In Memoriam: Mel Novak (1934-2025)
TMZ is reporting that actor and screen legend Mel Novak passed away early Wednesday this week. He leaves behind a legacy of well-over eighty film credits dating back to the late 1960s, with titles like Blackploitation classics Truck Turner and Black Belt Jones, as well as in Bruce Lee’s Game Of Death.
The actor also appeared in Chuck Norris thrillers A Force Of One and An Eye For An Eye, as well as more recent titles like Gregory Hatanaka’s fan-driven Samurai Cop 2: Deadly Vengeance, Benny Tjandra and Doug Tochioka’s Syndicate Smasher, and Dustin Ferguson’s Space Sharks. Novak is also an awarded martial arts Hall of Famer at several ceremonies, including 2017’s USA Martial Arts Hall of Fame alongside veteran actor Aki Aleong, as well as an ordained minister lauded for his humanitarian efforts.
“He had such a zest for life and lived quite an exciting life,” said daughter Nikol Conant in a Facebook post on Wednesday. She also noted that Novak had been suffering “daily excruciating and debilitating pain” for the last several years as a result of injuries Novak sustained during his career on screen.
Novak was 90 years old.
Our thoughts and condolences go out to the actor’s friends, family and management team.
Read more at TMZ.
Lead image: Bill Delgadillo/Wikimedia Commons
