Nancy Kovack (1935-)

biography

Born in Flint, Michigan, on March 11, 1935, Nancy Kovack is a rare example of an actress with the gifts of talent, beauty, and brains. As a teenager racking up beauty contest titles in her native Michigan, the stunning glamour girl also proved to be brilliant as well. With a reported IQ of 158, she graduated from the University of Michigan before the age of 20. By the late 1950s, Kovack found herself in New York working in television. Getting great notices and rave reviews, Columbia Studios offered the gorgeous actress a contract, which she signed in late 1959.


Her first film was the Kirk Douglas vehicle Strangers When We Meet (1960; with Kim Novak, Ernie Kovacs, and Barbara Rush). The following year, she landed a regular slot as a prize girl on the Mark Goodson-Bill Todman Productions game show Number Please, hosted by Bud Collyer. A few more supporting roles in films followed until her big break came in the Columbia western The Wild Westerners (1962; with Duane Eddy and Guy Mitchell). Kovack stuck with Columbia through the late 1960s. To fill in between film roles, she made guest appearances on a number of popular television programs, including Perry Mason, Batman, and Star Trek. She made several appearances on the ABC TV series Bewitched, usually in the role of Darrin's devious former girlfriend Shelia. While she often acted in westerns and played the femme fatale, Kovack also displayed a keen talent for comedy.

the films of nancy kovack

The Wild Westerners (1962)

Jason and the Argonauts (1963)

The Outlaws Is Coming (1965)

Frankie and Johnny (1966)

Tarzan and the Valley of Gold (1966)

Marooned (1969)

It Takes a Thief (1968-1970 ABC TV Series)

after hollywood

Nancy Kovack married famed orchestra conductor Zubin Mehta on July 19, 1969. Sadly, she soon afterward gave up her successful career, during which she netted a 1964 Golden Laurel nomination for 'Top New Face.' And in 1969, she was nominated for an Emmy award for 'Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Single Performance' for her role as Bret Nicols on the Mannix episode The Girl Who Came in with the Tide, which originally aired on February 1, 1969. Retired from acting since the 1970s, today Nancy Kovack is well respected in music and social circles on both the east and west coasts.

