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{{short description|American actor and professional wrestler}}
{{Use American English|date=November 2021}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Mike Mazurki
| image = Mike Mazurki in Dick Tracy (1945).jpg
| caption = Mazurki as Splitface in ''[[Dick Tracy (1945 film)|Dick Tracy]]'' (1945)
| birth_name =
Markiyan Yulianovich Mazurkevich
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1907|12|25|mf=yes}}
| birth_place = Kupchyntsi (Купчинці), [[Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria]],<br>[[Austria-Hungary]] (now [[Ternopil Raion]], [[Tarnopol]], Ukraine)
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1990|12|09|1907|12|25|mf=yes}}
| death_place = [[Glendale, California]], U.S.
| resting_place =
| alma_mater = [[Manhattan College]]<br>[[Fordham University]]
| occupation = {{hlist|Actor| professional wrestler}}
| height ={{convert|6|ft|5|in|cm|sigfig=3|abbr=on}}
| years_active = 1934–1990
| spouse = {{unbulleted list|{{marriage|Jeanette Briggs|1943|1950|end=divorced}}|{{marriage|Sylvia Weinblatt<br>|1968|1990|end=his death}}}}
| children = 2
}}

'''Mike Mazurki''' (December 25, 1907 – December 9, 1990) was a Ukrainian-American actor and [[professional wrestling|professional wrestler]] who appeared in more than 142 films. His 6 ft 5 in (196 cm) presence and face had him typecast as often brainless athletes, tough guys, thugs, and gangsters. His roles included Splitface in ''[[Dick Tracy (1945 film)|Dick Tracy]]'' (1945), Yusuf in ''[[Sinbad the Sailor (1947 film)|Sinbad the Sailor]]'' (1947), and Clon in ''[[It's About Time (TV series)|It's About Time]]'' (1966-1967).

==Early years==
Mazurki was born Markiyan Yulianovich Mazurkevich ({{lang-uk| Маркіян (Михайло) Мазуркевич}}) ({{lang-pl|Markijan (Mychajlo) Mazurkiewicz}}) in the village of Kupchyntsi (in present-day [[Ternopil Raion]]), near what was then [[Ternopil|Tarnopol]], [[Galicia (Central Europe)|Galicia, Austria-Hungary]] (now [[Ternopil]], Ukraine).<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=w9gwDwAAQBAJ&q=Mike+Mazurki|title=Anne Bancroft: A Life|isbn=9780813169705|last1=Daniel|first1=Douglass K.|date=September 22, 2017}}</ref> In 1913, he emigrated with his family to the United States living in [[Cohoes, New York]], just outside Albany, in old mill housing on Olmstead Street with his mother.{{Citation needed |date=August 2021}}

Mazurki attended LaSalle Institute in [[Troy, New York|Troy]], for high school. Upon finishing school, he changed his name to "Mike". He played football<ref>{{cite news|title=Joe Schwarzer to Build Anew at Manhattan |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/23571257/daily_news/ |work=[[New York Daily News|Daily News]] |date=September 16, 1928 |location=New York City |page=69 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]|access-date=September 8, 2018}} {{Open access}}</ref> and basketball at [[Manhattan College]],<ref>{{cite news|title=Dartmouth Quintet Takes Annual Xmas Jaunt |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/23571115/daily_news/ |work=[[New York Daily News|Daily News]] |date=December 19, 1926 |location=New York City |page=31 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |access-date=September 8, 2018}} {{Open access}}</ref> where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1930.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://slamwrestling.net/index.php/2006/03/06/mike-mazurki-wrestlings-acting-champ/ |title=Mike Mazurki: Wrestling's acting champ |last=Oliver |first=Greg |website=Slam Wrestling |date=March 6, 2006 |access-date=November 3, 2020}}</ref>

After earning his bachelor's degree, Mazurki graduated from [[Fordham Law School]] and became an attorney. He later said he took up professional wrestling because he could earn around ten times what he could as a lawyer. Mazurki was also a professional [[American football]] and [[basketball]] player.<ref name="AMG">{{cite web|url=http://ssdi.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/ssdi.cgi|title=Social Security Death Index (search by name)|access-date=December 1, 2009}}</ref><ref name="Yahoo">{{cite web|url=https://movies.yahoo.com/movie/contributor/1800028900/bio|title=Mike Mazurki Biography|website=[[Yahoo! Movies]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604013041/https://movies.yahoo.com/movie/contributor/1800028900/bio|archive-date=June 4, 2011}}</ref>

