Nancy Kovack (b. March 11, 1935, Flint, Michigan) is an American actress.
She attended the University of Michigan at age 15 and graduated by 19. At the age of 20 she had won eight beauty titles.
Kovack became interested in acting when she went to New York City to attend a wedding and became one of the Glea Girls for Jackie Gleason. She has appeared on a number of TV episodes, including Star Trek, Bewitched, Batman, I Dream of Jeannie, Perry Mason, The Man from U.N.C.L.E. and Burke's Law. In 1969 she was nominated for an Emmy for an appearance on Mannix.
On Broadway she appeared in The Disenchanted.
As she gained fame, Kovack began to win roles in Hollywood movies, most notably as the high priestess Medea in Jason and the Argonauts (1963). She also had parts in Strangers When We Meet (1960), Diary of a Madman (1963) with Vincent Price, The Outlaws Is Coming (1965) with The Three Stooges, Sylvia (1965), The Silencers (1966), Tarzan and the Valley of Gold (1966), and the Elvis Presley film Frankie and Johnny (1966).
Her last film role was in Marooned (1969), a science fiction drama. She appeared in the TV series Ellery Queen (1975) as "Monica Gray" and was credited as Nancy Mehta.
In 1969 Kovack married Zubin Mehta, a conductor and later music director for the New York Philharmonic and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Thereafter she dedicated herself to her marriage, giving up her stage and screen career. Kovack and Mehta maintain residences in Brentwood, California and Tuscany. Until 2006, the Mehtas spent some months of the year in residence in Munich, Germany, where Zubin Mehta was the Music Director of the Bavarian State Opera. Mehta is currently Music Director of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra and the Main Conductor for Valencia's opera house. He additionally participates in Florence's annual Maggio Musicale festival.
Kovack is an ardent and strict Christian Scientist who is known amongst Hollywood's elder generation for her strong beliefs. Zubin Mehta is not a Christian Scientist.
Susan McDougal (of Whitewater controversy notoriety) worked as Kovack's personal assistant in the early 1990s. After her employment ended, Kovack took legal action against McDougal for allegedly embezzling. McDougal was acquitted in 1998 on all twelve charges. A suit by McDougal in 1999 for malicious prosecution ended in a settlement .
Kovack maintains a luxury home rental business operation catering to the rental needs of the wealthy. Tony Bennett reportedly regularly rents her lavish Tuscan home some months out of the year.