nancy kovack films available from movies unlimited

Strangers When We Meet [DVD](1960) DVD
Architect Kirk Douglas finds a respite from his passionless marriage in the arms of Kim Novak, herself a neglected spouse, in a well-done Hollywood soaper. Co-stars Ernie Kovacs as a womanizing writer and Walter Matthau as a neighbor who moves in on Douglas' wife (Barbara Rush). 117 min. Widescreen (Enhanced); Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono; Subtitles: English, Japanese.
Jason And The Argonauts [DVD](1963) DVD
The quest for the Golden Fleece by Jason and his band of warriors is turned into an epic screen fantasy with some of Ray Harryhausen's finest scenes (harpies, giant statues come to life, and skeleton warriors). Todd Armstrong, Nancy Kovack, Niall MacGinnis, Honor Blackman star. 104 min. Widescreen (Enhanced) and Standard; Soundtracks: English Dolby Digital Surround, French Dolby Digital mono, Spanish Dolby Digital mono; Subtitles: English, French, Spanish; interview; theatrical trailer; scene access.
The Outlaws Is Coming [DVD](1965) DVD
A wacky western spoof that was the final film for the Three Stooges as a team. Conservation-minded Larry, Moe and Curly Joe head to the frontier to save the buffalo and wind up helping a newspaper editor (Adam West) and the famed Annie Oakley (Nancy Kovack) battle a passel of the prairie's toughest gunslingers (played by such TV kids' show hosts as Officer Joe Bolton, Bill "Icky Twerp" Camfield and Philly's own Sally Starr). Look for Henry Gibson as an Indian. 88 min. Widescreen; Soundtracks: English Dolby Digital mono, Spanish Dolby Digital mono; Subtitles: English, French, Spanish; bonus short "Goofs and Saddles" (1937) (Standard).
Elvis: M-G-M Movie Legends Collection [DVD] DVD
Four-disc set includes "Follow That Dream," "Kid Galahad," "Frankie and Johnny" (1966), and "Clambake."
The Silencers [DVD](1966) DVD
After the success of the James Bond films, Dean Martin swung his way onto the big screen as super-cool secret agent Matt Helm. This debut film in the series finds Martin and klutzy assistant Stella Stevens saving America's nuclear arsenal from Oriental mastermind Victor Buono. With Daliah Lavi, Roger C. Carmel, and Beverly Adams as "Lovey Kravezit." 103 min. Widescreen (Enhanced); Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital stereo; Subtitles: English, French.
Matt Helm Lounge [DVD] DVD
After the success of the James Bond films, Dean Martin swung his way onto the big screen as super-cool secret agent Matt Helm in these popular lighthearted spy thrillers. The first film in the series, "The Silencers" (1966), finds Martin and klutzy assistant Stella Stevens saving America's nuclear arsenal from Asian mastermind Victor Buono. With Daliah Lavi, Roger C. Carmel, and Beverly Adams. Next, when criminal kingpin Karl Malden threatens to destroy Washington with a hijacked "helio-beam," it's up to ICE agent Helm to stop him, in the fast-paced "Murderers' Row" (1966), also starring Ann-Margret, James Gregory, and Dino, Desi & Billy. Then, the ace spy and lady-killer goes to Mexico with a gorgeous female scientist to track down a mysterious flying saucer, in "The Ambushers" (1967). With Janice Rule, Senta Berger. And the final film, "The Wrecking Crew" (1969), sees him teaming up with sexy sidekick Sharon Tate to find the criminal genius behind a billion-dollar gold hijacking. With Nigel Green, Elke Sommer, Nancy Kwan. 7 hrs. total on four discs. Widescreen (Enhanced); Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono; Subtitles: English, Spanish, Japanese.
Marooned [DVD](1969) DVD
Science-fiction drama about a three-man team of American astronauts who are stranded in orbit 200 miles above the Earth when their ship's engines fail, and the desperate global race to rescue them. Gregory Peck, Gene Hackman, David Janssen and James Franciscus star. 134 min. Widescreen (Enhanced); Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital Surround; Subtitles: English, Japanese, French.
Bewitched: The Complete First Season [DVD](1964) DVD
All 36 episodes from the debut season--including "I, Darrin, Take This Witch, Samantha," "Mother Meets What's His Name," "It's Magic," "Which Witch Is Which?," and "Cousin Edgar"--have been collected in a four-disc set. 15 1/4 hrs. total. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono; featurette.

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filmography

FILM
Ellery Queen: Too Many Suspects (1975) with Jim Hutton, David Wyane, Ray Milland, Warren Berlinger, and Kim Hunter
Marooned (1969) with Gregory Peck, David Janssen, Gene Hackman, Scott Brady, James Franciscus, Lee Grant, Richard Crenna, and Mariette Hartley
Enter Laughing (1967) with Shelley Winters, Jose Ferrer, Elaine May, and Don Rickles
Diamond 33 (1966)
Tarzan and the Valley of Gold (1966) with Mike Henry
Frankie and Johnny (1966) with Elvis Presley, Donna Douglas, Sue Ane Langdon, Anthony Eisley, and Joyce Jameson
The Silencers (1966) with Dean Martin, Daliah Lavi, Stella Stevens, Cyd Charisse, Victor Buono, and Beverly Adams
The Great Sioux Massacre (1965) with Joseph Cotten, Philip Carey, and Darren McGavin
Sylvia (1965) with Carroll Baker, Joanne Dru, George Maharis, Aldo Ray, Ann Sothern, and Lloyd Bochner
The Outlaws Is Coming (1965) with the Three Stooges, Adam West, and Henry Gibson
Jason and the Argonauts (1963) with Todd Armstrong and Honor Blackman
Diary of a Madman (1963) with Vincent Price
The Wild Westerners (1962) with Guy Mitchell, Duane Eddy, and James Philbrook
Cry for Happy (1961) with Glenn Ford and James Shigeta
Strangers When We Meet (1960) with Kirk Douglas, Kim Novak, Ernie Kovacs, Barbara Rush, and Roberta Shore

TELEVISION SERIES
Number Please, 1961 Goodson-Todman game show hosted by Bud Collyer

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