Biography
Henry Kulky (born Henry Kulakowich; August 11, 1911 β 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.
Filmography
all 62
Movies 40
TV Shows 22
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1964)
Grindl (1963)
Going My Way (1962)
Pete and Gladys (1960)
Guns of the Timberland (1960)
Hennesey (1959)
Bonanza (1959)
Up Periscope (1959)
The Texan (1958)
Bombers B-52 (1957)
The Thin Man (1957)
Sierra Stranger (1957)
U.S. Marshall (1956)
Hey, Jeannie! (1956)
The Adventures of Jim Bowie (1956)
Army Daze (1956)
I'll Cry Tomorrow (1955)
Illegal (1955)
The Girl in the Red Velvet Swing (1955)
Navy Log (1955)
Love Me or Leave Me (1955)
New York Confidential (1955)
Abbott and Costello Meet the Keystone Kops (1955)
Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color (1954)
The Human Jungle (1954)
A Star Is Born (1954)
Tobor the Great (1954)
Fireman Save My Child (1954)
Phantom of the Rue Morgue (1954)
Public Defender (1954)
New Faces (1954)
Hell and High Water (1954)
Yukon Vengeance (1954)
The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T. (1953)
The Glory Brigade (1953)
Down Among the Sheltering Palms (1953)
Target Hong Kong (1953)
The Life Of Riley (1953)
No Holds Barred (1952)
The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet (1952)
Cavalcade of America (1952)
Adventures of Superman (1952)
Aim, Fire, Scoot (1952)
Red Skies of Montana (1952)
Fixed Bayonets! (1951)
I Love Lucy (1951)
Love Nest (1951)
The Red Skelton Show (1951)
You Never Can Tell (1951)
The Guy Who Came Back (1951)
Racket Squad (1951)
The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok (1951)
A Snitch in Time (1950)
South Sea Sinner (1950)
Jiggs and Maggie Out West (1950)
Alias the Champ (1949)
Mighty Joe Young (1949)
Tarzan's Magic Fountain (1949)
A Foreign Affair (1948)
Call Northside 777 (1948)
To the Ends of the Earth (1948)
A Likely Story (1947)
Ratings
Information
Known ForActing
GenderMale
Birthday1911-08-11
Deathday1965-02-12 (53 years old)
Birth PlaceHastings-on-Hudson, United States of America
CitizenshipsUnited States of America
Also Known AsBomber Kulkovich, Henry 'Bomber' Kulkovich, Henry Kulkowich, Henry 'Bomber' Kulky
This article uses material from Wikipedia.
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