History Creator / KimNovak

* SweaterGirl: As seen in the page image, she was a notable exponent of this look in TheFifties.

* AlterEgoActing: An interesting thread in her career is that in several films she played characters who adopt a secondary persona over the course of the story (''Film/{{Vertigo}}''; ''Film/KissMeStupid''; ''Boys' Night Out''; ''Film/TheLegendOfLylahClare''). There was obviously personal resonance for her, as Marilyn Novak became Kim Novak, and it's also HarsherInHindsight with her bipolar issues.

Marilyn Pauline "Kim" Novak (born February 13, 1933) is a retired American actress who was one of the most popular Hollywood actresses of TheFifties and TheSixties, riding the EveryoneLovesBlondes wave after Creator/MarilynMonroe hit it big, though she managed to establish her own distinctive image and style.

* ''Film/{{Replica|2005}}'' (2005)--Not an actual film role, but she appears via ''Vertigo'' clips in this film from ''Film/{{Birdemic}}'' director James Nguyen.

By the mid-1960s Novak was burned out with acting, and started working more sporadically in films, preferring to focus on side projects like painting and poetry. As she approached middle age she shifted most of her acting to television, feeling that it was less demanding than film. By 1992 she retired completely from acting, the HostilityOnTheSet between her and director Mike Figgis in her final film to date ''Liebestraum'' (1991) becoming notorious, though she made the occasional public appearance at screenings of her classic films or awards events (including as a presenter at the [[UsefulNotes/AcademyAward Oscars]] in 2014, though most of the talk afterwards was about her extensive cosmetic surgery) and she also gives interviews once in a while. She was diagnosed with UsefulNotes/BipolarDisorder in her later years, and she's said that it was probably a big contributor to the instability of her earlier life.

* SweaterGirl: As seen in the page image, she was a notable exponent of this look in TheFifties.

Kim Novak (born 1933) was one of the most popular Hollywood actresses of TheFifties and TheSixties, riding the EveryoneLovesBlondes wave after Creator/MarilynMonroe hit it big, though she managed to establish her own distinctive image and style.

Born and raised in Chicago, Marilyn Pauline Novak changed her name to Kim to avoid confusion with [[Creator/MarilynMonroe you-know-who]]. While attending college she took a job with Thor Refrigerators as "Miss Deepfreeze", traveling around America posing alongside the company's products. While on a stop in Los Angeles in 1953, an agent discovered her and got her a contract with Creator/ColumbiaPictures.

The timing was perfect. Columbia's top female star, Creator/RitaHayworth, was starting to falter in popularity, and [[Creator/MarilynMonroe you-know-who]] had become a big sensation. Studio chief Harry Cohn decided to make Novak his version of Monroe. After a handful of films she finally had her StarMakingRole with ''Theatre/{{Picnic}}'' in 1955.

By the mid-1960s Novak was burned out with acting, and started working more sporadically in films, preferring to focus on side projects like painting and poetry. As she approached middle age she shifted most of her acting to television, feeling that it was less demanding than film. By 1992 she retired completely from acting, though she made the occasional public appearance at screenings of her classic films or awards events (including as a presenter at the [[UsefulNotes/AcademyAward Oscars]] in 2014, though most of the talk afterwards was about her extensive cosmetic surgery). She also gives interviews once in a while, most recently commenting on the [=#MeToo=] movement. She was diagnosed with UsefulNotes/BipolarDisorder in her later years, and she's said that it was probably a big contributor to the instability of her earlier life.

Often viewed as a PoorMansSubstitute for [[Creator/MarilynMonroe you-know-who]] (indeed, many of her roles came in projects originally intended for Monroe), Novak's acting has been VindicatedByHistory. In particular, her performance in ''Film/{{Vertigo}}'' has been praised as the key ingredient in that film's effectiveness.

