Early life and career
Born
Phyllis Kirkegaard in
Syracuse, New YorkSyracuse is a city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States, the largest U.S. city with the name "Syracuse", and the fifth most populous city in the state. At the 2010 census, the city population was 145,170, and its metropolitan area had a population of 742,603...
(some sources state
Plainfield, New JerseyPlainfield is a city in Union County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population increased to a record high of 49,808....
), she contracted polio as a child which resulted in health problems for the rest of her life. As a teen, she moved to
New York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
to study acting and changed her last name to "Kirk". She began her career on
BroadwayBroadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
before embarking on a television and film career.
Kirk is best known for her many roles throughout the 1950s. She appeared with
Vincent PriceVincent Leonard Price, Jr. was an American actor, well known for his distinctive voice and serio-comic attitude in a series of horror films made in the latter part of his career.-Early life and career:Price was born in St...
in the
3-DA 3-D film or S3D film is a motion picture that enhances the illusion of depth perception...
horror film
House of WaxHouse of Wax is a 1953 American horror film starring Vincent Price. It is a remake of Warners' Mystery of the Wax Museum without the comic relief featured in the earlier film, and was directed by André de Toth...
in 1953. Her most notable television role was opposite
Peter LawfordPeter Sydney Ernest Aylen , better known as Peter Lawford, was an English-American actor.He was a member of the "Rat Pack", and brother-in-law to US President John F. Kennedy, perhaps more noted in later years for his off-screen activities as a celebrity than for his acting...
in
The Thin ManThe Thin Man is a half-hour weekly television series based on the mystery novel The Thin Man by Dashiell Hammett. The 72 episodes were produced by MGM Television and shown on NBC for two seasons from 1957–1959 on Friday evening.-Overview:...
(1957—1959), where they played
Nick and Nora CharlesNick and Nora Charles are fictional characters created by Dashiell Hammett in his novel The Thin Man. The characters were later adapted for film in a series of movies between 1934 and 1947; for radio from 1941 to 1950; for television from 1957 through 1959; as a Broadway musical in 1991; and as a...
. She also appeared with
Jerry LewisJerry Lewis is an American comedian, actor, singer, film producer, screenwriter and film director. He is best known for his slapstick humor in film, television, stage and radio. He was originally paired up with Dean Martin in 1946, forming the famed comedy team of Martin and Lewis...
in his 1957 film
The Sad SackThe Sad Sack is a 1957 Paramount Pictures comedy film starring Jerry Lewis and Peter Lorre.-Plot:Lewis plays Private Meredith Bixby, who cannot fall in line with army procedure, even though he has had 17 months of training. A psychologist , is assigned to make him into a good soldier, and she...
, with
Robert RyanRobert Bushnell Ryan was an American actor who often played hardened cops and ruthless villains.-Early life and career:...
,
Anita EkbergKerstin Anita Marianne Ekberg is a Swedish model, actress and cult sex symbol. She is best known for her role as Sylvia in the 1960 Federico Fellini film La Dolce Vita which features the legendary scene of her cavorting in Trevi Fountain alongside Marcello Mastroianni.-Biography:Ekberg was born in...
, and
Rod SteigerRodney Stephen "Rod" Steiger was an Academy Award-winning American actor known for his performances in such films as On the Waterfront, The Big Knife, Oklahoma!, The Harder They Fall, Across the Bridge, The Pawnbroker, Doctor Zhivago, In the Heat of the Night, and Waterloo as well as the...
in the 1956 film
Back from Eternity. Kirk was a regular on
The Red Buttons Show and appeared as a guest on some
television programA television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
s, including an episode of
The Twilight ZoneThe Twilight Zone is an American anthology television series created by Rod Serling, which ran for five seasons on CBS from 1959 to 1964. The series consisted of unrelated episodes depicting paranormal, futuristic, dystopian, or simply disturbing events; each show typically featured a surprising...
("
A World of His Own"A World of His Own" is an episode of the American television anthology series The Twilight Zone, and is the last episode of the show's first season.-Synopsis:...
").
