Name
Frank De Kova
Known For
Acting
Birthday
1910-03-17
Deathday
1981-10-15 (71 years old)
Place of Birth
New York City, New York, USA
Biography
Frank DeKova parlayed a sinister scowl, piercing eyes and an all-around menacing attitude into a long career of playing cold-blooded trigger-men, rampaging Indian chiefs, brutal Mexican army officers and the like. So it would probably come as a shock to those who know his work to discover that, before he became an actor, he was--of all things--a schoolteacher.
Born in New York in 1910, DeKova gave up teaching for the stage, and played in many Shakespearean productions before getting work on Broadway. One of his first starring roles was in the classic detective play "Detective Story", which got him noticed and brought to Hollywood. He debuted in Viva Zapata! (1952) as the devious Mexican colonel who sets up Zapata's assassination. For the next several years he played an assortment of gangsters, killers, gunfighters and Indians--with time out to play a prehistoric patriarch in Roger Corman's campy Teenage Cave Man (1958)--and did much television work, including a standout job as a Mafia hit-man assigned to kill Elliot Ness in Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse: The Untouchables: Part 1 (1959). The role for which he will be most remembered, however, is probably the one that was his most atypical: the scheming, somewhat untrustworthy but very funny Hekawi Chief Wild Eagle, the partner to Forrest Tucker's Sgt. O'Rourke in O'Rourke's various schemes to make money, in the western comedy series F Troop (1965). He showed a previously unknown talent for comedy and managed to steal most of the scenes he was in from such veterans as Tucker and Larry Storch. He died in his sleep in 1981.
Known For
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Escaping death, a Hebrew infant is raised in a royal household to become a prince. Upon di...
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From his birth in Bethlehem to his death and eventual resurrection, the life of Jesus Chri...
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Arthur Bishop is a veteran hit man who, owing to his penchant for making his targets' deat...
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A white dropout struggles to become a cartoonist and filmmaker, drawing inspiration from t...
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An ex-con trying to go straight must face a crazed criminal out for revenge....
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Will Lockhart arrives in Coronado, an isolated town in New Mexico, in search of someone wh...
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First Sergeant Emmett Bell faces off with Apache chieftain Kamiakin in this nuanced portra...
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Ryevsk, Russia, 1870. Tensions abound in the Karamazov family. Fyodor is a wealthy liberti...
- 1965 The Greatest Story Ever Told as The tormentor
- 1947 Kiss of Death as Con Library (uncredited)
- 1973 Heavy Traffic as Angelo "Angie" Corleone (voice)
- 1959 The Jayhawkers! as Evans
- 1956 The Ten Commandments as Abiram
- 1982 Hey Good Lookin' as Old Vinnie (voice)
- 1953 Split Second as Dummy
- 1952 Holiday for Sinners as The Wiry Man
- 1961 Atlantis: The Lost Continent as Sonoy the Astrologer
- 1981 American Pop as Crisco (voice)
- 1973 The Slams as Capiello
- 1975 Crossfire as Albert Ambrose
- 1964 Those Calloways as Nigosh
- 1960 The Rise and Fall of Legs Diamond as Syndicate Chairman
- 1955 Shack Out on 101 as Prof. Claude Dillon
- 1958 Machine-Gun Kelly as Harry
- 1958 The Brothers Karamazov as Capt. Vrublevski
- 1953 Arrowhead as Chief Chattez
- 1959 Day of the Outlaw as Denver, Bruhn's Gang
- 1957 Appointment with a Shadow as Dutch Hayden
- 1965 The Sword of Ali Baba as Old Baba
- 1953 King of the Khyber Rifles as Ali Nur
- 1955 The Man from Laramie as Padre
- 1974 Baby Needs a New Pair of Shoes as Big Tony (as Frank deKova)
- 1975 Johnny Firecloud as White Eagle
- 1973 The Don Is Dead as Giunta
- 1953 Raiders of the Seven Seas as Captain Romero
- 1958 Teenage Cave Man as The Black-Bearded One
- 1956 The Lone Ranger as Chief Red Hawk
- 1956 Pillars of the Sky as Zachariah
- 1954 Drum Beat as Modoc Jim
- 1956 The White Squaw as Yellow Elk
- 1956 Johnny Moccasin as Brave Scout
- 1952 The Big Sky as Moleface (uncredited)
- 1956 Reprisal! as Charlie Washackle
- 1956 Santiago as Jingo
- 1953 Fighter Attack as Benedetto
- 1953 The Desert Song as Mindar
- 1953 All the Brothers Were Valiant as Stevenson
- 1955 Hold Back Tomorrow as Priest
- 1958 Cowboy as Alcaide
- 1978 Cat in the Cage as Rachid Khan
- 1955 Strange Lady in Town as Anse Hatlo
