HK
Henry Kulky
Actor
Died February 12, 1965 (53 years)
Henry Kulky (born Henry Kulakowich; August 11, 1911 – February 12, 1965) was an American actor and professional wrestler from Hastings-on-Hudson, New York, probably best remembered as Chief Petty Officer Curly Jones from season 1 of Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea.
Kulky began boxing in his teenage years. After six bouts, he stopped boxing when he was offered a position training wrestlers at St. Matthew's Lyceum in his native Hastings-on-Hudson.
Stanislaus Zbyszko convinced Kulky to compete professionally in 1939. Moving to Argentina, Kulky competed throughout South America under the ring name Bomber Kulkavich. The number of matches in which he competed is uncertain; one claim states that he won 172 of 175 matches. Kulky, however, claims that he won nearly all of 7,000 matches. While in South America, he is also said to have won the continent's judo crown.
Like most wrestlers who turned to acting in the 1950s he owed his big break to Mike Mazurki. The two appeared in several parts in the 1940s and 1950s, with Mazurki's agent getting him a part in Call Northside 777.
Because of his rather tough guy image, Kulky became typecast as military men, thugs, gangsters, bartenders, wrestlers and other "strong guys" who were at times quite friendly and lovable characters contrasting strongly with the tough guy image. From 1953 to 1958, he played Otto Schmidlap in the television series The Life of Riley. In the series, Kulky portrayed a co-worker of series character Chester Riley, a wing riveter at an aircraft plant. In 1952 he appeared in an episode (#11) of Adventures of Superman, as a wrestler working for a crooked promoter. In 1954 he appeared in an episode (#141) of The Lone Ranger. From 1959 to 1962, Kulky was cast in the recurring role as Chief Max Bronsky in forty-six episodes of Jackie Cooper's CBS military sitcom-drama television series Hennesey. The role was close to Kulky's heart because during World War II, he was a boatswain's mate in the United States Navy.
Kulky's last role was as Chief Curley Jones in the television series Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea. He died on February 12, 1965, in Oceanside, California, of a heart attack suffered while he was studying a script.
Kulky began boxing in his teenage years. After six bouts, he stopped boxing when he was offered a position training wrestlers at St. Matthew's Lyceum in his native Hastings-on-Hudson.
Stanislaus Zbyszko convinced Kulky to compete professionally in 1939. Moving to Argentina, Kulky competed throughout South America under the ring name Bomber Kulkavich. The number of matches in which he competed is uncertain; one claim states that he won 172 of 175 matches. Kulky, however, claims that he won nearly all of 7,000 matches. While in South America, he is also said to have won the continent's judo crown.
Like most wrestlers who turned to acting in the 1950s he owed his big break to Mike Mazurki. The two appeared in several parts in the 1940s and 1950s, with Mazurki's agent getting him a part in Call Northside 777.
Because of his rather tough guy image, Kulky became typecast as military men, thugs, gangsters, bartenders, wrestlers and other "strong guys" who were at times quite friendly and lovable characters contrasting strongly with the tough guy image. From 1953 to 1958, he played Otto Schmidlap in the television series The Life of Riley. In the series, Kulky portrayed a co-worker of series character Chester Riley, a wing riveter at an aircraft plant. In 1952 he appeared in an episode (#11) of Adventures of Superman, as a wrestler working for a crooked promoter. In 1954 he appeared in an episode (#141) of The Lone Ranger. From 1959 to 1962, Kulky was cast in the recurring role as Chief Max Bronsky in forty-six episodes of Jackie Cooper's CBS military sitcom-drama television series Hennesey. The role was close to Kulky's heart because during World War II, he was a boatswain's mate in the United States Navy.
Kulky's last role was as Chief Curley Jones in the television series Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea. He died on February 12, 1965, in Oceanside, California, of a heart attack suffered while he was studying a script.
