Eva Novak

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 LKOs 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 costarred 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 DOA 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