Thursday 19 October 2017

PHYLLIS KIRK ,HOLLIWOOD ACTRESS DIED 2006, OCTOBER 19


PHYLLIS KIRK ,HOLLIWOOD ACTRESS 
DIED 2006, OCTOBER 19




Phyllis Kirk (born Phyllis Kirkegaard; September 18, 1927 – October 19, 2006)[1] was an American actress.

Early life[edit source]

Kirk was born in Syracuse, New York,[2] although some sources state her birthplace as Plainfield, New Jersey. She contracted polio as a child, which resulted in health problems for the rest of her life.[3] Kirk graduated from Battin High School, Elizabeth, New Jersey.

Career[edit source]
As a teenager, Kirk moved to New York City to study acting and changed her last name from Kirkegaard to Kirk. She began her career on Broadway before embarking on a television and film career.[4]

Kirk is best known for her many roles throughout the 1950s. She appeared with Vincent Price in the 3-D horror film House of Wax (1953). Her most notable television role was opposite Peter Lawford in The Thin Man (1957–1959), wherein they played Nick and Nora Charles. A newspaper columnist described what distinguished Kirk's role in the program: "[I]t's her brains that keep her flying high on 'The Thin Man' series."[5]

She also appeared with Jerry Lewis in his 1957 film The Sad Sack and the 1956 film Back from Eternity. Kirk was a regular on The Red Buttons Show and appeared as a guest on some television programs, including an episode of The Twilight Zone ("A World of His Own"). As her acting career slowed down, Kirk began serving as an activist for various social causes. She vocally opposed death row inmate Caryl Chessman's death sentence and visited Chessman in prison until his execution in 1960. After the Watts Riots in 1965, she funded preschool programs for underprivileged families in South Los Angeles.[4]

She granted interviews and wrote for the American Civil Liberties Union newspaper. Kirk made her last onscreen appearance in a 1970 episode of The F.B.I. before leaving show business altogether to enter public relations. She worked as a publicist for CBS News, and retired in 1992.[6]

Personal life[edit source]

Kirk was married to television producer and screenwriter Warren Bush until his death in 1992.[6] A Democrat, she attended the 1960 Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles, California.[7]



Death[edit source]
On October 19, 2006, Kirk died of a cerebral aneurysm at age 79 in Woodland Hills, California.[8] She was buried with her husband Warren Bush in the Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.
















Filmography[edit source]

Film[edit source]

YearTitleRoleNotes
1950Our Very OwnZaza
1950A Life of Her OwnJerry
1950Two Weeks with LoveValerie Stresemann
1950Mrs. O'Malley and Mr. MaloneKay
1951Three Guys Named MikeKathy Hunter
1952Just This OnceYoung Lover on FerryUncredited
1952About FaceAlice Wheatley
1952The Iron MistressUrsula de Varamendi
1952Stop, You're Killing MeNurseUncredited
1953House of WaxSue Allen
1953Thunder Over the PlainsNorah Porter
1953World by the TailTelevision film
1954Crime WaveEllen Lacey
1954River BeatJudy Roberts
1955Canyon CrossroadsKatherine Rand
1956Johnny ConchoMary Dark
1956Back from EternityLouise Melhorn
1957That Woman OppositeEve Atwood
1957The Sad SackMajor Shelton

Television[edit source]

YearTitleRoleNotes
1952The Philco Television PlayhouseDolly1 episode
1952Tales of Tomorrow1 episode
1952–1956Studio OneVarious Characters4 episodes
1953Armstrong Circle Theatre1 episode
1953The United States Steel HourBetty Lou1 episode
1953–1954Lux Video Theatre2 episodes
1953–1954Goodyear Television PlayhouseGirl3 episodes
1953–1954The WebMeg Loomis2 episodes
1953–1957Robert Montgomery PresentsVarious Characters4 episodes
1954Suspense1 episode
1954Your Show of Shows1 episode
1954Justice1 episode
1955Appointment with Adventure (CBS anthology series)1 episode
1955Playwrights '56Girl Friend1 episode
1955Letter to LorettaJess Blackston1 episode
1955The Red Buttons ShowVarious CharactersUnknown episodes
1955–1956Climax!Various Characters3 episodes
1956Schlitz Playhouse of StarsBarbara Hunter1 episode
1956Celebrity PlayhouseLaurie Westbrook2 episodes
1956Playhouse 90Nancy Tennant1 episode
1956–1957The Ford Television TheatreVarious Characters4 episodes
1957The Errol Flynn Theatre2 episodes
1957The 20th Century Fox HourBarbara Sherwood1 episode
1957–1959The Thin ManNora Charles72 episodes
1958The Ford Show, Starring Tennessee Ernie FordHerself1 episode
1960Dick Powell's Zane Grey TheaterAnn Bagley1 episode
1960The Twilight ZoneVictoria WestEpisode: "A World of His Own"
1970The F.B.I.Nora Tobin1 episode

Award nominations[edit source]


YearAwardCategorySeriesResult
1959Emmy AwardBest Actress in a Leading Role (Continuing Character) in a Dramatic SeriesThe Thin ManNominated

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