As her acting career slowed down, Kirk began serving as an activist for various social causes. She vocally opposed
death rowDeath row signifies the place, often a section of a prison, that houses individuals awaiting execution. The term is also used figuratively to describe the state of awaiting execution , even in places where no special facility or separate unit for condemned inmates exists.After individuals are found...
inmate
Caryl ChessmanCaryl Whittier Chessman was a convicted robber and rapist who gained fame as a death row inmate in California. Chessman's case attracted worldwide attention, and as a result he became a cause célèbre for the movement to ban capital punishment.-Crime and conviction:Born in St...
's death sentence and visited Chessman in prison until his execution in 1960. After the
Watts RiotsThe Watts Riots or the Watts Rebellion was a civil disturbance in the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles, California from August 11 to August 15, 1965. The 5-day riot resulted in 34 deaths, 1,032 injuries, and 3,438 arrests...
in 1965, she funded preschool programs for underprivileged families in
South Los AngelesSouth Los Angeles, often abbreviated as South L.A. and formerly South Central Los Angeles, is the official name for a large geographic and cultural portion lying to the southwest and southeast of downtown Los Angeles, California. The area was formerly called South Central, and is still widely known...
. She also granted interviews and wrote for the
American Civil Liberties UnionThe American Civil Liberties Union is a U.S. non-profit organization whose stated mission is "to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States." It works through litigation, legislation, and...
newspaper. Kirk made her last onscreen appearance in a 1970 episode of
The F.B.I. before leaving show business altogether to enter
public relationsPublic relations is the actions of a corporation, store, government, individual, etc., in promoting goodwill between itself and the public, the community, employees, customers, etc....
. She worked as a publicist for
CBS NewsCBS News is the news division of American television and radio network CBS. The current chairman is Jeff Fager who is also the executive producer of 60 Minutes, while the current president of CBS News is David Rhodes. CBS News' flagship program is the CBS Evening News, hosted by the network's main...
, retiring in 1992.
Personal life
Kirk was married to
television producerThe primary role of a television Producer is to allow all aspects of video production, ranging from show idea development and cast hiring to shoot supervision and fact-checking...
and
screenwriterScreenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
Warren Bush until his death in 1992.
Death
Kirk died on October 19, 2006 of a post-
cerebral aneurysmA cerebral or brain aneurysm is a cerebrovascular disorder in which weakness in the wall of a cerebral artery or vein causes a localized dilation or ballooning of the blood vessel.- Signs and symptoms :...
at age 79 in
Woodland Hills, CaliforniaWoodland Hills is a district in the city of Los Angeles, California.Woodland Hills is located in the southwestern area of the San Fernando Valley, east of Calabasas and west of Tarzana, with Warner Center in its northern section...
. She was buried with her husband Warren Bush in the
Arlington National CemeteryArlington National Cemetery in Arlington County, Virginia, is a military cemetery in the United States of America, established during the American Civil War on the grounds of Arlington House, formerly the estate of the family of Confederate general Robert E. Lee's wife Mary Anna Lee, a great...
in
VirginiaThe Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
.
Filmography
| Film |
| Year |
Film |
Role |
Notes |
| 1950 |
Our Very Own Our Very Own is a 1950 American drama film directed by David Miller. The screenplay by F. Hugh Herbert focuses on a teenaged girl who learns she was adopted as an infant.-Plot:...
|
Zaza |
|
| A Life of Her Own |
Jerry |
|
| Two Weeks with Love |
Valerie Stresemann |
|
| Mrs. O'Malley and Mr. Malone Mrs. O'Malley and Mr. Malone is a 1950 comedy/murder mystery film set on board a train. It stars Marjorie Main and James Whitmore. It is based on the short story "Once Upon a Train " by Stuart Palmer and Craig Rice.-Cast:...
|
Kay, Malone's Secretary |
|
| 1951 |
Three Guys Named Mike |
Kathy Hunter |
|
| 1952 |
Just This Once |
Young Lover on Ferry |
Uncredited |
| About Face |
Alice Wheatley |
|
| The Iron Mistress |
Ursula de Varamendi |
|
| Stop, You're Killing Me |
Nurse |
Uncredited |
| 1953 |
House of WaxHouse of Wax is a 1953 American horror film starring Vincent Price. It is a remake of Warners' Mystery of the Wax Museum without the comic relief featured in the earlier film, and was directed by André de Toth...
