Phyllis Kirk, 79, Star Of ‘House of Wax’
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Phyllis Kirk, who played the raven-haired beauty stalked by Vincent Price in the 1950s horror film “House of Wax,” died Thursday in Los Angeles. She was 79.
Born Phyllis Kirkegaard in Plainfield, N.J., she moved to New York City in her late teens to study acting and shortened her last name to Kirk. She appeared in Broadway plays before moving to Hollywood, where she co-starred with such leading men as Frank Sinatra (“Johnny Concho”) and Jerry Lewis (“The Sad Sack”).
She gained the most attention for her role in “House of Wax” because it was the first major 3-D movie.
Kirk later worked in television, memorably playing Peter Lawford’s wife in the series “The Thin Man.”
She later launched a career in public relations.