== Career ==
Mazurki was discovered by [[Josef von Sternberg]] and given a bit part in his film ''[[The Shanghai Gesture]]'' (1941).<ref name="Yahoo" /> This led to a long film and television career. Possibly his most memorable role was that of slow-witted thug Moose Malloy in the [[film noir]] ''[[Murder, My Sweet]]'' (1944), opposite [[Dick Powell]]. He portrayed the psychotic, knife-wielding murderer Splitface in the original ''[[Dick Tracy (1945 film)|Dick Tracy]]'' (1945). (Forty-five years later, Mazurki would play a cameo role in the [[Dick Tracy (1990 film)|1990 film version]] of the comic-strip detective.) He played a wrestler nicknamed "The Strangler" in ''[[Night and the City]]'' (1950) and a role imitating the manner of a [[George Raft]] henchman in the [[Billy Wilder]] comedy, ''[[Some Like It Hot]]'' (1959). He continued to wrestle during his acting career. His slurred speech was reportedly due to a wrestling injury to his [[Adam's apple]].<ref name="AMG" />

in addition to his film work, Mazurki made guest appearances on many popular television shows, among them ''[[My Friend Flicka (TV series)|My Friend Flicka]]'' (as a wrestler facing [[Gene Evans]]'s character of Rob McLaughlin), ''[[The Untouchables (1959-63 TV series)|The Untouchables]]'', ''[[Bachelor Father (U.S. TV series)|Bachelor Father]]'', ''[[Daniel Boone (1964 TV series)|Daniel Boone]]'', ''[[Gilligan's Island]]'', ''[[The Munsters]]'', ''[[I Dream of Jeannie]]'', ''[[Bonanza]]'', and ''[[Gunsmoke]]'', to name just a few. In 1964 he played Cully Barstow, a yacht hand, in "The Case of the Missing Button", an episode of ''[[Perry Mason (1957 TV series)|Perry Mason]]'' in which he threatened Mason and Paul Drake with a set of [[brass knuckles]]. He also played Arthur Jacks in the episode "The Case of the Deadly Verdict" (1963). He was a regular as well on the short-lived [[sitcom]] ''[[The Chicago Teddy Bears]]''.<ref name="AMG"/>

Along with his film and television appearances, Mazurki was seen in the hit [[Rod Stewart]] music video "[[Infatuation (Rod Stewart song)|Infatuation]]", playing the bodyguard protecting a woman (played by [[Kay Lenz]]) from a stalker (played by Stewart). In the end, he succeeds, punching out Stewart. In 1966–67, he performed as the caveman "Clon" in ''[[It's About Time (TV series)|It's About Time]]''.

In 1965, he co-founded and became the first president of the [[Cauliflower Alley Club]], an association of professional wrestlers. A photograph of his [[cauliflower ear]] forms the logo of the organization. He was posthumously awarded the New York State Award in 2005 by the [[Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum]] for founding the club.{{citation needed|date=March 2014}}

In 1972, he landed his only starring role in a film as Trapper in ''[[Challenge to be Free]]''.

As he aged, acting opportunities for Mazurki began to slow in the 1970s and 1980s; nevertheless, he continued working until his death on December 9, 1990. His final film role, that of "Don Taglianeti", is in the low-budget comedy ''[[Mob Boss (film)|Mob Boss]]'', which was released just two months before he died.

