Frank de Kova

Frank de Kova

As 'Chief Wild Eagle' in F Troop.
Born March 17, 1910
New York City, New York, U.S.
Died October 15, 1981 (aged 71)
Sepulveda, California, U.S.
Cause of death
Heart failure
Resting place
Forest Lawn Memorial Park in the Hollywood Hills, California
Years active 1951-1981

Frank de Kova (March 17, 1910 October 15, 1981) was an Italian-American character actor.[1]

Biography

De Kova 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 and the Ralph Bakshi film American Pop.[2]

He did a lot of television work, including a role as Mafia hitman Jimmy Napoli in the ABC crime drama, The Untouchables, and an occasional recurring role in Gunsmoke as "Tobeel", a Kiawah Indian who is a friend of Marshal Matt Dillon. His best-known television role was as "Chief Wild Eagle", chief of the Hekawi tribe, on the western comedy F Troop (19651967). He also guest starred on the ABC/Warner Brothers drama, The Roaring 20s.

In 1981, de Kova died of heart failure in his sleep at his home in Sepulveda, California. He is interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Hollywood Hills, California.

Films

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
1960 The Rise and Fall of Legs Diamond "The Chairman"
1965 Those Calloways Nigosh
1970 The Wild Country 1972 The Mechanic The Man 1975 Coonskin Madigan

Television

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 Cheyenne Sitting Bull The Broken Pledge
1957 The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin Culebra Major Swansons' Choice
1958 The Restless Gun Lupo Lazaro Dragon for a Day
1958 Cheyenne Sioux Chief Wagon-Tongue North
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 U.S. Marshal Red Slade Maryjo Is Missing
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 Alaskans Fanton Petticoat Crew
1959 Wagon Train Ocheo The Rodney Lawrence Story
1959 The Rifleman Chief Hostay The Indian
1960 The Rifleman Carl Miller Meeting at Midnight
1960 The Islanders Carlos Roca The Widow from Richmond
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
1960 Wagon Train Indian Chief The Tom Tuckett Story
1961 The Tall Man Mike Gray Eagle "The Cloudbusters"
1961 The Rebel Richard Aloysius "Dick" Sturgis "Shriek of Silence"
1962 Alfred Hitchcock Presents Señor Vargas Strange Miracle
1962 Cheyenne White Cloud Indian Gold
1964 Daniel Boone Chief Talakum The Sound of Wings
1965-67 F Troop Chief Wild Eagle, Johnny Eagle Eye"
1968 Hawaii Five-0 episode "Along Came Joey"
1974 Police Woman Vito Angelo Season 1 / Episode 19 "The Company"

References

External links