After stepping away from Hollywood to “survive,” insecurity led her to get cosmetic work — something she later called the “stupidest” decision she ever made. See what this Hollywood icon looks like decades later.

At the height of her fame, this actress was considered one of the most captivating women in Hollywood. With leading roles opposite Frank Sinatra and James Stewart, she quickly became a box office draw and a household name.

But away from the spotlight, her life told a different story. From fleeing Hollywood and finding peace in Oregon’s Rogue River Valley to enduring personal loss and getting fillers that sparked ridicule, including from President Donald Trump, this is how her journey unfolded over the decades and what she looks like now.

From Hollywood’s Spotlight to Finding Peace Beyond Fame

She was a screen siren whose ethereal beauty and quiet magnetism made her an instant standout. With a blend of vulnerability, elegance, and mystery, her performances in films like “Picnic,” “Pal Joey,” and Alfred Hitchcock’s “Vertigo” cemented her as a major star.

But the attention came with a cost. In a rare and candid reflection, she acknowledged the weight of being viewed solely through the lens of her appearance, saying:

“Sometimes it’s a handicap, having people [judge] you only for the way you look, rather than for the way you think and feel about life. There are so many people who only look at the outside.”

The pressure of maintaining a flawless exterior often overshadowed her deeper aspirations. “If you stop and look at just the outside, that’s unfortunate. I try to let the inside come through, and all you can do is try,” the former Hollywood star added.

Over time, that disconnect between how she was seen and who she really was became impossible to ignore. By 1966, following a short-lived marriage to English actor Richard Johnson, whom she met while filming “The Amorous Adventures of Moll Flanders,” she had grown weary of the industry.

Nature, it seemed, was echoing her internal crisis.

She felt boxed in by the roles being offered to her, many of which leaned heavily on her looks, reducing her to little more than a decorative presence. As the 1960s progressed, scripts increasingly cast her as one-dimensional characters designed only to look good on screen, and her dissatisfaction deepened.

She wanted to explore complex emotions, to portray someone with a real inner life — someone, she once said, struggling with mental illness as she had quietly battled depression since her teens and understood those feelings.

Eventually, the constant strain of public scrutiny, the superficial demands of stardom, and the pressure to maintain a marketable image left her fearing she might lose herself entirely. She said:

“It’s exciting to dress up in gorgeous clothes and to feel sexy and to look sexy. It’s wonderful, but it’s a trap. You become satisfied with that being enough, then later in life it isn’t enough.”

The famous actress knew she had to get out before that trap closed for good. “I had to leave to survive,” she said. The turning point came when she was living in Big Sur and a fire destroyed most of her belongings. Not long after, a mudslide claimed her home.

Nature, it seemed, was echoing her internal crisis. She interpreted it as a final sign. “The mudslide was telling me, ‘Your time is up; take off while you can,'” she shared.

So, she did. Over 50 years ago, the Hollywood icon packed her belongings into a van and drove away from the fame, first heading to Carmel, California, and later settling along the Pacific coast of Oregon.

She eventually found solace in Rogue River Valley, where she built a new life centered around art and animals. It was there she met Robert Malloy, a veterinarian she would marry in 1976.

However, even after decades away from Hollywood, while she had evolved, it seemed the industry and the public were still the same.

He wasn’t part of the film world, and that suited her perfectly. Instead, their shared love for animals formed the heart of their bond. She assisted him with surgeries and found fulfillment in being useful. The actress’s days took on a peaceful rhythm. She painted, wrote poetry, rode horses, and immersed herself in nature.

Despite the occasional return to television or film, she never truly missed acting. If anything, each visit back to the industry only reminded her why she had left. Outside of Malloy, it was her animals that formed the deepest and most lasting connections in her life. The actress stated:

“My teachers were the animals […]. They understand a person who’s genuine so I had to become more real and that made me rely on my inner self — and that also encouraged me to paint. Everything seemed to flow from that.”

