Eva Novak
- Known for
- Acting
- Born
- February 14, 1898
- Died
- April 17, 1988
- Birthplace
- 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 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
Wild Seed 1965
as Mrs. Simms
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance 1962
as Townswoman (uncredited)
Sergeant Rutledge 1960
as Courtroom Spectator (uncredited)
Duel at Apache Wells 1957
as Mrs. Munn (uncredited)
Tall Man Riding 1955
as Mrs. Henderson (uncredited)
Sunset Boulevard 1950
as Courtier (uncredited)
The Blonde Bandit 1949
as Jail Matron
Hellfire 1949
as Indian Woman (uncredited)
3 Godfathers 1948
as Townswoman (uncredited)
Four Faces West 1948
as Mrs. Winston
I, Jane Doe 1948
as Jury Woman
Blackmail 1947
as Mamie, the Maid
Robin Hood Of Texas 1947
as Guest
That Brennan Girl 1946
as Miss Novak - Elderly Woman (uncredited)
The Bells of St. Mary's 1945
as Nun (uncredited)
Apology for Murder 1945
as Maid
The Fatal Witness 1945
as Elsie - Vera's Maid (uncredited)
Phantom of the Desert 1930
as Mary Van Horn
The Medicine Man 1930
as Hilda
- The Romance of Runnibede
The Romance of Runnibede 1928
as Dorothy Winchester
For the Term of His Natural Life 1927
as Sylvia Vickers
Red Signals 1927
as Mark Bryson
30 Below Zero 1926
as Ann Ralston
No Man's Gold 1926
as Jane Rogers
The Dixie Flyer 1926
as Rose Rapley / Rose Jones
Say It with Babies 1926
Actor
Irene 1926
as Eleanor Hadley
The Northern Code 1925
as Marie La Fane
Sally 1925
as Rosie Lafferty
The Triflers 1924
as Beatrice Noyes
Laughing at Danger 1924
as Carolyn Hollister
Women First 1924
as Jennie Doon
- The Beautiful Sinner
The Beautiful Sinner 1924
as Alice Carter
The Fatal Mistake 1924
as Ethel Bennett
Racing for Life 1924
as Grace Danton
The Battling Fool 1924
as Helen Chadwick
Listen Lester 1924
as Mary Dodge
The Man Life Passed By 1923
as Joy Moore
Boston Blackie 1923
as Mary Carter
The Tiger's Claw 1923
as Harriet Halehurst
Temptation 1923
as Marjorie Baldwin
Dollar Devils 1923
as Amy Andrews
- Making a Man
Making a Man 1922
as Patricia Owens
The Great Night 1922
as Mollie Martin
The Man Who Saw Tomorrow 1922
as Vonia
The Man from Hell's River 1922
as Mabella
Up and Going 1922
as Jackie McNabb
Chasing the Moon 1922
as Jane Norworth
Sky High 1922
as Estelle Halloway - his ward
Trailin' 1921
as Sally Fortune
The Last Trail 1921
as Winifred Samson
The Rough Diamond 1921
as Gloria Gómez
Wolves of the North 1921
as Aurora Norris
The Smart Sex 1921
as Rose
Society Secrets 1921
as Louise
O'Malley of the Mounted 1921
as Rose Lanier
The Torrent 1921
as Velma Patton
The Testing Block 1920
as Nelly Gray
Wanted at Headquarters 1920
Actor
- Up in Mary's Attic
Up in Mary's Attic 1920
as Mary
Desert Love 1920
as Dolly Remington
The Daredevil 1920
as Alice Spencer
Silk Husbands and Calico Wives 1920
as Georgia Wilson
The Feud 1919
as Betty Summers / Betty Brown
The Speed Maniac 1919
as Pearl Matthews
- All Jazzed Up
All Jazzed Up 1919
as Dainty Dotty
- The King of the Kitchen
The King of the Kitchen 1918
as Her niece
The Belles of Liberty 1918
as Trixie
A Blind Pig 1918
as The Sheriff's Daughter
The Sign of the Cucumber 1917
Actor
Hearts and Flour 1917
Actor
Credits from TMDB.