Mel Novak
| Mel Novak | |
|---|---|
| Born | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
| Other names | Mel Novak |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1971 – present |
Mel Novak is an American award winning character actor who is best known for villainous roles in Black Belt Jones,Bruce Lees Game of Death and Chuck Norris An Eye for An Eye. He is also known for doing all of his own stunts and fighting scenes.
Career
Born in Pittsburgh, Novak played professional baseball with the Pittsburgh Pirates before he began acting. His athletic career was cut short by a massive rotator cuff injury. Novak made his film debut in 1974, appearing in two blaxploitation films, Truck Turner and Black Belt Jones, the former starring Isaac Hayes, the latter Jim Kelly. Subsequent parts in The Ultimate Warrior (1975) starring Yul Brynner, Cat in the Cage (1978), starring Sybil Danning, and others followed. One of his more high-profile parts from the 70's was as the hitman Stick in Game of Death (1978), directed by Robert Clouse. Novak also had roles in two Chuck Norris films, A Force of One (1979) and An Eye for an Eye (1981).
Since the turn of the 80's, Novak been acting mostly in independent features, such as in Lovely But Deadly (1981) for director/producer David Sheldon, starring B-movie heroine Lucinda Dooling. In the 90's, he appeared in two films for director Garry Marshall, Exit to Eden (1994), based on the novel by Anne Rice, and Dear God (1996). In 2005, he appeared in the action/horror film Vampire Assassin, also featuring Gerald Okamura, with whom Novak has acted in several films, and Rudy Ray Moore.And in 2008 Novak was inducted in the Martial Arts Hall of Fame in London. In 2014 he became the host of L.I.F.E.Worshop Hour podcast on WLOR www.wlor.net
Personal life
Novak is also an ordained minister and known for doing celebrity funerals and memorials for the likes of Chuck Connors son Jeffrey Alan Connors and Tim Burtons father Bill Burton. Having worked in skid row and prison ministry for over twenty years. He also has two daughters, Nikol and Lea, and 3 grandchildren from daughter Lea. His daughter Nikol is currently newly married with no children just yet.
Filmography
| Film | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
| 1974 | Black Belt Jones | Blue Eyes | |
| Truck Turner | Doctor | Alternative title: Black Bullet | |
| 1975 | The Ultimate Warrior | Lippert | Alternative titles: The Barony The Last Warrior |
| 1978 | Cat in the Cage | Ralph Desmond | |
| Game of Death | Stick | ||
| 1979 | A Force of One | The Announcer | |
| 1980 | Tom Horn | Corbett's Bodyguard | |
| 1981 | Lovely But Deadly | Warren Lang | |
| Force: Five | The Assassin | ||
| An Eye for an Eye | Montoya | ||
| 1985 | Force of Darkness | Conrad | |
| Sword of Heaven | Dirk | ||
| 1989 | Family Reunion | Tom Andrews | |
| 1991 | Capital Punishment | Mason Dover | Alternative title: Kickbox Terminator |
| 1993 | Expert Weapon | Miller | Alternative title: American Dragon |
| 1994 | Pocket Ninjas | Mr. Kaufman | Working title: Skate Dragons Alternative title: Super Sonic Pocket Ninjas on Wheels Foreign release title: Triple Dragon |
| Direct Hit | Kovar | ||
| Exit to Eden | Walker's henchman | ||
| 1996 | Dear God | Sidewalk Minister | |
| 1997 | Future War | Otis[1] | |
| Moonbase | Guard | ||
| 1999 | The F-Zone | Priest | |
| 2002 | Power Elite | President Jonathan Caine | |
| 2003 | GiAnts | Jonathan Caine[2] | Direct-to-DVD release |
| 2005 | SWAT: Warhead One | Dick Danvers | Direct-to-DVD release |
| Vampire Assassin | Gustoff Slovak | Alternate title: Vampire Assassins | |
| 2006 | Big Guns | Larry Armstrong | Direct-to-DVD release |
| 2008 | Drifter TKD | Thomas Tyler | |
| Television | |||
| Notes | |||
| 1971 | The F.B.I. | Policeman | 1 episode |
| 1973 | Mannix | Elmo Bagley | 1 episode |
| 1976 | The Blue Knight | Steve | 1 episode |
| Ark II | First guard | 1 episode | |
| 2006 | Pastor Greg | Man with dog | 1 episode |
References
- ↑ Bonanno, Luke (28 October 2008). ""Mystery Science Theater 3000" 20th Anniversary Edition DVD Review". Ultimate Disney. Retrieved 9 August 2010.
- ↑ "GiAnts (2003)". Dread Central. Retrieved 9 August 2010.
Bibliography
- Gods in Polyester, or, A Survivors' Account of 70's Cinema Obscura (2004)
- —Features several pieces by Novak on his 70's films.
- Gods In Spandex, or, A Survivors' Account of 80's Cinema Obscura (2007)
- —Features several pieces by Novak on his 1980s films.