| |
|---|---|
| Karl Lukas | |
| Credits | |
| Roles | Policeman #1 Benny Keeper #1 Braun |
| Biographical Information | |
| Birth Name | Karol Louis Lukasiak |
| Birthdate | August 21, 1919 |
| Birthplace | Lowell, Massachusetts, United States |
| Death Date | January 16, 1995 (age 75) |
| Death Place | Westlake Village, California, United States |
Karl Lukas played multiple characters on Bewitched (1964-1971).
Biography[]
Karl Lukas was an American character actor. He was born Karol Louis Lukasiak on August 21, 1919 in Lowell, Massachusetts. He was raised in a traditional working-class family.
He moved to New York following high school, where he worked odd jobs at night and pursued acting roles during the day. After a stint in the Navy, he started his actor career with a Virginia theater group that included Ernest Borgnine. He befriended fellow actor Henry Fonda while appearing with him in his Broadway debut in Thomas Heggen and Joshua Logan's hit comedy Mister Roberts, which ran 1,157 performances between February 18, 1948 and January 6, 1951. He also appeared in the Broadway production of Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse's play Remains to Be Seen in 1951-52.
Between 1951 and 1991, he appeared (mainly as a detective, a policeman, a soldier or a villainous cowboy and bad guy) in a few television films and over a hundred television series, including Lux Video Theatre, Armstrong Circle Theatre, Studio One, The United States Steel Hour, Tombstone Territory, Suspicion, The Rifleman, Steve Canyon, Man With a Camera, Playhouse 90, Lawman, Johnny Ringo, Bourbon Street Beat, Dante, Klondike, Outlaws, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Don't Call Me Charlie, The Beverly Hillbillies, The Untouchables, The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, My Favorite Martian, 77 Sunset Strip, The Andy Griffith Show, Mickey, The Lucy Show, Mister Ed, Rawhide, The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Donna Reed Show, Gunsmoke, Bonanza, The Monkees, Batman, Here Come the Brides, Petticoat Junction, Family Affair, The F.B.I., Mannix, Night Gallery, Cannon, Mod Squad, The Odd Couple, Little House on the Prairie, Barbary Coast, Ellery Queen, The Rockford Files, Quincy, M.E., and St. Elsewhere.
He was best known for his recurring role as Private Stash Kadowski in The Phil Silvers Show from 1955 to 1958.
Lukas' film credits included James B. Clark's 1957 Under Fire, Melvin Van Peebles's 1970 Watermelon Man, Joseph L. Mankiewicz's 1970 There Was a Crooked Man..., Richard Fleischer's 1970 Tora! Tora! Tora!, Robert Stevenson's 1974 Herbie Rides Again, and three Robert Aldrich films: 1973 Emperor of the North Pole, 1975 Hustle and 1979 The Frisco Kid.
He retired from acting in 1991. He spent the final years of his life being a regular attendee at autograph conventions and focused on charitable and religious causes.
Karl Lukas married businesswoman Stephanie Lukas in 1955. The couple moved to Canoga Park, Los Angeles in 1957, and later to Agoura Hills, California. They had two children.
Karl Lukas died of heart failure on January 16, 1995 in Westlake Village, California. He was 75.
Bewitched Credits[]
- Policeman #1 in "It Shouldn't Happen to a Dog"
- Benny in "I Don't Want to Be a Toad, I Want to Be a Butterfly"
- Keeper #1 in "Daddy Does His Thing"
- Braun in "Money Happy Returns"
Sources[]
- Karl Lukas on the Internet Movie Database. Retrieved on August 30, 2022. Updated on February 7, 2025.
- Brady, David E. "Karl Lukas; Actor", obituary, Los Angeles Times, January 19, 1995. Retrieved on February 7, 2025.
- Thurgood, Lowell. Karl Lukas memorial, Findagrave.com, July 8, 2012. Retrieved on February 7, 2025, edited.