| Frank Dekova | |
|---|---|
As 'Chief Wild Eagle' in F Troop. |
|
| Born | March 17, 1910 New York, New York |
| Died | October 15, 1981 (aged 71) Sepulveda, California |
| Years active | 1951-1981 |
Frank Dekova (March 17, 1910 – October 15, 1981) was an Italian-American character actor.
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Dekova was born in New York City and taught at a school in New York before joining a Shakespeare repertory group. He made his Broadway debut in Detective Story, and was discovered by director Elia Kazan.
Moving to Hollywood, he appeared in Viva Zapata! (1952) as the Mexican Colonel, and The Big Sky (1952) with Kirk Douglas. He played Abiram in The Ten Commandments, appeared in Cowboy (1958) with Glenn Ford and Jack Lemmon, and in The Mechanic (1972) with Charles Bronson and Jan-Michael Vincent.
He did a lot of television work, including a role as Mafia hitman Jimmy Napoli in The Untouchables, and an occasional recurring role in Gunsmoke as "Tobeel", a Kiawah Indian who is a friend of Marshall Matt Dillon. Probably his best-known television role was as "Chief Wild Eagle", chief of the Hekawi tribe, on the Western comedy F Troop (1965–1967).
In 1981, Dekova died of heart failure in his sleep at his home in Sepulveda, California. He is buried in Forest Lawn - Hollywood Hills Cemetery
| Year | Films | Character | Info |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1951 | The Mob aka: Remember That Face |
Culio | |
| 1952 | Viva Zapata! | Colonel Guajardo | uncredited |
| 1952 | Holiday for Sinner | The Wiry Man | |
| 1952 | The Big Sky | Moleface | uncredited |
| 1952 | Pony Soldier aka: MacDonald of the Canadian Mounties |
Custin | uncredited |
| 1953 | Split Second | Dummy | |
| 1953 | The Desert Song | Mindar | |
| 1953 | Raiders of the Seven Seas | Capt.Romero | |
| 1953 | Arrowhead | Chief Chattez | |
| 1953 | The Robe | Slave Dealer | uncredited |
| 1953 | All the Brothers were Valiant | Stevenson | |
| 1953 | Fighter Attack | Benedetto | |
| 1953 | King of the Khyber Rifles | Ali Nur | |
| 1954 | They Rode West | Isatai | |
| 1954 | Valley of the Kings | Akmed Sala, Nomad Guide | uncredited |
| 1954 | Drum Beat aka: Delmer Daves' Drum Beat |
Modoc Jim | |
| 1954 | Passion | Martinez | |
| 1955 | Strange Lady in Town | Anse Hatlo | |
| 1955 | The Man from Laramie | Padre | |
| 1955 | Hold Back Tomorrow aka: No Tomorrow |
Priest | |
| 1955 | Shack Out On 101 | Prof.Claude Dillon | |
| 1956 | The Lone Ranger | Chief Red Hawk | |
| 1956 | Santiago aka: The Gun Runner |
Jingo | |
| 1956 | Pillars of the Sky aka: The Tomahawk and the Cross |
Zachariah | |
| 1956 | The Ten Commandments | Abiram | |
| 1956 | The White Squaw | Yellow Elk | |
| 1956 | Reprisal! | Charlie Washackle | |
| 1957 | Appointment with a Shadow aka: If I Should Die |
Dutch Hayden | |
| 1957 | Run of the Arrow aka: Hot Lead |
Red Cloud | |
| 1957 | Rideout for Revenge | Chief Yellow Wolf | |
| 1958 | Cowboy | Alcaide | |
| 1958 | The Brothers Karamazov aka: The Murderer Dmitri Karamazov |
Capt. Vrubleuski | |
| 1958 | Machine-Gun Kelly | Harry | |
| 1958 | Teenage Cave Man aka: Out of Darkness aka: Prehistoric World |
The Black-Bearded One | |
| 1958 | Apache Territory | Lugo | |
| 1965 | Those Calloways | Nigosh | |
| 1970 | The Wild Country[1] Also known as "Wonderful World of Dinsney". Released as a film and a two part TV series. | Two Dog |
| Year | Television | Character | Episode |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1956 | The Ford Television Theatre aka: Ford Theatre |
Delwin Slater | Double Trouble |
| 1956 | Crusader | Juan Perez | The Ballot Box |
| 1956 | Tales of the 77th Bengal Lancers aka: The 77th Bengal Lancers |
The Hostage | |
| 1957 | Hawkeye and the Last of the Mohicans aka: Hawkeye aka: Last of the Mohicans |
Ottawa Chief | Hawkeye's Homecoming |
| 1957 | Crossroads | Black Hawk | Jhonakehunkga called Jim |
| 1957 | The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin | Okoma | Return to Fort Apache |
| 1957 | The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin | Culebra | Major Swansons' Choice |
| 1958 | The Restless Gun | Lupo Lazaro | Dragon for a Day |
| 1959 | Buckskin | Potato Man | Coup Stick |
| 1959 | The Lawless Years | Harry the Horse | The Poison Ivy Story |
| 1959 | Black Saddle aka: The Westerners |
Rubio Calderone | Client Martinez |
| 1959 | Peter Gunn | Joe Taber | Breakout |
| 1959 | Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse aka: Desilu Playhouse |
Jimmy Napoli | The Untouchables (1959 TV series) The Untouchables: Part 1 The Untouchables: Part 2 |
| 1959 | The Californians | Up-A-Mug | An Act of Faith (1959) The Painless Extractionist (1958) |
| 1959 | The Rifleman | Chief Hostay | The Indian |
| 1960 | The Rifleman | Carl Miller | Meeting at Midnight |
| 1960 | Johnny Staccato | Eddie Wayneright | Night of Jeopardy |
| 1960 | Overland Trail | Shoshone Chief | West of Boston |
| 1960 | Five Fingers | Landau | The Judas Goat |
| 1960 | Lawman | Jed Barker | Cornered |
| 1962 | Cheyenne | White Cloud | Indian Gold |
| 1964 | Daniel Boone | Chief Talakum | The Sound of Wings |
| 1965, 1966, 1967 | F Troop | Chief Wild Eagle | F Troop series |