Movies & Shows on Plex
Filmography
| 1964 | Broadside (TV Series) · as Chief |
| 1964 | Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (TV Series) · as Curley Jones |
| 1964 | A Global Affair · as Charlie - Newsstand Proprietor |
| 1963 | Grindl (TV Series) |
| 1962 | Going My Way (TV Series) |
| 1962 | It's a Man's World (TV Series) · as The Waiter |
| 1962 | All Fall Down · as Sailor |
| 1960 | Pete and Gladys (TV Series) |
| 1960 | Guns of the Timberland · as Logger |
| 1959 | Hennesey (TV Series) |
| 1959 | |
| 1959 | The Gunfight at Dodge City · as Charlie - The Bartender |
| 1959 | Compulsion · as Tough Waiter |
| 1959 | Up Periscope · as Chief Petty Officer York |
| 1958 | The Texan (TV Series) · as Joe |
| 1957 | Bombers B-52 · as Calvin (uncredited) |
| 1957 | All Mine to Give · as Drunk |
| 1957 | Maverick (TV Series) · as Bartender |
| 1957 | The Thin Man (TV Series) · as Tom Culdane |
| 1957 | Sierra Stranger · as Bartender Matt |
| 1957 | The Silent Service (TV Series) · as Chief 'fats' Fuller |
| 1957 | |
| 1956 | The Girl Can't Help It · as Iceman |
| 1956 | The Gale Storm Show (TV Series) · as Mike |
| 1956 | The Sheriff of Cochise (TV Series) · as Pinto |
| 1956 | Hey Jeannie! (TV Series) · as Guy |
| 1956 | The Adventures of Jim Bowie (TV Series) |
| 1956 | Telephone Time (TV Series) · as Cast |
| 1955 | I'll Cry Tomorrow · as Man In Bar (uncredited) |
| 1955 | It's a Dog's Life · as Grainger |
| 1955 | |
| 1955 | To Hell and Back · as Sgt. Stack |
| 1955 | The Girl in the Red Velvet Swing · as Prisoner (uncredited) |
| 1955 | Navy Log (TV Series) |
| 1955 | Jail Busters · as Marty |
| 1955 | It's Always Fair Weather · as Drunk In Bar (uncredited) |
| 1955 | Francis in the Navy · as Auction Bidder |
| 1955 | Fingerman · as Louie |
| 1955 | Love Me or Leave Me · as Bouncer |
| 1955 | New York Confidential · as Gino |
| 1955 | Abbott and Costello Meet the Keystone Kops · as Brakeman (uncredited) |
| 1955 | Prince of Players · as Bartender |
| 1955 | The Bob Cummings Show (TV Series) · as The Wrestler |
| 1954 | Disneyland (TV Series) · as Father With Nine Kids (uncredited) |
| 1954 | A Star Is Born · as Cuddles (uncredited) |
| 1954 | The Human Jungle · as Matty |
| 1954 | Father Knows Best (TV Series) · as Max |
| 1954 | It's a Great Life (TV Series) · as Lefty |
| 1954 | Tobor the Great · as Paul (spy Henchman) |
| 1954 | Fireman Save My Child · as Harry |
| 1954 | Phantom of the Rue Morgue · as Maurice |
| 1954 | Public Defender (TV Series) · as Murphy |
| 1954 | New Faces · as Mr. Dee (uncredited) |
| 1954 | Hell and High Water · as Mccrossin (uncredited) |
| 1954 | Yukon Vengeance · as Schmidt |
| 1953 | Topper (TV Series) · as Gouger |
| 1953 | Make Room for Daddy (TV Series) · as Big Joe |
| 1953 | A Lion Is in the Streets · as Polli's Butler |
| 1953 | Clipped Wings · as Sgt. Broski |
| 1953 | The Charge at Feather River · as Pvt. Smiley |
| 1953 | The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T. · as Stroogo (uncredited) |
| 1953 | Powder River · as Bartender |
| 1953 | The Glory Brigade · as Sgt. 'smitty' Smitkowsky |
| 1953 | Confidentially Connie · as Meckle |
| 1953 | Rogue's March · as Russian Fisherman-Spy |
| 1953 | The Life of Riley (1953) (TV Series) · as Otto |
| 1952 | The Abbott and Costello Show (TV Series) · as Mulligan |
| 1952 | No Holds Barred · as Mike The Mauler |
| 1952 | My Hero (1952) (TV Series) · as Trigger |
| 1952 | My Wife's Best Friend · as Pug |
| 1952 | The World in His Arms · as Peter, Russian Servant |
| 1952 | Because You're Mine · as Sergeant |
| 1952 | The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet (TV Series) · as Fish Truck Driver |
| 1952 | Cavalcade of America (TV Series) · as Ernie |
| 1952 | Adventures of Superman (TV Series) · as Crusher (uncredited) |
| 1952 | What Price Glory · as Company Cook |
| 1952 | My Little Margie (TV Series) · as Man At Beach |
| 1952 | Red Planet Mars · as Military Guard |
| 1952 | Down Among the Sheltering Palms · as First Sergeant Jones |
| 1952 | Red Skies of Montana · as Dawson (uncredited) |
| 1951 | Fixed Bayonets! · as Vogl (uncredited) |
| 1951 | I Love Lucy (TV Series) · as Trainer (uncredited) |
| 1951 | Love Nest · as George Thompson |
| 1951 | You Never Can Tell · as Gorilla / Prisoner (uncredited) |
| 1951 | Sky King (TV Series) · as Moose Tanner |
| 1951 | The Guy Who Came Back · as Wizard, Wrestler |
| 1951 | Force of Arms · as Sgt. Reiser |
| 1951 | Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok (TV Series) |
| 1950 | Racket Squad (TV Series) |
| 1950 | Love That Brute · as Mug |
| 1950 | Wabash Avenue · as Joe Barton |
| 1950 | Kill the Umpire · as Baseball Fan |
| 1950 | South Sea Sinner · as Bartender |
| 1950 | Groan and Grunt · as Rose Petal Rooney |
| 1949 | Bandits of El Dorado · as Bartender Spade |
| 1949 | Alias the Champ · as Bomber Kulkovich - Wrestler |
| 1949 | The Red Danube · as Russian Officer At Camp 12 Deportation |
| 1949 | The Lone Ranger (TV Series) · as Gus Gotwals |
| 1949 | Mighty Joe Young · as Strong Man (uncredited) |
| 1949 | Take Me Out to the Ball Game · as Acrobat |
| 1949 | State Department: File 649 · as Mongolian Sergeant |
| 1949 | Tarzan's Magic Fountain · as Vredak |
| 1948 | A Foreign Affair · as Russian Sergeant (uncredited) |
| 1948 | To the Ends of the Earth · as Giant Chinese Man (uncredited) |
| 1948 | Call Northside 777 · as First Bartender (uncredited) |
| 1948 | Alias a Gentleman · as Moving Man |
| 1947 | Northwest Outpost · as Peasant |
| 1947 | A Likely Story · as Tremendo |