Danish by descent, a native of Syracuse, New York, Phyllis Kirk had jobs as a waitress and a perfume counter clerk before she began a modeling career. Stage roles ensued before Hollywood beckoned; she was a contract player at MGM and then Warner Brothers, where in her most famous role she was stalked by Vincent Price's maniac sculptor in House of Wax (1953). Kirk's talents were better showcased on ...
show all Danish by descent, a native of Syracuse, New York, Phyllis Kirk had jobs as a waitress and a perfume counter clerk before she began a modeling career. Stage roles ensued before Hollywood beckoned; she was a contract player at MGM and then Warner Brothers, where in her most famous role she was stalked by Vincent Price's maniac sculptor in House of Wax (1953). Kirk's talents were better showcased on the small screen, where she had good dramatic roles on many of the era's prestige series (and consequently made the covers of TV Guide and Life). Her signature TV role was as Nora Charles, the daffy, fast-talking wife of Peter Lawford's The Thin Man (the 1957-59 NBC series). During her acting career, she also worked as an interviewer and writer for an ACLU newspaper; after she played her final roles in the 1970s, she went to work in public relations. She is now retired.
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