Her furry companions became her children, a substitute for the family she chose not to have. The “Vertigo” star admitted she had avoided motherhood out of fear that her children might inherit the mental health challenges she had faced since her teens.

After battling those challenges for much of her life, she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in the early 2000s. Since then, the famous actress has spoken openly about it, hoping to remove the stigma.

And so, far from the soundstages and red carpets, she found her true self on her own terms. The beauty the world once obsessed over had faded from her priorities, replaced by something far more lasting — authenticity.

However, even after decades away from Hollywood, while she had evolved, it seemed the industry and the public were still the same. When she appeared at the 2014 Oscars, the focus snapped back to her appearance.

A Return, a Mistake, and the Fallout

In 2014, the actress made a rare appearance on the Oscars stage to present an award alongside Matthew McConaughey. However, what should have been a graceful reappearance in the public eye quickly turned uncomfortable.

Her face, noticeably altered, drew immediate attention and criticism. Among the loudest voices was Donald Trump, who tweeted that she should sue her plastic surgeon. Looking back, she didn’t entirely disagree, revealing:

“You know when you get insecure and you think somebody can help you? I didn’t want a facelift or anything like that, so I went to a doctor and he put some fat injections in my face. That was the stupidest thing I could have done.”

The actress felt it had been unnecessary. Her face was already quite round, and the added volume in her cheeks only altered her appearance further.

Soon, social media lit up with mixed reactions. “Wish [the actress didn’t] feel like she needed so much plastic surgery,” one netizen shared. Another added, “Pity too much work done on face of [the actress] look at her earlier films so photogenic [sic]!”

Another person typed, “[She] obviously had [too much] surgery, but it also [affected] her speaking capability. We could not understand her.” A fourth person commented, “I just love her, but was a little shocked to see her face. Has something happened to her??”

But her greatest test came in 2021.

However, amid the criticism, other netizens chose kindness. Some praised her enduring elegance and creative spirit, with one person calling her a stunning woman and expressing their appreciation for her artwork.

Another described the actress as beautiful both inside and out and admired her talent. Others echoed the sentiment, referring to her as a gifted actress and commending her appearance at the event.

Following the public reaction, the Hollywood star turned to what had always grounded her — her art. In an interview years later, she opened up about what painting was to her during that time.

“It was a tool for me…that I could express what I was feeling, whether it’s good feelings or bad feelings — in that case, it was bad feelings. But it was like all of a sudden, who cares what anyone else thinks of you?” she shared.

In the years that followed, she kept a low profile. However, life didn’t stand still. Despite personal loss, the actress stayed rooted in the world she had created, continuing to find joy in the simple things.

Life After Love and Loss

This actress is none other than Kim Novak, who, in recent years, has continued to live quietly, far from the glare of the spotlight. But her greatest test came in 2021. That was the year she lost her husband of 45 years.

Malloy’s death left a void that was difficult to fill, but as she had done so many times before, the Hollywood star turned to the one thing that never failed her — her art. She shared:

“Painting’s always been there to rescue me. Since Bob passed, I’ve done his portrait so I could communicate with him.”

The two had shared a life grounded in simplicity and deep affection, and his absence hit hard. “There were times I didn’t want to keep going without him,” she admitted.

“But now I light a fire every night and I fix something special — all the things he liked. He loved my chicken dumplings. I think, ‘Why didn’t I make that more for him?'” Novak added.

She still lives in the Oregon home they built together — a house she designed herself. Set along the Rogue River, it remains her sanctuary. Surrounded by her animals, including four horses and two dogs, she continues to paint and ride.

Though friends have expressed concern that the property may be too much for her alone, she has no plans to leave. “Of course, I’m going to stay here,” she said. “It’s just beautiful. I still ride my horse all the time. I hope I ride to the bitter end.”

Now in her 90s, Novak remains active and closely connected to the life she created away from fame. On her birthday in 2024, she spent the day enjoying a picnic with friends on her property and plenty of fudge.

More than five decades after walking away from Hollywood, Kim Novak continues to live on her own terms, surrounded by animals, art, and memories of a love gone too soon.