Mel Novak, martial arts film icon and Game of Death villain, dies at 90.
Mel Novak, the veteran actor whose gritty performances and daredevil stunt work made him a fixture in the martial arts film genre, has died of natural causes at the age of 90 at a board and care facility in Southern California. Best remembered for his role as the sharpshooting sniper Stick in Bruce Lee’s iconic Game of Death, Novak’s career spanned decades, leaving an indelible mark on action cinema—an imprint as visceral as the kicks and punches he traded onscreen.
Novak’s journey in Hollywood was as unconventional as it was thrilling. Reportedly, it was a modeling agent who first saw his potential for the screen, nudging him toward acting—a decision that would catapult him into a storied career. He cut his teeth with a debut on the detective series Mannix, but it wasn’t long before he found his true calling as the quintessential villain. In Robert Clouse’s Black Belt Jones, Novak blended menace with a sly charisma, crafting a persona that would become his signature. He carried that energy into a string of martial arts classics—A Force of One and An Eye for an Eye alongside Chuck Norris among them—always infusing the frame with a palpable sense of danger.
What set Novak apart wasn’t just his ability to sneer convincingly at the camera; it was his insistence on performing his own stunts. In an age when action stars were as much athletes as they were actors, he risked life and limb for authenticity, a choice that lent his roles an unpolished edge. It’s a reminder of a bygone Hollywood, where the crunch of a real fist against a jaw carried more weight than a green-screen illusion. His daughter, Nikol Conant, shared that this dedication came at a steep cost: daily physical pain in his later years, the lingering echo of injuries sustained during his relentless career. Yet Novak never flinched, his commitment earning him a quiet reverence among peers and a loyal following among fans.
Remarkably, that passion never dimmed. Even into his later years, Novak kept working, popping up in low-budget fare like Apex Predators, Ebola Rex, and Mega Ape. These weren’t prestige projects, but they underscored his unwavering love for the craft—an actor’s actor, still chasing the thrill of the next take, no matter the scale.
When news of his passing broke, the tributes came swiftly. Actress Lee Benton, who saw Novak as a brother, took to social media with a raw outpouring: “One of my dearest friends who was like a brother MEL NOVAK passed away this morning.” Fans mirrored her grief, one Instagram post capturing the collective sentiment: “Another bright star fades from the Hollywood sky, you will be missed.” The words resonate, a collective nod to a man whose presence loomed larger than his filmography might suggest.
In the annals of martial arts cinema, Mel Novak’s name is inseparable from the genre’s golden age—a time when the likes of Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris turned B-movies into cultural touchstones. His performances, fueled by a rare mix of intensity and physical prowess, helped define what it meant to be a villain in action films: not just a foil, but a force. Today, as CGI supplants real danger, Novak’s work stands as a monument to the raw, unfiltered thrill of practical effects and genuine peril. Watch him in Game of Death, perched atop that rooftop, and you’re seeing more than a character—you’re witnessing an era when every stunt was a gamble, every frame a testament to guts.
His legacy isn’t just in the films he starred in, though they’re worth revisiting for their scrappy charm. It’s in the spirit he brought to his roles—a relentless drive that pushed the boundaries of what action cinema could be. Mel Novak didn’t just play the bad guy; he lived the part, body and soul, leaving behind a blueprint for anyone daring enough to follow.
source The Hollywood Reporter
