Home / Discover / People

Martin Kove

Martin Kove is an American actor and martial artist best known for The Karate Kid (1984), in which he played John Kreese, the head teacher of the Cobra Kai karate school. He reprised the role in two sequels, The Karate Kid Part II (1986) and The Karate Kid Part III (1989) as well as the 2018 television sequel series Cobra Kai. He was first seen as Nero the Hero in Death Race 2000 (1975), and afterward as Clem in White Line Fever (1975). He appeared in the TV series Cagney and Lacey (1981) portra

English
Filmography

Cobra Kai

2018
as John Kreese

The Karate Kid

1984
as John Kreese

Rambo: First Blood Part II

1985
as Ericson

The Karate Kid, Part II

1986
as John Kreese

The Karate Kid Part III

1989
as John Kreese

Dancing with the Stars

2005
as Martin Kove

The Sky Trap

1979
as Hoover

Blood Tide

1982
as Neil Grice

The Great Fight

2011
as John Cooper

Hard Ground

2003
as Floyd

Six Gun Savior

2016
as The Mentor

The Groove Tube

1974
as Butz Beer

Silent but Deadly

2012
as Hodge

Devil's Knight

2003
as Zeff

Seven

1979
as Skip

Assassins' Code

2011
as Tony Brill

As Night Comes

2014
as Projectionist

Queen of the Ring

as Al Haft

The Outlaw Johnny Black

2023

Death Match

1994
as Paul Landis

Cagney & Lacey

1982
as Victor Isbecki

Lightning in a Bottle

1993
as Duane Furber

It's Only a Movie: The Making of 'Last House on the Left'

2002
as Martin Kove

Alien Lockdown

2004
as Anslow

Final Equinox

1995
as Torman

Steele Justice

1987
as John Steele

Joker's Poltergeist

2015
as Graham Palace

The Hollywood Mom's Mystery

2004
as Sandy Palumbo

Railroad to Hell: A Chinaman's Chance

2018

Hard Time on Planet Earth

1989

Savage

2011
as Jack Lund

Baby Face Nelson

1996
as John Dillinger

Rice Girl

2003
as Captain Ron Williams

Assault on Devil's Island

1997
as Andy Powers

ReVamped

2007
as Detective Reeger

Elvis from Outer Space

2020
as State Trooper

Day 13

2020
as Magnus Torvald

The Outfit

1993
as Agent Baker

Women in Revolt

1971
as Marty (as Marty Kove)

