1898-02-14 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.
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Wild Seed | Mrs. Simms | 1965-05-05 |
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The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance | Townswoman (uncredited) | 1962-04-13 |
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Sergeant Rutledge | Courtroom Spectator (uncredited) | 1960-05-25 |
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Duel at Apache Wells | Mrs. Munn (uncredited) | 1957-01-25 |
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Tall Man Riding | Mrs. Henderson (uncredited) | 1955-06-18 |
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Sunset Boulevard | Courtier (uncredited) | 1950-08-10 |
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The Blonde Bandit | Jail Matron | 1949-12-22 |
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Hellfire | 1949-05-29 | |
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I, Jane Doe | Jury Woman | 1948-05-25 |
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Four Faces West | Mrs. Winston | 1948-08-03 |
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3 Godfathers | Townswoman (uncredited) | 1948-12-31 |
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Blackmail | Mamie, the Maid | 1947-07-24 |
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Robin Hood Of Texas | Guest | 1947-07-15 |
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That Brennan Girl | Miss Novak - Elderly Woman (uncredited) | 1946-12-23 |
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The Fatal Witness | Elsie - Vera's Maid (uncredited) | 1945-09-15 |
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The Bells of St. Mary's | Nun (uncredited) | 1945-12-27 |
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Apology for Murder | Maid | 1945-09-27 |
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Phantom of the Desert | Mary Van Horn | 1930-11-01 |
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The Medicine Man | Hilda | 1930-06-14 |
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Red Signals | Mark Bryson | 1927-03-01 |
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For the Term of His Natural Life | Sylvia Vickers | 1927-06-20 |
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Irene | Eleanor Hadley | 1926-01-24 |
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No Man's Gold | Jane Rogers | 1926-08-29 |
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The Dixie Flyer | Rose Rapley / Rose Jones | 1926-07-29 |
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30 Below Zero | Ann Ralston | 1926-10-31 |
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Say It with Babies | 1926-05-16 | |
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The Northern Code | Marie La Fane | 1925-10-13 |
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Sally | Rosie Lafferty | 1925-03-29 |
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The Beautiful Sinner | Alice Carter | 1924-10-01 |
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The Triflers | Beatrice Noyes | 1924-12-15 |
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Racing for Life | Grace Danton | 1924-08-08 |
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The Battling Fool | Helen Chadwick | 1924-08-01 |
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Laughing at Danger | Carolyn Hollister | 1924-11-23 |
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The Man Life Passed By | Joy Moore | 1923-12-24 |
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Boston Blackie | Mary Carter | 1923-05-06 |
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Temptation | Marjorie Baldwin | 1923-03-01 |
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The Tiger's Claw | Harriet Halehurst | 1923-04-22 |
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The Man from Hell's River | Mabella | 1922-05-01 |
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Sky High | Estelle Halloway - his ward | 1922-01-15 |
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Making a Man | Patricia Owens | 1922-12-17 |
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The Great Night | Mollie Martin | 1922-12-03 |
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Chasing the Moon | Jane Norworth | 1922-02-26 |
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Up and Going | Jackie McNabb | 1922-04-22 |
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Wolves of the North | Aurora Norris | 1921-04-16 |
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The Torrent | Velma Patton | 1921-01-22 |
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Trailin' | Sally Fortune | 1921-12-11 |
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The Last Trail | Winifred Samson | 1921-11-01 |
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The Rough Diamond | Gloria Gómez | 1921-10-30 |
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Society Secrets | Louise | 1921-02-18 |
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O'Malley of the Mounted | Rose Lanier | 1921-02-06 |
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The Smart Sex | Rose | 1921-03-16 |
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Up in Mary's Attic | Mary | 1920-07-01 |
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Desert Love | Dolly Remington | 1920-04-20 |
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Wanted at Headquarters | 1920-10-25 | |
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The Daredevil | Alice Spencer | 1920-03-07 |
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The Testing Block | Nelly Gray | 1920-12-26 |
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The Feud | Betty Summers / Betty Brown | 1919-12-07 |
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The Speed Maniac | Pearl Matthews | 1919-10-10 |
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All Jazzed Up | Dainty Dotty | 1919-06-11 |
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The King of the Kitchen | Her niece | 1918-10-30 |
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A Blind Pig | The Sheriff's Daughter | 1918-06-12 |
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The Belles of Liberty | Trixie | 1918-07-10 |
