Person
Eva Novak
Saint Louis, Missouri, USA
Eva Barbara Novak (February 14, 1898 – April 17, 1988) was an American film actress, who was quite popular during the silent film era. On February 14, 1898, Eva Barbara Novak was…
IMDbKnown for
Popular titles
Photos
More stills of Eva Novak
Biography
A closer look
Read full biography
Eva Barbara Novak (February 14, 1898 – April 17, 1988) was an American film actress, who was quite popular during the silent film era. On February 14, 1898, Eva Barbara Novak was born in St. Louis, Missouri, to Joseph Jerome Novak, an immigrant from Bohemia, and Barbara Medek. Her older sister, Johana, also became an actress. Joseph Novak died when Eva was still a child and Barbara was left to raise five children. Novak began her acting career in 1917 in L-KO's Roped into Scandal, followed by another seven films that same year. She appeared in 17 films in 1918, and another eight in 1919. In 1920, she starred opposite Tom Mix in The Daredevil, one of six film roles she would have that year, and one of ten films in which she starred opposite Mix. In 1921, she married stuntman William Reed, whom she met while on location for a film. They had two daughters Vivian Barbara and Pamela Eve. Novak was interested in stunt performing herself, having been taught by Mix to perform many of her own stunts. From 1921 to 1928, she appeared in and starred in 48 films, including an early version of Boston Blackie. She also co-starred with Betty Bronson and Jack Benny in The Medicine Man (1930) and appeared in the 1922 film Chasing the Moon, which was an early forerunner of the 1950s film D.O.A. In the late 1920s, she and her husband moved to Australia, where she made numerous films, including The Romance of Runnibede. However, with the advent of "talking films", her popularity faded. She would continue to act, but mostly in obscure roles. She appeared in 123 films between 1917 and 1965, when she retired. She was residing in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles at the time of her death from pneumonia at the age of 90, on April 17, 1988. In May 1923, the Altoona Tribune held a contest to find the girl who most closely resembled Novak. An announcement in the newspaper said that the winner would receive $250 worth of clothes from a store.
Filmography
Movies and shows, newest first
-
1965
Wild Seed
Movie Mrs. Simms
-
1962
The Alfred Hitchcock Hour
TV show Mrs. Hayes
-
1962
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
Movie Townswoman (uncredited)
-
1960
Sergeant Rutledge
Movie Courtroom Spectator (uncredited)
-
1957
Duel at Apache Wells
Movie Mrs. Munn (uncredited)
-
1955
Tall Man Riding
Movie Mrs. Henderson (uncredited)
-
1950
Sunset Boulevard
Movie Courtier (uncredited)
-
1949
The Blonde Bandit
Movie Jail Matron
-
1949
Hellfire
Movie Indian Woman (uncredited)
-
1948
3 Godfathers
Movie Townswoman (uncredited)
-
1948
Four Faces West
Movie Mrs. Winston
-
1948
I, Jane Doe
Movie Jury Woman
-
1947
Blackmail
Movie Mamie, the Maid
-
1947
Robin Hood Of Texas
Movie Guest
-
1946
That Brennan Girl
Movie Miss Novak - Elderly Woman (uncredited)
-
1945
The Bells of St. Mary's
Movie Nun (uncredited)
More credits
-
1945
Apology for Murder
Movie Maid
-
1945
The Fatal Witness
Movie Elsie - Vera's Maid (uncredited)
-
1930
Phantom of the Desert
Movie Mary Van Horn
-
1930
The Medicine Man
Movie Hilda
-
1928
The Romance of Runnibede
Movie Dorothy Winchester
-
1927
For the Term of His Natural Life
Movie Sylvia Vickers
-
1927
Red Signals
Movie Mark Bryson
-
1926
30 Below Zero
Movie Ann Ralston
-
1926
No Man's Gold
Movie Jane Rogers
-
1926
The Dixie Flyer
Movie Rose Rapley / Rose Jones
-
1926
Say It with Babies
Movie
-
1926
Irene
Movie Eleanor Hadley
-
1925
The Northern Code
Movie Marie La Fane
-
1925
Sally
Movie Rosie Lafferty
-
1924
The Triflers
Movie Beatrice Noyes
-
1924
Laughing at Danger
Movie Carolyn Hollister
-
1924
Women First
Movie Jennie Doon
-
1924
The Beautiful Sinner
Movie Alice Carter
-
1924
The Fatal Mistake
Movie Ethel Bennett
-
1924
Racing for Life
Movie Grace Danton
-
1924
The Battling Fool
Movie Helen Chadwick
-
1924
Listen Lester
Movie Mary Dodge
-
1923
The Man Life Passed By
Movie Joy Moore
-
1923
Boston Blackie
Movie Mary Carter
