Martin Kove's Main TV Roles Show Character(s) Cagney & Lacey Det. Victor… Hard Time on Planet Earth Jesse Wildside Lyle Rainwood The Runaways Mike Code R George Baker The Optimist (UK) The Rival (2) We've Got Each Other Ken Redford

Main Movie Roles 2008 - Beyond The Ring 2006 - Seven Mummies 2005 - Glass Trap 2005 - Miracle at Sage Creek 2003 - Devil's Knight 2002 - Crocodile 2: Death Swamp 1998 - Top of the World 1994 - Wyatt Earp 1989 - The Karate Kid, Part III 1986 - The Karate Kid, Part II 1985 - Rambo: First Blood Part II 1984 - The Karate Kid 1977 - The White Buffalo 1977 - Mr. Billion 1975 - Capone 1975 - Death Race 2000 1975 - White Line Fever 1974 - The Groove Tube 1972 - The Last House On The Left 1971 - Little Murders

BIOGRAPHY:

New York born, strong featured, narrow eyed actor who has portrayed a mixed bag of both good and bad guys! First turned up on screen in several minor roles, and got himself noticed as the villainous "Nero The Hero" in the low budget road race Death Race 2000 (1975), and then as "Clem" the sadistic rigger, breaking Jan-Michael Vincent's ribs in White Line Fever (1975). He cropped up in the hit TV series "Cagney & Lacey" (1982) as honest Police Detective Isbecki, and then got on the wrong side of rampaging Sylvester Stallone in Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985).

Kove probably scored his greatest visibility to the public ( in the hugely successful The Karate Kid (1984) in which he played "John Kreese", the head instructor of the Cobra Kai karate school, and he reprised the role in the two sequels, The Karate Kid, Part II (1986) and The Karate Kid, Part III (1989).

Kove has since kept consistently busy, primarily in the action / thriller film genre, and has notched up over 80 film appearances to date, as well as numerous TV guest roles.


TRIVIA:

• Has twins: son Jesse Morgan Kove; and daughter Rachel Olivia Kove. Jesse and Rachel were born November 2, 1990.
• During the mid-to-late 1980s and early 1990s, Kove was a well-known TV-spokesman for King Cobra beer: "Don't let the smooth taste fool you." In more recent years, however, he has sworn off alcohol.
• Has black belts in all of the following martial arts: Kendo; Okinawa-te; and Tiger Kenpo.
• He was a substitute match teacher at Ward Melville High School in New York.
• Honorary marshal of Tarzana, California
• Injured his hand during the fateful fight scene between his character, John Kreese, and Mr. Miyagi in The Karate Kid, Part II (1986). The effects team ill-timed one of the car window shattering shots, causing Kove to inadvertently break the prop window with his own fist. He sustained several injuries to his hand but continued filming.