Frank De Kova
Known for Acting · 115 credits
- Born
- 1910-03-17
- Died
- 1981-10-15
- Place of birth
- New York City, New York, USA
- Also known as
- Frank DeKova
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
TV Shows (58)
Hawaii Five-O
1968
as Phil Kalama
Wagon Train
1957
as Obuki / Isaiah Quickfox / Ocheo / True Oak / Indian Chief
Little House on the Prairie
1974
as Chief Kilowatt
Love, American Style
1969
The Rifleman
1958
as Chief Hostay
Maverick
1957
Lawman
1958
as Jed Barker
The Rockford Files
1974
as Nova
Ben Casey
1961
Rawhide
1959
as Chief Tawyawp / Villegro
Cheyenne
1955
as Spotted Bull / Sitting Bull / Dull Knife / Chief Johnny Cake / War Cloud / Red Knife
Cannon
1971
The Untouchables
1959
as Louis 'Little New York' Campagna / Anthony 'Tough Tony' Lamberto / Louis Campagne / Louie Campagna / The Man / Bugs Donovan
The F.B.I.
1965
as Faber / Dracus
Daniel Boone
1964
as Talakum / Saugus
Police Woman
1974
as Vito Angelo
The Incredible Hulk
1977
Route 66
1960
The High Chaparral
1967
as Aguirre
Hawaiian Eye
1959
as Pete Dailey
Peter Gunn
1958
Gunsmoke
1955
as Tobeel / Mulligan Rives / Leader
Baretta
1975
77 Sunset Strip
1958
as Jack Bent / Jerry Gordon / Dino Malatesta
Thriller
1960
as Lieutenant Vincoli
Surfside 6
1960
as Stinger
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
1955
as Pedro / Senor Vargas
The Rebel
1959
as Richard Aloysius Sturgis
The Deputy
1959
as Cowan
Laramie
1959
as Tah-Za
The Detectives
1959
as Nordoff
Kraft Suspense Theatre
1963
as Edward
It Takes a Thief
1968
as Gen. Tashkov
Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse
1958
as Jimmy Napoli
Police Story
1973
F Troop
1965
as Chief Wild Eagle
Black Saddle
1959
as Calderon
The Tall Man
1960
The Third Man
1959
as Arlatti / Juan Rodriguez
Outlaws
1960
The Roaring 20's
1960
The Islanders
1960
as Carlos Roca
The Alaskans
1959
The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin
1954
The Greatest Show on Earth
1963
as Joseph
The Gallant Men
1962
The Dakotas
1963
Hawkeye and the Last of the Mohicans
1957
as Ottawa Chief
Toma
1973
The Lawless Years
1959
Run, Joe, Run
1974
Johnny Staccato
1959
The Walter Winchell File
1957
as Stefan
Gunslinger
1961
as Don Ignacio Alesandro
The Troubleshooters
1959
as Nadi
The Swiss Family Robinson
1975
Tales of the 77th Bengal Lancers
1956
Martin Kane, Private Eye
1949
as Thomas Randall
Movies (57)
The Ten Commandments
1956
as Abiram
The Mechanic
1972
as The Man
The Greatest Story Ever Told
1965
as The tormentor
Cowboy
1958
as Alcaide
Coonskin
1975
as Managan (voice) / Ruby (voice) (uncredited)
The Man from Laramie
1955
as Padre
The Brothers Karamazov
1958
as Capt. Vrublevski
Arrowhead
1953
as Chief Chattez
Day of the Outlaw
1959
as Denver, Bruhn's Gang
Heavy Traffic
1973
as Angelo "Angie" Corleone (voice)
Raiders of the Seven Seas
1953
as Captain Romero
Pillars of the Sky
1956
as Zachariah
The Big Sky
1952
as Moleface (uncredited)
The Desert Song
1953
as Mindar
American Pop
1981
as Crisco (voice)
Those Calloways
1964
as Nigosh
Hey Good Lookin'
1982
as Old Vinnie (voice)
Kiss of Death
1947
as Con Library (uncredited)
Ride Out for Revenge
1957
as Chief Yellow Wolf
The Rise and Fall of Legs Diamond
1960
as Syndicate Chairman
The Slams
1973
as Capiello
The Lone Ranger
1956
as Chief Red Hawk
Santiago
1956
as Jingo
The Jayhawkers!
1959
as Evans
The Don Is Dead
1973
as Giunta
Drum Beat
1954
as Modoc Jim
The Wild Country
1970
as Two Dog
Follow That Dream
1962
as Jack (as Frank de Kova)
Passion
1954
as Martinez (as Frank de Kova)
Teenage Cave Man
1958
as The Black-Bearded One
All the Brothers Were Valiant
1953
as Stevenson
Strange Lady in Town
1955
as Anse Hatlo
Atlantis: The Lost Continent
1961
as Sonoy the Astrologer
Machine-Gun Kelly
1958
as Harry
Run of the Arrow
1957
as Red Cloud (as Frank De Kova)
King of the Khyber Rifles
1953
as Ali Nur
Reprisal!
1956
as Charlie Washackle
Johnny Moccasin
1956
as Brave Scout
They Rode West
1954
as Isatai
Fighter Attack
1953
as Benedetto
Apache Territory
1958
as Lugo (as Frank deKova)
The Sword of Ali Baba
1965
as Old Baba
Valley of the Kings
1954
as Akmed Salah (uncredited)
Split Second
1953
as Dummy
The White Squaw
1956
as Yellow Elk
Baby Needs a New Pair of Shoes
1974
as Big Tony (as Frank deKova)
Appointment with a Shadow
1957
as Dutch Hayden
Shack Out on 101
1955
as Prof. Claude Dillon
Crossfire
1975
as Albert Ambrose
Not One Shall Die
1957
as Egyptian Official
Frasier, the Sensuous Lion
1973
as The Man
Mafia on the Bounty
1980
as Rupolo
Johnny Firecloud
1975
as White Eagle
Cat in the Cage
1978
as Rachid Khan
Holiday for Sinners
1952
as The Wiry Man
The Legend of the Boy and the Eagle
1967
as Narrator (voice)
Hold Back Tomorrow
1955
as Priest
About Frank De Kova
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… With 115 credits spanning from 1947 to 1982, Frank De Kova has appeared in 57 films and 58 TV shows.
Fans searching for Frank De Kova movies, Frank De Kova filmography, or the latest projects starring Frank De Kova can stream many of these titles on Bowood.TV, free and in HD, with no subscription required.
Most Popular Frank De Kova Movies
- The Ten Commandments (1956) — as Abiram
- The Mechanic (1972) — as The Man
- The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965) — as The tormentor
- Cowboy (1958) — as Alcaide
- Coonskin (1975) — as Managan (voice) / Ruby (voice) (uncredited)
Where to Watch Frank De Kova Films
Most Frank De Kova movies and series are available to stream on Bowood.TV in full HD, completely free and without signup. Browse the complete filmography above to jump directly to any title. For more films and the latest web series featuring Frank De Kova, check our movies catalogue and browse page.