Phyllis Kirk, the wide-eyed beauty whose most memorable career moments saw her as Vincent Price's leading lady in the 3-D film House of Wax and as Nora Charles in the television series The Thin Man, died on October 19 in Woodland Hills, California from complications of a post-cerebral aneurysm. She was 79.

She was born Phyllis Kirkegaard on September 18, 1927 in Plainfield, New Jersey. She moved to New York City after high school to study acting from the acclaimed drama coach Sanford Meisner. She worked steadily there, honing her craft in several stage productions before moving into films in 1950. She made no less than four that year: Our Very Own, A Life of Her Own, Two Weeks with Love, & Mrs. O'Malley and Mr. Malone. All these films showcased her classic beauty, but not much else. She showed a knack for comedy in Three Guys Named Mike (1951) and worked well in a costume epic The Iron Mistress (1952) before she hooked up with director Andre De Toth. It was with him that she created her finest hours on screen. First, she was the potential victim whom Vincent Price wanted to encase in wax for his Marie Antoinette in the 3-D horror opus House of Wax (1953) and she was excellent as Gene Nelson's faithful wife who tries to help him escape his criminal past in the underrated noir Crime Wave (1954).

She was fine in those movies, but Kirk was ready to prove that she was more than just a pretty face and admirably chose to work in several live anthology dramas on the small screen in the mid-'50s. Programs such as The Ford Television Theatre, Robert Montgomery Presents, Playhouse 90 and Studio One all gave Kirk the chance to display her acting chops. She made one more popular comedy, The Sad Sack (1957) with Jerry Lewis that was a box-office hit, but Kirk wisely stuck with television, and she teamed with Peter Lawford to play Nora to his Nick Charles in The Thin Man (1957-59). Here they delivered two seasons of urbane wit and sophistication and proved worthy successors to their film counterparts William Powell and Myrna Loy.

After the series was cancelled, she continued to make television appearances on many popular shows: The Twilight Zone, The F.B.I. and The Name of the Game. Sadly, Kirk had to retire from acting in the early '70s when she had trouble walking, ailments she contributed to her childhood affliction with polio. Kirk would eventually settle into a second successful career in public relations with the CBS network. She is survived by a sister, Megan; two stepdaughters; and a step-granddaughter.

by Michael T. Toole