To Be the Best

1993
as Rick Kulhane

Con Games

2001
as Redick

Bring Me the Head of Lance Henriksen

Going Back

2001
as Father Brazinski

Number Runner

2014
as Bingo Brown

Shattered Lies

2002
as Tom Reynolds

More Than Miyagi: The Pat Morita Story

2021
as Self

Sliding Home

1997
as Samuel J. Webber

Sting of the Black Scorpion

2002
as Jack Ames / Firearm

The Waterfront

1998
as James Ricks

Beyond the Game

2014

Without Mercy

1995
as Wolf Larsen

The Spy Who Returned from the Dead

1974
as Rollo

Mercenary

1997

Seven Mummies

2006
as Kile

Endangered

1994
as DeVoe

Blizhniy Boy: The Ultimate Fighter

2007
as Detective Karpov

Assassin X

2016
as Frank

Gentle Ben

2002
as Cully

Ballistica

2009
as Riley

Reality Terror Night

2013
as Othello Lazarus

Future Shock

1994
as Dr. Langdon

Glass Trap

2005
as Corrigan

Project: Shadowchaser

1992
as Desilva

Capone

1975
as Pete Gusenberg

Price for Freedom

2017
as Ayatollah Khalkhali

Cops and Robbers

1973

Barbarian

2003
as Munkar

Nowhere Land

1998
as Hank

War Wolves

2009
as Malick

Bare Knuckle Brawler

2019
as Mike Calderon

Fallen Angels

2007
as Daniels

Middle Men

2009
as US Senator

Firehawk

1993
as Stewart

White Light

1991
as Sean Craig

The Life Zone

2011
as Randy Graves

The Roommates

as Jerry

Immortally Yours

2009
as Steven Miles

Top of the World

1998
as Carl

Running Forever

2015
as Carson

Little Murders

1971
as Thug beating on Alfred

Final Payback

2001
as Captain Peter James

Illusion Infinity

2008
as Taxi Driver

We've Got Each Other

1977

Trance

2002
as Robert Leoni

Messages

2007
as DCI Collins

Laboratory

1980

Bare Knuckles

2010
as Sonny Cool

Soft Target

2006
as Jake Lawlor

Assault on Death Mountain

1999
as Andy Powers

Joseph's Gift

1998
as Thompsonn

Timelock

1996
as Admiral Teegs

The Dead Sleep Easy

2007
as Bob Depugh

The Dog Who Saved Summer

2015
as Vernon

The Veteran

2006
as Father Brazinski

Crocodile 2: Death Swamp

2002
as Roland

Beyond The Ring

2008
as Uncle Patrick

President's Target

1989
as Sam Nicholson

Tapped Out

2014
as Principal Vanhorne

I'm in Love with a Church Girl

2013
as Terry Edgemond

Donovan's Kid

1979
as Keslo

Savage Season

2001
as Frank

Traded

2016
as Cavendish

Paint It Red

2018
as Scabs

The White Buffalo

1977
as Jack McCall

Wild Bill Hickok: Swift Justice

2016
as Rayord

Judge and Jury

1997
as Michael Silvano

A Taste of Love

2024
as Glenn

Gathering of Heroes: Legend of the Seven Swords

2018
as Galaron

Death Race 2000

1975
as Nero the Hero

VFW

2020
as Lou Clayton

Max Reload and the Nether Blasters

2020
as Gramps Jenkins

Falcon Song

2014
as Caspian

Cagney & Lacey: The Return

1994
as Isbecki

Shootfighter: Fight to the Death

1993
as Mr. Lee

Friend Request

2013
as Captain Meyers

White Line Fever

1975
as Clem

Garlic and Gunpowder

2018
as Agent Tracey

The Last House on The Left

1972
as Deputy

2 Lava 2 Lantula!

2016
as Colonel Jester

Curse of the Forty-Niner

2002
as Caleb

Director

Episode Silk Stalkings
T.K.O. 		1994

Producer

Movie Six Gun Savior 2016

Guest Star

Episode Murder, She Wrote
Armed Response 		1985
Episode Starsky & Hutch
Birds of a Feather 		1979
Episode The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp
Wyatt Earp: Return To Tombstone 		1994
Episode McMillan and Wife
Downshift to Danger 		1974
Episode V.I.P.
Bloody Val-entine 		1998
Episode NTSF:SD:SUV::
The Risky Business of Being Alone in Your Home 		2011
Episode Barnaby Jones
Nest of Scorpions 		1978
Episode Hollywood Off Ramp
Cell Phone 		2000
Episode Rhoda
Anything Wrong? 		1974
Episode Petrocelli
Six Strings of Guilt 		1976
Episode Barnaby Jones
Girl on the Road 		1979
Episode Quincy, M.E.
The Death Challenge 		1979
Episode The Artie And Anthony Show
Episode 139 - With Martin Kove 		2018
Episode Hercules: The Legendary Journeys
The Mother of All Monsters 		1995
Episode The Rockford Files
Dirty Money, Black Light 		1977
Episode Barmageddon (2022)
Jay Pharoah vs. Martin Kove 		2022
Episode The Incredible Hulk
Final Round 		1978
Episode Cobra Kai
Mercy (1) 		2018
Episode The Twilight Zone (1985)
Opening Day 		1985
Episode Kung Fu: The Legend Continues
Shadow Assassin 		1993
Episode The Streets of San Francisco
The Drop 		1976
Episode Gunsmoke
In Performance of Duty 		1974
Episode Three for the Road
The Rip-Off 		1975
Episode Black Scorpion
Sting of the Black Scorpion 		2002
Episode A Man Called Sloane
Lady Bug 		1979
Episode Collider Live
No Mercy! Sensei Kreese Joins Collider Live! (#103) 		2019
Episode Kung Fu: The Legend Continues
Return of the Shadow Assassin 		1994
Episode Charlie's Angels
Sammy Davis Jr. Kidnap Caper 		1977
Episode Burke's Law (1994)
Who Killed Nick Hazard? 		1994