom she married in March 1976 and remains happily married to today. Now a days Kim spends most of her time caring for her animals, including llamas, and creating photographic nature studies. ABB | 
