Frank De Kova

Personal Info

Known For Acting

Known Credits 106

Gender Male

Birthday March 17, 1910

Day of Death October 15, 1981 (71 years old)

Place of Birth New York City, New York, USA

Also Known As

  • Frank DeKova

Content Score 

100

Yes! Looking good!

Looks like we're missing the following data in en-US or en-US...

Login to report an issue

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.

Acting

1982
1981
1980
1978
1977
1975
1975
1975
1975
1975
1974
1974
1974
1974
1974
1973
1973
1973
1973
1973
1972
1971
1970
1968
1967
1967
1965
1965
1965
1965
1965
1964
1963
1963
1963
1962
1962
1961
1961
1960
1960
1960
1960
1960
1960
1960
1960
1959
1959
1959
1959
1959
1959
1959
1959
1959
1959
1959
1959
1959
1958
1958
1958
1958
1958
1958
1958
1958
1957
1957
1957
1957
1957
1957
1957
1957
1956
1956
1956
1956
1956
1956
1956
1956
1955
1955
1955
1955
1955
1955
1955
1954
1954
1954
1954
1953
1953
1953
1953
1953
1953
1953
1952
1952
1952
1947

You need to be logged in to continue. Click here to login or here to sign up.

Can't find a movie or TV show? Login to create it.

Global

s focus the search bar
p open profile menu
esc close an open window
? open keyboard shortcut window

On media pages

b go back (or to parent when applicable)
e go to edit page

On TV season pages

(right arrow) go to next season
(left arrow) go to previous season

On TV episode pages

(right arrow) go to next episode
(left arrow) go to previous episode

On all image pages

a open add image window

On all edit pages

t open translation selector
ctrl+ s submit form

On discussion pages

n create new discussion
w toggle watching status
p toggle public/private
c toggle close/open
a open activity
r reply to discussion
l go to last reply
ctrl+ enter submit your message
(right arrow) next page
(left arrow) previous page

Settings

Want to rate or add this item to a list?

Login