Eva Novak
Encyclopedia
Jane Novak
-Background:Jane Novak was born in St. Louis, Missouri was born Johana B. Novak, daughter of Joseph, an immigrant from Bohemia, and Barbara Novak. Her father died when she was a child and her mother was left to raise 5 children. Novak attended convent school but ran away with a friend with whom...
and daughter of Joseph, an immigrant from Bohemia, and Barbara Novak.
She was born in St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
, starting her film acting career in 1917, with her first film role being in L-KO
L-KO Kompany
The L-KO Kompany, or L-KO Komedies, was an American motion picture company founded by Henry Lehrman that produced silent one-, two- and very occasionally three-reel comedy shorts between 1914 and 1919...
's Roped into Scandal, followed by another seven films that same year. She would appear in seventeen films in 1918, and another eight in 1919. In 1920 she starred opposite Tom Mix
Tom Mix
Thomas Edwin "Tom" Mix was an American film actor and the star of many early Western movies. He made a reported 336 films between 1910 and 1935, all but nine of which were silent features...
in The Daredevil, one of six film roles she would have that year, and one of ten films in which she starred opposite Tom Mix.
In 1921 she married stuntman
Stunt performer
A stuntman, or daredevil is someone who performs dangerous stunts, often as a career.These stunts are sometimes rigged so that they look dangerous while still having safety mechanisms, but often they are as dangerous as they appear to be...
William Reed
William Reed
William Reed was a U.S. Representative from Massachusetts.Born in Marblehead, Massachusetts, Reed received a limited education. He engaged in mercantile pursuits....
, meeting while on location for a film, and being interested in stunt performing herself, having been taught by Tom 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
Boston Blackie
Boston Blackie is a fictional character created by author Jack Boyle . Originally a jewel thief and safecracker in Boyle's novels, he became a detective in adaptations for films, radio and television—an "enemy to those who make him an enemy, friend to those who have no friend."-Literature:Jack...
. She also co-starred with Betty Bronson
Betty Bronson
Betty Bronson was an American television and film actress who began her career during the silent film era. She was a famous actress in silent and sound films.-Film career:...
and Jack Benny
Jack Benny
Jack Benny was an American comedian, vaudevillian, and actor for radio, television, and film...
in The Medicine Man 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
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
where she made numerous films, including The Romance of Runnibede
The Romance of Runnibede
The Romance of Runnibede is a 1928 Australian silent film about a squatter's daughter who is pursued by two men and kidnapped by some local aborigines. The director, Scott Dunlap, was imported from America.-External links:...
. 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
1917 in film
The year 1917 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*Foundation of Universum Film AG , as a propaganda film company, in Berlin.*Technicolor System 1, a two-color process, is introduced...
to 1965
1965 in film
The year 1965 in film involved some significant events, with The Sound of Music topping the U.S. box office.-Top grossing films : After theatrical re-issue- Awards :Academy Awards:...
, retiring in the latter. She was residing in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles at the time of her death from pneumonia
Pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
, on April 17, 1988.
Selected filmography
- The King of the KitchenThe King of the KitchenThe King of the Kitchen is a 1918 silent comedy film featuring Oliver Hardy.-Cast:* Harry Gribbon - The chef* Rosa Gore - Owner of the house * Eva Novak - Her niece* May Emory - A crooked lady...
(1918) - The Freckled FishThe Freckled FishThe Freckled Fish is a 1919 silent comedy film featuring Oliver Hardy.-Cast:* Chai Hong - Chai Chow* Oliver Hardy - Solomon Soopmeat * Eva Novak...
(1919) - Sky HighSky High (1922 film)Sky High is a 1922 American silent film written and directed by Lynn Reynolds and starring Tom Mix, J. Farrell MacDonald, Eva Novak, and Sid Jordan...
(1922) - Listen Lester (1924)
- A Beautiful Sinner (1925)
- Say It with BabiesSay It with BabiesSay It with Babies is a 1926 silent comedy film featuring Oliver Hardy.-Cast:* Glenn Tryon - Casper Crum* Vivien Oakland - Mrs. Crum* Oliver Hardy - Hector, the floorwalker * Martha Sleeper - His wife...
(1926) - The Romance of RunnibedeThe Romance of RunnibedeThe Romance of Runnibede is a 1928 Australian silent film about a squatter's daughter who is pursued by two men and kidnapped by some local aborigines. The director, Scott Dunlap, was imported from America.-External links:...
(1927)