|
Sue Allen |
|
| Thunder Over the Plains |
Norah Porter |
|
| 1954 |
Crime WaveCrime Wave is a 1954 film noir, directed by André De Toth. It was adapted from a short story which originally appeared in The Saturday Evening Post - Criminal Mark by John and Ward Hawkins.-Plot:...
|
Ellen Lacey |
Alternative title: The City is Dark |
| River Beat |
Judy Roberts |
|
| 1955 |
Canyon Crossroads |
Katherine Rand |
|
| 1956 |
Johnny Concho Johnny Concho is a 1956 film starring Frank Sinatra, Phyllis Kirk and Keenan Wynn and directed by Don McGuire. Sinatra's role allowed him to play against type in his portrayal of the film's villain.-Plot:...
|
Mary Dark |
|
| Back from Eternity Back from Eternity is a 1956 drama film about a planeload of people stranded in the South American jungle and subsequently menaced by headhunters. It is a remake of an earlier 1939 film, Five Came Back, starred Chester Morris and Lucille Ball, also directed and produced by John Farrow...
|
Louise Melhorn |
|
| 1957 |
That Woman Opposite That Woman Opposite is a 1957 British crime drama, directed by Compton Bennett and starring Phyllis Kirk, Dan O'Herlihy and William Franklyn...
|
Eve Atwood |
Alternative title: City After Midnight |
| The Sad Sack The Sad Sack is a 1957 Paramount Pictures comedy film starring Jerry Lewis and Peter Lorre.-Plot:Lewis plays Private Meredith Bixby, who cannot fall in line with army procedure, even though he has had 17 months of training. A psychologist , is assigned to make him into a good soldier, and she...
|
Major Shelton |
|
| Television |
| Year |
Title |
Role |
Notes |
| 1952 |
The Philco Television PlayhouseThe Philco Television Playhouse, a live television anthology series sponsored by Philco, was telecast from 1948 to 1955. Produced by Fred Coe, the NBC series was seen on Sundays from 9:00pm to 10:00pm...
|
Dolly |
1 episode |
| Tales of Tomorrow Tales of Tomorrow is an American anthology science fiction series that was performed and broadcast live on ABC from 1951 to 1953. The series covered such stories as Frankenstein, starring Lon Chaney, Jr., 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea starring Thomas Mitchell as Captain Nemo, and many others...
|
|
1 episode |
| 1952–1956 |
Studio One |
Various roles |
4 episodes |
| 1953 |
World by the Tail |
|
Television movie A television film is a feature film that is a television program produced for and originally distributed by a television network, in contrast to...
|
| Armstrong Circle Theatre Armstrong Circle Theatre is an American anthology drama television series which ran from 1950 to 1957 on NBC, and then until 1963 on CBS. It alternated weekly with The U.S. Steel Hour.-Synopsis:...
|
|
1 episode |
The United States Steel HourThe United States Steel Hour is an anthology series which brought hour-long dramas to television from 1953 to 1963. The television series and the radio program that preceded it were both sponsored by the United States Steel Corporation....
|
Betty Lou |
1 episode |
| 1953–1954 |
Lux Video Theatre Lux Video Theatre, is a weekly television anthology series that was produced from 1950 until 1959. The series presented both comedy and drama in original teleplays, as well as abridged adaptations of films and plays....
|
|
2 episodes |
| Goodyear Television Playhouse The Goodyear Television Playhouse produced live television dramas from 1951 to 1957 during the "Golden Age of Television".Sponsored by Goodyear, the hour-long anthology series was telecast Sundays at 9pm on NBC...
|
Girl |
3 episodes |
| The Web |
Meg Loomis |
2 episodes |
| 1953–1957 |
Robert Montgomery PresentsRobert Montgomery Presents is an American dramatic television series which was produced by NBC from January 30, 1950 until June 24, 1957. The live show had several sponsors during its seven-year run, and the title was altered to feature the sponsor, usually Lucky Strike cigarettes, for example,...
