HOUSE OF WAX STAR DIES PHYLLIS KIRK

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 was also a regular on "The Red Buttons Show" and hosted the ABC talk show "The Young Set." Her acting career slowed down by the late 1950s and she turned her focus to social causes. She spoke out against the death sentence of convicted kidnapper and sex offender Caryl Chessman, whom police nicknamed the "Red Light Bandit." Kirk visited Chessman several times in prison until he was executed in 1960. After the 1965 Watts race riots, she helped fund two preschool programs for poor families in the South Los Angeles neighborhood. She later launched a career in public relations.
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