!!Filmography:

* ''The French Line'' (1954)--her debut in a bit part.
* ''Pushover'' (1954)

* ''Son of Sinbad'' (1955)
* ''5 Against the House'' (1955)

* ''The Eddy Duchin Story'' (1956)
* ''Jeanne Eagels'' (1957)

* ''Strangers When We Meet'' (1960)
* ''Pepe'' (1960)
* ''The Notorious Landlady'' (1962)
* ''Boys' Night Out'' (1962)
* ''Of Human Bondage'' (1964)

* ''The Legend of Lylah Clare'' (1968)

* ''Just a Gigolo'' (1979)

* ''The Children'' (1990)
* ''Liebestraum'' (1991)--Her final film to date. The HostilityOnTheSet between her and director Mike Figgis became notorious.
* ''[[Film/Replica2005 Replica]]'' (2005)--Not an actual film role, but she appears via ''Vertigo'' clips in this film from ''Film/{{Birdemic}}'' director James Nguyen.

!! Tropes associated with her include:

By the mid-60s Novak was burned out with acting, and started working more sporadically in films, preferring to focus on side projects like painting and poetry. As she approached middle age she shifted most of her acting to television, feeling that it was less demanding than film. By 1992 she retired completely from acting, though she made the occasional public appearance at screenings of her classic films or awards events (including as a presenter at the [[UsefulNotes/AcademyAward Oscars]] in 2014, though most of the talk afterwards was about her extensive cosmetic surgery). She also gives interviews once in a while, most recently commenting on the [=#MeToo=] movement. She was diagnosed with UsefulNotes/BipolarDisorder in her later years, and she's said that it was probably a big contributor to the instability of her earlier life.

* CreatorCouple: Was at one point engaged to Richard Quine, who directed four of her films.
* FollowTheLeader: Columbia was very open about intending her as their answer to Creator/MarilynMonroe.
* ReclusiveArtist: Stepped away from the limelight starting in TheSeventies and generally has avoided publicity in her retirement.

By the mid-60s Novak was burned out with acting, and started working more sporadically in films, preferring to focus on side projects like painting and poetry. As she approached middle age she shifted most of her acting to television, feeling that it was less demanding than film. By 1992 she retired completely from acting, though she made the occasional public appearance at screenings of her classic films or awards events (including as a presenter at the [[UsefulNotes/AcademyAward Oscars]] in 2014, though most of the talk afterwards was about her extensive cosmetic surgery). She also gives interviews once in a while, most recently commenting on the [=#MeToo=] movement. She was also diagnosed with UsefulNotes/BipolarDisorder in her later years, and she's said that it was probably a big contributor to the instability of her earlier life.

By the mid-60s Novak was burned out with acting, and started working more sporadically in films, preferring to focus on side projects like painting and poetry. As she approached middle age she shifted most of her acting to television, feeling that it was less demanding than film. By 1992 she retired completely from acting, though she made the occasional public appearance at screenings of her classic films or awards events (including as a presenter at the [[UsefulNotes/AcademyAward Oscars]] in 2014, though most of the talk afterwards was about her extensive cosmetic surgery). She also gives interviews once in a while, most recently commenting on the [=#MeToo=] movement.

After that Novak was a fixture in American pop culture. She worked with many of the top directors of the era, like Creator/AlfredHitchcock and Creator/BillyWilder. Despite her blonde bombshell image, she established herself as an actress who was equally at home doing drama or comedy, and was capable of bringing multilayered complexity to her characters, with some hints of MethodActing in her performances. She also had a reputation of being a [[ThePerfectionist perfectionist]]. She'd often pass up surefire hits for more challenging projects, and sometimes clashed with co-stars and directors.

* ''Theater/{{Picnic}}'' (1955)

Often viewed as a PoorMansSubstitute for [[Creator/MarilynMonroe you-know-who]] (indeed, many of her roles came in projects originally intended for Monroe), Novak's acting has been more-and-more VindicatedByHistory. In particular, her performance in ''Film/{{Vertigo}}'' has been praised as the key ingredient in that film's effectiveness.

* ''Liebestraum'' (1991)--Her final film to date. It was a TroubledProduction that saw her [[CreativeDifferences clash constantly]] with director Mike Figgis.