==Filmography==
{{Div col|colwidth=30em}}
*''[[Belle of the Nineties]]'' (1934) as New Orleans Audience Admirer (uncredited)
*''[[Black Fury (film)|Black Fury]]'' (1935) as Security Force Applicant (uncredited)
*''[[Each Dawn I Die]]'' (1939) as fellow prisoner (uncredited)
*''[[The Last Alarm (1940 film)|The Last Alarm]]'' (1940) as Onlooker (uncredited)
*''[[The Shanghai Gesture]]'' (1941) as The Coolie
*''[[Dr. Renault's Secret]]'' (1942) as Rogell (uncredited)
*''[[The Moon and Sixpence (film)|The Moon and Sixpence]]'' (1942) as Tough Bill (uncredited)
*''[[That Other Woman]]'' (1942) as Thug (uncredited)
*''[[Gentleman Jim (film)|Gentleman Jim]]'' (1942) as Jake Kilrain (uncredited)
*''[[It Ain't Hay]]'' (1943) as Bouncer (uncredited)
*''[[Prairie Chickens]]'' (1943) as Henchman Charlie (uncredited)
*''[[Taxi, Mister]]'' (1943) as Henchman Joe
*''[[Mission to Moscow]]'' (1943) as Russian Machinist Workman (uncredited)
*''[[Bomber's Moon]]'' (1943) as Kurt (scenes deleted)
*''[[Behind the Rising Sun (film)|Behind the Rising Sun]]'' (1943) as Japanese Wrestler (uncredited)
*''[[Thank Your Lucky Stars (film)|Thank Your Lucky Stars]]'' (1943) as Olaf (uncredited)
*''[[Swing Fever]]'' (1943) as Wrestler (uncredited)
*''[[Henry Aldrich Haunts a House]]'' (1943) as The Goon (uncredited)
*''[[Whistling in Brooklyn]]'' (1943) as Henchman on Ship (uncredited)
*''[[Lost Angel (film)|Lost Angel]]'' (1943) as Fighter (uncredited)
*''[[Shine On, Harvest Moon (1944 film)|Shine On, Harvest Moon]]'' (1944) as Bouncer (uncredited)
*''[[Summer Storm (1944 film)|Summer Storm]]'' (1944) as Tall Policeman Bending Over Petroff (uncredited)
*''[[The Canterville Ghost (1944 film)|The Canterville Ghost]]'' (1944) as Metropolus
*''[[The Missing Juror]]'' (1944) as Cullie – Masseur (uncredited)
*''[[The Princess and the Pirate]]'' (1944) as Pirate (uncredited)
*''[[Murder, My Sweet]]'' (1944) as Moose Malloy
*''[[The Horn Blows at Midnight]]'' (1945) as Bass Player / Humphrey Rafferty
*''[[The Spanish Main]]'' (1945) as Erik Swaine
*''[[Abbott and Costello in Hollywood]]'' (1945) as Klondike Pete
*''[[Dick Tracy (1945 film)|Dick Tracy]]'' (1945) as 'Splitface'
*''[[Dakota (1945 film)|Dakota]]'' (1945) as "Bigtree' Collins
*''[[The Thin Man Goes Home]]'' (1945) as First Man outside barber shop (uncredited)
*''[[Live Wires (1946 film)|Live Wires]]'' (1946) as Patsy 'Pat' Clark
*''[[Mysterious Intruder]]'' (1946) as Harry Pontos
*''[[The French Key]]'' (1946) as Sam Cragg
*''[[Sinbad the Sailor (1947 film)|Sinbad the Sailor]]'' (1947) as Yusuf
*''[[Killer Dill]]'' (1947) as Little Joe
*''[[Unconquered (1947 film)|Unconquered]]'' (1947) as Bone
*''[[Nightmare Alley (1947 film)|Nightmare Alley]]'' (1947) as Bruno
*''[[I Walk Alone]]'' (1948) as Dan
*''[[Relentless (1948 film)|Relentless]]'' (1948) as Jake
*''[[The Noose Hangs High]]'' (1948) as Chuck
*''[[Neptune's Daughter (1949 film)|Neptune's Daughter]]'' (1949) as Mac Mozolla
*''[[Come to the Stable]]'' (1949) as Sam
*''[[Rope of Sand]]'' (1949) as Pierson
*''[[The Devil's Henchman]]'' (1949) as Rhino
*''[[Abandoned (1949 film)|Abandoned]]'' (1949) as Hoppe