|
Various roles |
4 episodes |
| 1954 |
Suspense |
|
1 episode |
| Your Show of Shows Your Show of Shows is a live 90-minute variety show that appeared weekly in the United States on NBC , from February 25, 1950, until June 5, 1954, featuring Sid Caesar and Imogene Coca....
|
|
1 episode |
| Justice Justice is an NBC half-hour drama television series about attorneys of the Legal Aid Society of New York, which aired from April 8, 1954 to March 25, 1956. In the 1954-1955 season, Justice starred Dane Clark as Richard Adams and Gary Merrill as Jason Tyler. In the 1955-1956 season, William Prince...
|
|
1 episode |
| 1955 |
Appointment with Adventure Appointment with Adventure is a half-hour adventure/dramatic anthology television series broadcast live on CBS from 1955-1956. The program has no host. It aired at 10 p.m...
(CBS anthology series) |
|
1 episode |
| Playwrights '56 |
Girl friend |
1 episode |
| Letter to Loretta |
Jess Blackston |
1 episode |
| The Red Buttons Show |
Regular performer |
Unknown episodes |
| 1955–1956 |
Climax! |
Various roles |
3 episodes |
| 1956 |
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars Schlitz Playhouse of Stars, is a weekly CBS anthology television series, was telecast on Friday nights from 1951 until 1959. Offering both comedies and drama, the series was sponsored by Schlitz beer...
|
Barbara Hunter |
1 episode |
| Celebrity Playhouse |
Laurie Westbrook |
2 episodes |
| Playhouse 90 Playhouse 90 is an American television anthology series that was telecast on CBS from 1956 to 1960 for a total of 133 episodes. It originated from CBS Television City in Los Angeles, California...
|
Nancy Tennant |
1 episode |
| 1956–1957 |
The Ford Television Theatre |
Various roles |
4 episodes |
| 1957 |
The Errol Flynn Theatre |
|
2 episodes |
| The 20th Century Fox Hour The 20th Century Fox Hour is an American drama anthology series televised in the United States on CBS from 1955 to 1957. Some of the shows in this series were restored, remastered and shown on the Fox Movie Channel in 2002 under the title Hour of Stars...
|
Barbara Sherwood |
1 episode |
| 1957–1959 |
The Thin Man The Thin Man is a half-hour weekly television series based on the mystery novel The Thin Man by Dashiell Hammett. The 72 episodes were produced by MGM Television and shown on NBC for two seasons from 1957–1959 on Friday evening.-Overview:...
|
Nora Charles |
72 episodes |
| May 22, 1958 |
The Ford Show, Starring Tennessee Ernie Ford The Ford Show is a half-hour comedy/variety program, starring singer and folk humorist Tennessee Ernie Ford, which aired in color on NBC television on Thursday evenings from October 4, 1956 to June 29, 1961....
|
Herself |
1 episode |
| 1960 |
Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theater Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre, sometimes simply called Zane Grey Theatre, is an American Western anthology series which ran on CBS from 1956 to 1961.-Overview:Zane Grey Theatre was created by Luke Short and Charles A. Wallace...
|
Ann Bagley |
1 episode |
The Twilight ZoneThe Twilight Zone is an American anthology television series created by Rod Serling, which ran for five seasons on CBS from 1959 to 1964. The series consisted of unrelated episodes depicting paranormal, futuristic, dystopian, or simply disturbing events; each show typically featured a surprising...
|
Victoria West |
Episode: "A World of His Own"A World of His Own" is an episode of the American television anthology series The Twilight Zone, and is the last episode of the show's first season.-Synopsis:...
" |
| 1970 |
The F.B.I. |
Nora Tobin |
1 episode |
Award nominations
| Year |
Award |
Result |
Category |
Series |
| 1959 |
Emmy Award The Primetime Emmy Awards are awards presented by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in recognition of excellence in American primetime television programming...
|
Nominated |
Best Actress in a Leading Role (Continuing Character) in a Dramatic Series This is a list of winners of the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress – a Drama Series.-Superlatives:-1950s:*1952: Helen Hayes*1953: no award*1954: Loretta Young – The Loretta Young Show*1955: no award...
|
The Thin Man |
External links