The Venice Biennale’s Board of Directors, upon recommendation from the festival’s artistic director Alberto Barbera, announced that Kim Novak will be honored with the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement.
The actress, famed for her role in Alfred Hitchcock’s “Vertigo,” expressed her gratitude, as quoted by the Venice Festival’s statement: “I am deeply moved to receive the prestigious Golden Lion from such a respected film festival. Being recognized for my work at this stage of my life is a dream come true. I will cherish every moment in Venice. It will fill my heart with joy.”
Alberto Barbera reflected on the decision, noting how Novak unintentionally became a cinematic legend.
An icon of Hollywood’s golden era, she stood out since her debut in the 1950s, eventually stepping back from the film industry. She resisted studio constraints, handpicked her roles, protected her privacy, and fought to maintain her artistic name.
“Independent and nonconformist, she founded her own production company and went on strike to renegotiate her salary, which was significantly lower than her male counterparts. With her stunning beauty, ability to portray naive yet discreet, sensual yet tormented characters, and her seductive, sometimes melancholic gaze, she earned the respect of directors like Billy Wilder, Otto Preminger, Robert Aldrich, George Sidney, and Richard Quine. However, her image is forever linked to Alfred Hitchcock, with whom she starred in ‘Vertigo’, the role of her lifetime,” added the artistic director.
Barbera further described this Golden Lion as a celebration of “an emancipated star, a rebel at Hollywood’s heart who illuminated cinema lovers’ dreams before retreating to her Oregon ranch, where she devoted herself to painting and her horses.”
During the festival, the world premiere of “Kim Novak’s Vertigo,” a documentary by Alexandre Philippe in exclusive collaboration with the actress, will be featured.
Regarded as one of the world’s top box-office stars from 1958 to 1960, Novak collaborated with directors like Joshua Logan, Otto Preminger, George Sidney, and Billy Wilder, and is renowned for films such as “Picnic” (1955), “The Man with the Golden Arm” (1955), “Pal Joey” (1957), “Vertigo” (1958), “Bell, Book and Candle” (1958), and “Kiss Me, Stupid” (1964).
Renowned for her authenticity, she resisted following the acting norms of her time.
Initially undervalued by critics, her work was later reassessed and celebrated for its artistic significance.
Kim Novak was Hollywood’s first woman to establish her own production company in 1958, seeking more control over her career, rejecting being a “puppet” for producers like Harry Cohn, who once claimed he “created Novak to make Rita Hayworth nervous.”
Though initially framed as a ‘glamour’ symbol by studios, Novak chose to forgo fame for a more genuine life dedicated to the visual arts.
Over the years, critics have revisited her career and enthusiastically praised her performances, securing her status as a living legend, with recognition and admiration from both critics and the film industry.
Throughout recent decades, she has been honored by major festivals like Cannes, Toronto, Prague, and Berlin. In 2003, she received the Eastman Kodak Archives Award for her contributions to cinema.
Having left the film industry, she focused on painting and writing poetry, residing in Oregon where she remains artistically active.
Her visual art has been exhibited in museums across the United States and Europe, including the Butler Museum of American Art and the National Museum of Prague.
Kim Novak, born in Chicago in February 1933, left Hollywood in her 30s, appearing only sporadically in mostly independent productions and guest roles. “Liebestraum” by Mike Figgis (1991) is among her last films.
Upon departing the film industry, she settled in a clifftop home in California to develop her artistic talents as a painter.
In 1965, she married British actor Richard Johnson, divorcing a year later. After years of living alone, she married equine veterinarian Robert Malloy, establishing a ranch on the Rogue River’s banks in southern Oregon, living there surrounded by nature, exploring on horseback accompanied by dogs and other animals.
Following her husband’s death by cancer in 2020, Novak devoted more time to painting and writing poetry, continued riding her favorite horse, and shared her home with her three rescued dogs.
