Frank de Kova

Frank de Kova (March 17, 1910 – October 15, 1981) was an American character actor in films, stage, and TV.

Biography De Kova was born in Johnstown, Pennsylvania to two Sicilian parents. Before acting he was an English teacher and earned a Master of Arts in English from Columbia University. He went on to join 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.

He did much 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 Kiowa Indian who is a friend of Marshal Matt Dillon. He played the Arapaho Medicine Man in the Wagon Train" season 1 episode "The Gabe Carswell Story" (aired 1/14/1958). His best-known television role was as "Chief Wild Eagle", chief of the Hekawi tribe, on the western comedy F Troop (1965–1967). He also guest-starred in the ABC/Warner Brothers drama, The Roaring 20s. He appeared as Phil Kalama in "Along Came Joey" on Hawaii Five-O in 1968.

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

Films Year Film Role Notes 1951 Up Front Italian Man uncredited 1951 The Mob Culio uncredited 1952 Viva Zapata! Colonel Guajardo uncredited 1952 Holiday for Sinners The Wiry Man 1952 The Big Sky Moleface uncredited 1952 Pony Soldier Custin uncredited 1953 Split Second Dummy 1953 The Desert Song Mindar 1953 Raiders of the Seven Seas Captain 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 Passion Martinez 1954 Drum Beat Modoc Jim 1955 The Man from Laramie Padre 1955 Strange Lady in Town Anse Hatlo 1955 Hold Back Tomorrow Priest 1955 Shack Out on 101 Professor Claude Dillon 1956 The Lone Ranger Chief Red Hawk 1956 Santiago Jingo 1956 Pillars of the Sky Zachariah 1956 The Ten Commandments Abiram 1956 The White Squaw Yellow Elk 1956 Reprisal! Charlie Washackle 1957 Run of the Arrow Red Cloud 1957 Appointment with a Shadow Dutch Hayden 1957 Ride Out for Revenge Chief Yellow Wolf 1958 Cowboy Alcalde 1958 The Brothers Karamazov Captain Vrublevski 1958 Machine-Gun Kelly Harry 1958 Teenage Cave Man The Black-Bearded One 1958 Apache Territory Lugo 1959 Day of the Outlaw Denver, Bruhn's Gang 1959 The Jayhawkers! Evans 1960 The Rise and Fall of Legs Diamond "The Chairman" 1961 Portrait of a Mobster Anthony Parazzo 1961 Atlantis, the Lost Continent Sonoy the Astrologer 1962 Follow That Dream Jack 1963 The Raiders Pawnee Chief uncredited 1965 Those Calloways Nigosh 1965 The Greatest Story Ever Told The Tormentor 1965 The Sword of Ali Baba Old Baba 1967 The Legend of the Boy and the Eagle Narrator voice only 1970 The Wild Country Two Dog 1972 The Mechanic The Man 1973 Heavy Traffic Angelo "Angie" Corleone voice only 1973 The Slams Capiello 1973 The Don Is Dead Giunta 1974 Jive Turkey Big Tony 1975 Coonskin Mannigan, Ruby voice only 1975 Johnny Firecloud White Eagle 1978 Cat in the Cage Rachid Khan 1980 Mafia on the Bounty 1981 American Pop Crisco 1982 Hey Good Lookin' Old Vinnie voice only (final film role)

