Frank De Kova

Frank De Kova (March 17, 1910 – October 15, 1981) was an American character actor whose career spanned stage, film, and television. Born in New York City, he worked as a teacher in New York before joining a Shakespeare repertory group, which marked his entry into professional performance.

De Kova made his Broadway debut in Detective Story, where he was discovered by director Elia Kazan. His Broadway work continued through the late 1940s, with appearances in both Detective Story and Heads or Tails between 1947 and 1949.

Following his stage work, De Kova relocated to Hollywood and built a substantial film career as a character actor. In 1952 he appeared in two notable productions: Viva Zapata!, in which he played a Mexican Colonel, and The Big Sky alongside Kirk Douglas. He took on the role of Abiram in The Ten Commandments and appeared in Cowboy (1958) with Glenn Ford and Jack Lemmon. Later film credits included The Mechanic (1972), starring Charles Bronson and Jan-Michael Vincent, and the Ralph Bakshi animated feature American Pop.

Television became a significant part of De Kova's career. He portrayed Mafia hitman Jimmy Napoli on the ABC crime drama The Untouchables and held a recurring role as Tobeel, a Kiowa Indian and friend of Marshal Matt Dillon, on Gunsmoke. He played an Arapaho Medicine Man in the Wagon Train episode "The Gabe Carswell Story," which aired January 14, 1958, and appeared as Phil Kalama in the Hawaii Five-O episode "Along Came Joey" in 1968. He also guest-starred on the ABC/Warner Brothers drama The Roaring 20s. His most recognized television role was Chief Wild Eagle, leader of the Hekawi tribe, on the western comedy F Troop, a part he held from 1965 to 1967.

De Kova died of heart failure in his sleep on October 15, 1981, at his home in North Hills, California. He is interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Hollywood Hills, California.