*''[[Samson and Delilah (1949 film)|Samson and Delilah]]'' (1949) as Leader of Philistine soldiers
*''[[Night and the City]]'' (1950) as The Strangler
*''[[Dark City (1950 film)|Dark City]]'' (1950) as Sidney Winant
*''[[He's a Cockeyed Wonder]]'' (1950) as 'Lunk' Boxwell
*''[[Pier 23]]'' (1951) as Ape Danowski
*''[[Criminal Lawyer (1951 film)|Criminal Lawyer]]'' (1951) as 'Moose' Hendricks
*''[[Ten Tall Men]]'' (1951) as Roshko
*''[[The Light Touch]]'' (1951) as Charles
*''[[My Favorite Spy]]'' (1951) as Monkara
*''[[The Egyptian (film)|The Egyptian]]'' (1954) as Foreman, House of Death (uncredited)
*''[[New York Confidential (film)|New York Confidential]]'' (1955) as Arnie Wendler
*''[[New Orleans Uncensored]]'' (1955) as Big Mike
*''[[Blood Alley]]'' (1955) as Big Han
*''[[Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier]]'' (1955) as Bigfoot Mason
*''[[Davy Crockett and the River Pirates]]'' (1956) as Bigfoot Mason
*''[[Kismet (1955 film)|Kismet]]'' (1955) as Chief Policeman
*''[[Comanche (1956 film)|Comanche]]'' (1956) as Flat Mouth
*''[[Around the World in 80 Days (1956 film)|Around the World in 80 Days]]'' (1956) as Hong Kong Drunk
*''[[Man in the Vault]]'' (1956) as Louie
*''[[Hell Ship Mutiny]]'' (1957) as Ross
*''[[The Man Who Died Twice (film)|The Man Who Died Twice]]'' (1958) as Rak
*''[[The Buccaneer (1958 film)|The Buccaneer]]'' (1958) as Tarsus
*''[[Some Like It Hot]]'' (1959) as Spats's henchman #1
*''[[Alias Jesse James]]'' (1959) as Dirty Dog Tough (uncredited)
*''[[The Facts of Life (film)|The Facts of Life]]'' (1960) as First Husband in Motel Room
*''[[Swingin' Along]]'' (1961) as Bookie
*''[[The Errand Boy]]'' (1961) as Blonde 'Movie Siren'
*''[[Pocketful of Miracles]]'' (1961) as Big Mike
*''[[Zotz!]]'' (1962) as Igor
*''[[Five Weeks in a Balloon (film)|Five Weeks in a Balloon]]'' (1962) as Slave Captain
*''[[Donovan's Reef]]'' (1963) as Sgt. Monk Menkowicz
*''[[It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World]]'' (1963) as Miner bringing medicine to his wife
*''[[4 for Texas]]'' (1963) as Chad
*''[[Cheyenne Autumn]]'' (1964) as Senior First Sergeant Wichowski
*''[[The Disorderly Orderly]]'' (1964) as Moving Van Passenger (uncredited)
*''[[7 Women]]'' (1966) as Tunga Khan – Bandit Leader
*''[[The Adventures of Bullwhip Griffin]]'' (1967) as Mountain Ox
*''[[Which Way to the Front?]]'' (1970) as Rocky (uncredited)
*''[[Centerfold Girls]]'' (1974) as The Caretaker
*''[[Challenge to Be Free]]'' (1975) as Trapper
*''[[Won Ton Ton, the Dog Who Saved Hollywood]]'' (1976) as Studio Guard
*''Paesano: A Voice in the Night'' (1977) as Bodyguard
*''[[The Magic of Lassie]]'' (1978) as Apollo
*''The One Man Jury'' (1978) as Kayo's Handler
*''[[Gas Pump Girls]]'' (1979) as Moiv
*''[[Alligator (film)|Alligator]]'' (1980) as Gatekeeper
*''[[The Man with Bogart's Face]]'' (1980) as Himself
*''[[...All the Marbles]]'' (1981) as Referee in Chicago (uncredited)
*''[[Doin' Time (film)|Doin' Time]]'' (1985) as Bruno
*''[[Amazon Women on the Moon]]'' (1987) as Dutch (segment "Reckless Youth")
*''[[Dick Tracy (1990 film)|Dick Tracy]]'' (1990) as Old Man at hotel
*''[[Mob Boss (film)|Mob Boss]]'' (1990) as Don Taglianeti (final film role)
{{div col end}}

