Phyllis Kirk, actress known for role in film `House of Wax'

LOS ANGELES -- Actress Phyllis Kirk, who played the damsel in distress in the 1950s horror film "House of Wax," died Thursday of a postcerebral aneurysm at a hospital in Woodland Hills, Calif. She was 79.

Early in her career, Ms. Kirk appeared in several Broadway plays before moving to Hollywood.

She gained the most attention for her film role in "House of Wax," in which she was stalked by Vincent Price, because it was the first major 3-D movie.

Kirk later worked in television, 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."

Ms. Kirk's acting career slowed down by the late 1950s, and she turned her focus to political and social causes.