Television Year Series Role Episode 1956 Gunsmoke Tobeel Season 2 Episode 10: "Greater Love" 1956 The Ford Television Theatre Delwin Slater Season 4 Episode 25: "Double Trouble" 1956 Crusader Juan Perez Season 1 Episode 32: "The Ballot Box" 1956 Tales of the 77th Bengal Lancers Season 1 Episode 3: "The Hostage" 1957 Gunsmoke Tobeel Season 2 Episode 18: "Kick Me" 1957 Gunsmoke Mulligan Rives Season 2 Episode 26: "Last Fling" 1957 Hawkeye and the Last of the Mohicans Ottawa Chief Season 1 Episode 1: "Hawkeye's Homecoming" 1957 Crossroads Black Hawk Season 2 Episode 30: "Jhonakehunkga called Jim" 1957 The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin Culebra Season 3 Episode 37: "Major Swansons' Choice" 1957 The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin Okoma Season 4 Episode 1: "Return to Fort Apache" 1957 Cheyenne Sitting Bull Season 2 Episode 20: "The Broken Pledge" 1957 Tales of Wells Fargo Pablo Season 1 Episode 7: "The Lynching" 1957 Wagon Train True Oak Season 1 Episode 7: "The Emily Rossiter Story" 1958 Wagon Train Running Bear Season 1 Episode 18: "The Gabe Carswell Story" 1958 Tales of Wells Fargo Iron Hand Season 3 Episode 7: "End of the Trail" 1958 The Restless Gun Lupo Lazaro Season 2 Episode 2: "Dragon for a Day" 1958 Cheyenne Sioux Chief Season 3 Episode 15: "Wagon-Tongue North" 1958 Gunsmoke Tobeel Season 4 Episode 3: "Gunsmuggler" 1958 The Californians Up-A-Mug Season 2 Episode 11: "The Painless Extractionist" 1959 Alfred Hitchcock Presents Pedro Season 4 Episode 15: "A Personal Matter" 1959 Cheyenne Benito Juarez Season 4 Episode 3: "Rebellion" 1959 Buckskin Potato Man Season 1 Episode 23: "Coup Stick" 1959 Gunsmoke Leader Season 5 Episode 1: "Target" 1959 Black Saddle Rubio Calderone Season 1 Episode 8: "Client Martinez" 1959 Peter Gunn Joe Taber Season 1 Episode 27: "Breakout" 1959 U.S. Marshal Red Slade Season 1 Episode 34: "Maryjo Is Missing" 1959 The Untouchables Jimmy Napoli Season 1 Pilot Episode 1959 The Californians Up-A-Mug Season 2 Episode 32: "An Act of Faith" 1959 The Alaskans Fantan Season 1 Episode 4: "Petticoat Crew" 1959 The Alaskans Fantan Season 1 Episode 7: "Contest at Gold Bottom" 1959 Wagon Train Obuki Season 2 Episode 25: "The Sister Rita Story" 1959 Wagon Train Ocheo Season 2 Episode 36: "The Rodney Lawrence Story" 1959 The Rifleman Chief Hostay Season 1 Episode 21: "The Indian" 1959 Rawhide Villegro Season 2 Episode 12: "Incident at Spanish Rock" 1959 Laramie Yellow Knife Season 1 Episode 3: "Circle of Fire" 1959 Laramie Sitting Bull Season 1 Episode 12: "Man of God" 1959 The Texan Mandan Season 2 Episode 9: "Showdown at Abilene" 1960 Cheyenne Dull Knife Season 4 Episode 8: "Gold, Glory and Custer – Requiem" 1960 The Untouchables Louis Campagna Season 1 Episode 20: "The Unhired Assassin: Part 1" 1960 The Untouchables Louis 'Little New York' Campagna Season 1 Episode 21: "The Unhired Assassin: Part 2" 1960 The Untouchables Louis Campagna Season 1 Episode 28: "The Frank Nitti Story" 1960 The Untouchables Bugs Donovan Season 2 Episode 4: "The Waxey Gordon Story" 1960 The Alaskans Fantan Season 1 Episode 20: "The Seal-Skin Game" 1960 The Rifleman Carl Miller Season 2 Episode 34: "Meeting at Midnight" 1960 Tales of Wells Fargo Joe Black Season 4 Episode 22: "Red Ransom" 1960 The Islanders Carlos Roca Season 1 Episode 12: "The Widow from Richmond" 1960 Johnny Staccato Eddie Wayneright Season 1 Episode 19: "Night of Jeopardy" 1960 Overland Trail Shoshone Chief Season 1 Episode 3: "West of Boston" 1960 Five Fingers Landau Season 1 Episode 13: "The Judas Goat" 1960 Lawman Jed Barker Season 3 Episode 13: "Cornered" 1960 Wagon Train Indian Chief Season 3 Episode 21: "The Tom Tuckett Story" 1961 Wagon Train Arapaho Chief Season 5 Episode 13: "Clyde" 1961 The Untouchables Judge Foley Season 2 Episode 18: "The Underground Court" 1961 Rawhide Chief Tawyawp Season 3 Episode 20: "Incident of the Boomerang" 1961 The Tall Man Mike Gray Eagle Season 1 Episode 33: "The Cloudbusters" 1961 The Rebel Richard Aloysius "Dick" Sturgis Season 2 Episode 27: "Shriek of Silence" 1961 Cheyenne Chief Spotted Bull Season 6 Episode 3: "Cross Purpose" 1961 Laramie Chief Red Wolf Season 3 Episode 9: "Wolf Cub" 1962 The Untouchables The Man Season 3 Episode 20: "The Maggie Storm Story" 1962 The Untouchables Anthony 'Tough Tony' Lamberto Season 4 Episode 10: "A Fist of Five" 1962 Alfred Hitchcock Presents Señor Vargas Season 7 Episode 19: "Strange Miracle" 1962 Cheyenne White Cloud Season 7 Episode 6: "Indian Gold" 1962 Cheyenne Red Knife Season 7 Episode 8: "Pocketful of Stars" 1962 Wagon Train Running Bear Season 5 Episode 26: "The George B. Hanrahan Story" 1962 Thriller Lieutenant Vincoli Season 2 Episode 17: "La Strega" 1963 Laramie Tah-sa Season 4 Episode 23: "The Unvanquished" 1964 Daniel Boone Chief Talakum Season 1 Episode 7: "The Sound of Wings" 1965 Daniel Boone Saugus Season 1 Episode 24: "Four-Leaf Clover" 1965 Wagon Train Isaiah Quickfox Season 8 Episode 17: "The Isaiah Quickfox Story" 1965-1967 F Troop Chief Wild Eagle 63 episodes 1968 Hawaii Five-0 Phil Kalama Season 1 Episode 18: "Along Came Joey" 1968 The High Chaparral Mitch Season 2 Episode 12: "A Way of Justice" 1975 Police Woman Vito Angelo Season 1 Episode 19: "The Company" 1976 Cannon Lucius Delgado Season 5 Episode 18: "Revenge" 1977 The Rockford Files Nova Season 4 Episode 10: "Hotel of Fear" 1979 Little House on the Prairie Brower Season 5 Episode 15: "The Craftsman" 1979 Little House on the Prairie Indian Chief Kilowatt Season 6 Episode 7: "The Halloween Dream" 1980 The Incredible Hulk Sam Monte Season 3 Episode 22: "Nine Hours"