Henry Kulky

Known for ActingBorn 1911-08-11Died 1965-02-12Hastings-on-Hudson, New York, USa

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.Read more

Movies & web series

Army Daze

Fireman Save My Child

Aim, Fire, Scoot

The Wonderful World of Disney

I Love Lucy

Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea

U.S. Marshall

Hennesey

The Thin Man

Bonanza

South Sea Sinner

The Red Skelton Show

Alias the Champ

The Abbott and Costello Show

You Never Can Tell

A Star Is Born

A Foreign Affair

It's Always Fair Weather

Maverick

Love Me or Leave Me

Call Northside 777

The Life Of Riley

The Red Danube

The World in His Arms

Going My Way

Adventures of Superman

Fixed Bayonets!

Down Among the Sheltering Palms

Racket Squad

Illegal

Up Periscope

Mighty Joe Young

Pete and Gladys

The Glory Brigade

Hey, Jeannie!

Guns of the Timberland

Public Defender

The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T.

Phantom of the Rue Morgue

Abbott and Costello Meet the Keystone Kops

I'll Cry Tomorrow

The Guy Who Came Back

The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet

The Girl in the Red Velvet Swing

A Snitch in Time

Grindl

The Texan

Hell and High Water