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Mel Novak

 
Actor: Mel Novak
 
  • Occupation: Actor
  • Active: '70s-'90s
  • Major Genres: Action
  • Career Highlights: Family Reunion, Force of Darkness
  • First Major Screen Credit: Force of Darkness (1985)

Biography

American actor Mel Novak played leads in a number of low-budget actioners during the '70s and '80s. He was once a professional athlete. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
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Wikipedia: Mel Novak
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Mel Novack
Born Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Other name(s) Mel Novack
Occupation Actor
Years active 1971 – present

Mel Novak is an American character actor who is best known for villainous roles in action, martial arts and occasionally horror and science fiction films. He is also known for doing all of his own stunts and fighting scenes.

Contents

Career

Born in Pittsburgh, Novak played professional baseball with the Pittsburgh Pirates before he began acting. His athletic career was cut short by a massive rotator cuff injury. Novak made his film debut in 1974, appearing in two blaxploitation films, Truck Turner and Black Belt Jones, the former starring Isaac Hayes, the latter Jim Kelly. Subsequent parts in The Ulimate Warrior (1975) starring Yul Brynner, Cat in the Cage (1978), starring Sybil Danning, and others followed. One of his more high-profile parts from the 70's was as the hitman Stick in Game of Death (1978), directed by Robert Clouse. Novak also had small roles in two Chuck Norris films, A Force of One (1979) and An Eye for an Eye (1981).

Since the turn of the 80's, Novack been acting mostly in low-budget, independent features, such as in Lovely But Deadly (1981) for director/producer David Sheldon, starring B-movie heroine Lucinda Dooling. In the 90's, he appeared in two films for director Garry Marshall, Exit to Eden (1994), based on the novel by Anne Rice, and Dear God (1996). In 2005, he appeared in the action/horror film Vampire Assassin, also featuring Gerald Okamura, with whom Novak has acted with in several films, and Rudy Ray Moore.

Personal life

Novak is also an Ordained Minister, having worked in skid row and prison ministry for over twenty years. He also has two daughters, Nikol and Lea, and a grandson from daughter Lea.

Filmography

Film
Year Film Role Notes
1974 Black Belt Jones Blue Eyes
Truck Turner Doctor Alternative title: Black Bullet
1975 The Ulimate Warrior Lippert Alternative titles: The Barony
The Last Warrior
1978 Cat in the Cage Ralph Desmond
Game of Death Stick
1979 A Force of One The Announcer
1980 Tom Horn Corbett's Bodyguard
1981 Lovely But Deadly Warren Lang
Force: Five The Assassin
An Eye for an Eye Montoya
1985 Force of Darkness Conrad
Sword of Heaven Dirk
1989 Family Reunion Tom Andrews
1991 Capital Punishment Mason Dover Alternative title: Kickbox Terminator
1993 Expert Weapon Miller Alternative title: American Dragon
1994 Direct Hit Kovar
Exit to Eden Walker's henchman
1996 Dear God Sidewalk Minister
1997 Future War Otis Direct-to-video release
Pocket Ninjas Mr. Kaufman Alternative title: Triple Dragon
Moonbase Guard
1999 The F-Zone Priest
2002 Power Elite President Jonathan Caine
2003 GiAnts Jonathan Caine Direct-to-DVD release
2005 SWAT: Warhead One Dick Danvers Direct-to-DVD release
Vampire Assassin Gustoff Slovak
2006 Big Guns Larry Armstrong Direct-to-DVD release
2008 Drifter TKD Thomas Tyler
Television
Year Title Role Notes
1971 The F.B.I. Policeman 1 episode
1973 Mannix Elmo Bagley 1 episode
1976 The Blue Knight Steve 1 episode
Ark II First guard 1 episode
2006 Pastor Greg Man with dog 1 episode

Bibliography

—Features several pieces by Novak on his 70's films.
  • Gods In Spandex, or, A Survivors' Account of 80's Cinema Obscura (2007)
—Features several pieces by Novak on his 1980s films.

External links



 
 

 

Copyrights:

Actor. Copyright © 2009 All Media Guide, LLC. All rights reserved.  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Mel Novak" Read more