- 1962 Follow That Dream as Jack (as Frank de Kova)
- 1954 They Rode West as Isatai
- 1954 Passion as Martinez (as Frank de Kova)
- 1957 Ride Out for Revenge as Chief Yellow Wolf
- 1957 Run of the Arrow as Red Cloud (as Frank De Kova)
- 1958 Apache Territory as Lugo (as Frank deKova)
- 1970 The Wild Country as Two Dog
- 1980 Mafia on the Bounty as Rupolo
- 1972 The Mechanic as The Man
- 1967 The Legend of the Boy and the Eagle as Narrator (voice)
- 1975 Coonskin as Managan (voice) / Ruby (voice) (uncredited)
- 1957 Not One Shall Die as Egyptian Official
- 1954 Valley of the Kings as Akmed Salah (uncredited)
- 1973 Frasier, the Sensuous Lion as The Man
- 1962 The Gallant Men ( 1 episode )
- 1955 Cheyenne ( 1 episode )
- 1977 The Incredible Hulk ( 1 episode )
- 1965 F Troop ( 65 episodes ) as Chief Wild Eagle
- 1974 Little House on the Prairie ( 2 episodes ) as Chief Kilowatt
- 1963 Kraft Suspense Theatre ( 1 episode ) as Edward
- 1965 The F.B.I. ( 1 episode ) as Faber
- 1968 Hawaii Five-O ( 1 episode ) as Phil Kalama
- 1960 Route 66 ( 1 episode )
- 1975 Baretta ( 1 episode )
- 1960 Surfside 6 ( 1 episode ) as Stinger
- 1955 Gunsmoke ( 3 episodes ) as Tobeel
- 1971 Cannon ( 1 episode )
- 1960 The Islanders ( 1 episode ) as Carlos Roca
- 1959 Johnny Staccato ( 1 episode )
- 1974 Run, Joe, Run ( 1 episode )
- 1960 The Tall Man ( 1 episode )
- 1975 The Swiss Family Robinson ( 1 episode )
- 1955 Alfred Hitchcock Presents ( 1 episode ) as Pedro
- 1960 Outlaws ( 1 episode )
- 1959 The Lawless Years ( 1 episode )
- 1959 Rawhide ( 1 episode ) as Chief Tawyawp
- 1964 Daniel Boone ( 1 episode ) as Talakum
- 1973 Police Story ( 1 episode )
- 1967 The High Chaparral ( 1 episode ) as Aguirre
- 1960 Thriller ( 1 episode ) as Lieutenant Vincoli
- 1958 Peter Gunn ( 1 episode )
- 1954 The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin ( 2 episodes )
- 1957 Hawkeye and the Last of the Mohicans ( 1 episode ) as Ottawa Chief
- 1959 The Alaskans ( 1 episode )
- 1959 Black Saddle ( 1 episode ) as Calderon
- 1959 The Rebel ( 1 episode ) as Richard Aloysius Sturgis
- 1958 The Rifleman ( 1 episode )
- 1963 The Dakotas ( 1 episode )
- 1961 Ben Casey ( 1 episode )
- 1959 Laramie ( 1 episode )
- 1973 Toma ( 1 episode )
- 1956 Tales of the 77th Bengal Lancers ( 1 episode )
- 1959 The Detectives ( 1 episode ) as Nordoff
- 1960 The Roaring 20's ( 2 episodes )
- 1957 Maverick ( 1 episode )
- 1955 Cheyenne ( 1 episode ) as Spotted Bull
- 1957 Wagon Train ( 1 episode ) as Obuki
- 1959 The Untouchables ( 1 episode ) as Louis 'Little New York' Campagna
- 1959 Hawaiian Eye ( 1 episode ) as Pete Dailey
- 1959 The Untouchables ( 1 episode ) as Anthony 'Tough Tony' Lamberto
- 1959 The Untouchables ( 1 episode ) as Louis Campagne
- 1965 F Troop ( 1 episode ) as Wild Eagle
- 1965 The F.B.I. ( 1 episode ) as Dracus
- 1955 Gunsmoke ( 1 episode ) as Mulligan Rives
- 1955 Cheyenne ( 1 episode ) as Sitting Bull
- 1955 Gunsmoke ( 1 episode ) as Leader
- 1957 The Walter Winchell File ( 1 episode ) as Stefan
- 1964 Daniel Boone ( 1 episode ) as Saugus
- 1959 The Third Man ( 1 episode ) as Arlatti
- 1955 Alfred Hitchcock Presents ( 1 episode ) as Senor Vargas
- 1974 The Rockford Files ( 1 episode ) as Nova
- 1957 Wagon Train ( 1 episode ) as Isaiah Quickfox
- 1957 Wagon Train ( 1 episode ) as Ocheo
- 1958 77 Sunset Strip ( 1 episode ) as Jack Bent
- 1958 77 Sunset Strip ( 1 episode ) as Jerry Gordon
- 1949 Martin Kane, Private Eye ( 2 episodes ) as Thomas Randall
- 1958 The Rifleman ( 1 episode ) as Chief Hostay
- 1959 The Deputy ( 1 episode ) as Cowan
- 1959 The Untouchables ( 1 episode ) as Louie Campagna
- 1955 Cheyenne ( 1 episode ) as Dull Knife
- 1959 The Untouchables ( 1 episode ) as The Man
- 1974 Police Woman ( 1 episode ) as Vito Angelo
- 1969 Love, American Style ( 1 episode )
- 1959 The Third Man ( 1 episode ) as Juan Rodriguez
- 1958 77 Sunset Strip ( 1 episode ) as Dino Malatesta
- 1959 The Troubleshooters ( 1 episode ) as Nadi
- 1955 Cheyenne ( 1 episode ) as Chief Johnny Cake
- 1955 Cheyenne ( 1 episode ) as War Cloud
- 1959 Laramie ( 1 episode ) as Tah-Za
- 1958 Lawman ( 1 episode ) as Jed Barker
- 1963 The Greatest Show on Earth ( 1 episode ) as Joseph
- 1959 The Untouchables ( 1 episode ) as Bugs Donovan
- 1957 Wagon Train ( 1 episode ) as True Oak
- 1958 Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse ( 1 episode ) as Jimmy Napoli
- 1957 Wagon Train ( 1 episode ) as Indian Chief
- 1961 Gunslinger ( 1 episode ) as Don Ignacio Alesandro
- 1959 Rawhide ( 1 episode ) as Villegro
- 1955 Cheyenne ( 1 episode ) as Red Knife
- 1968 It Takes a Thief ( 2 episodes ) as Gen. Tashkov
- 1957 The Californians ( 1 episode ) as Ug-A-Mug