==Television==
{{Col-begin}}
{{Col-break}}
* ''[[My Friend Flicka]]'' – episode – The Old Champ (1956) as Hercules
* ''[[Have Gun - Will Travel]]'' – episode – Ella West (1958) as Breed
* ''[[Official Detective]]'' "The Policeman's Gun" (1958) as Banning
*''[[Have Gun - Will Travel]]'' – episode – Love's Young Dream (1960) as Power
*''[[Perry Mason (1957 TV series)|Perry Mason]]'' – episode – The Case of the Counterfeit Crank (1961) as Cully Baxter
*''[[Have Gun - Will Travel]]'' – episode – Don't Shoot the Piano Player (1962) as Jo Jo
*''[[Perry Mason (1957 TV series)|Perry Mason]]'' – episode – The Case of the Missing Button (1964) as Cully Barstow
*''[[Daniel Boone (1964 TV series)|Daniel Boone]]'' – episode – Lac Duquesne (1964) as Akasheta (uncredited)
*''[[The Munsters]]'' – episode – Knock Wood, Here Comes Charlie (1964) as Leo 'Knuckles' Kraus
*''[[Wagon Train]]'' – episode – The Duncan McIvor Story (1964) as Lance Corp. Otto Moller
*''[[Laredo (TV series)|Laredo]]'' – episode – Pride of the Rangers (1965) as Pvt. Percy Flower
*''[[Gilligan's Island]]'' – episode – Friendly Physician (1966) as Igor/Ginger Grant
*''[[It's About Time (TV series)|It's About Time]]''- TV series 1966 – 1967 – 26 episodes
*''[[Daniel Boone (1964 TV series)|Daniel Boone]]'' – episode – Gabriel (1966) as El Toro
*''[[F Troop]]'' – episode – Our Hero,What's His Name (1966) as Geronimo
*''[[Rango (TV series)|Rango]]'' – episode – Diamonds Look Better Around Your Neck Than a Rope (1967) as Jake Downey
*''[[Batman (1960s TV series)|Batman]]'' – episode – The Wail of the Siren (1967) as Allegro
*''[[I Dream of Jeannie]]'' – episode – Jeannie and the Great Bank Robbery (1967) as Girard
*''[[The Beverly Hillbillies]]'' -The Great Tag-Team Match (1968) as Wrestler
*''[[Bonanza (TV series)|Bonanza]]'' – episode – Stage Door Johnnies (1968) as Big Man
*''[[Bonanza (TV series)|Bonanza]]'' – episode – Dead Wrong (1969) as Big Jack
*''[[Adam-12]]'' – episode – Bank Robbery (1970) as Claude Terry (Season 2, Episode 24)
*''[[Gunsmoke (TV series)|Gunsmoke]]'' – episode – Trafton (1971) as Whale
*''[[Mannix]]'' – episode – Days Beyond Recall (1971) as Kony
*''[[Kung Fu (TV series)|Kung Fu]]'' – episode – Superstition (1973) as Hannibal
*''[[The Rockford Files]]'' – episode – A Fast Count (1978) as Choo-Choo (uncredited)
*''[[Charlie's Angels]]'' – episode – Mother Angel (1978) as Robbins
*''[[Fantasy Island]]'' – episode – Naughty Marietta/The Winning Ticket (1983) as Swamp Rat
*''[[Fantasy Island]]'' – episode – Love Island/The Sisters (1983) as Ugh
{{Col-end}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite book |last= Alistair |first= Rupert |title= The Name Below the Title : 65 Classic Movie Character Actors from Hollywood's Golden Age |chapter= Mike Mazurki |pages= 165–167 |date= 2018 |edition= First |type= softcover |publisher= Independently published |location= Great Britain |isbn = 978-1-7200-3837-5}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* {{IMDb name|0563417}}
* {{find a Grave|5735}}
* [http://www.echonyc.com/~hwdarch/ Mike Mazurki on Hollywood Archæology]
* [http://catalog.oscars.org/vwebv/holdingsInfo?bibId=74582 Mike Mazurki papers], Margaret Herrick Library, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
* [http://www.saratogian.com/sports/20150919/on-the-record-actor-mike-mazurkis-legend-looms-large On the Record: Actor Mike Mazurki’s legend looms large]

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mazurki, Mike}}
[[Category:1907 births]]
[[Category:1990 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century American male actors]]
[[Category:American male film actors]]
[[Category:American male professional wrestlers]]
[[Category:American male television actors]]
[[Category:American people of Ukrainian descent]]
[[Category:Austro-Hungarian emigrants to the United States]]
[[Category:Fordham University alumni]]
[[Category:Manhattan College alumni]]
[[Category:Male actors from New York City]]
[[Category:People from Cohoes, New York]]
[[Category:Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum]]
[[Category:Stampede Wrestling alumni]]

Mike Mazurki - Revision history

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GOTV>Explicit: Removing link(s) Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/The One Man Jury closed as soft delete (XFDcloser)