Martin Kove Net Worth

Martin Kove's Quotes

• [on one of his most famous roles, in The Karate Kid (1984)] Over the years, kids have come up to me in places like supermarkets, and hit me and said things like, "You hurt Ralph (Ralph Macchio)!". It makes me feel like the Darth Vader of the contemporary cinematic world. As Sensei John Kreese, I'm truly hated and I love it. I had no idea how much anxiety people would be releasing by hating this character.
• From the moment I got to Hollywood, I've always felt like I never really got to do what I wanted to do. In general, artists feel that you're never really allowed to accomplish what you would like to accomplish because there's just so much of this system that gets in the way, the business gets in the way of the art.

Interesting Facts about Martin Kove

1. Honorary marshal of Tarzana, California
2. During the mid-to-late 1980s and early 1990s, Kove was a well-known television spokesman for King Cobra beer: "Don't let the smooth taste fool you." However, in more recent years, he has sworn off alcohol.
3. Father of twins: son Jesse Kove and daughter Rachel Kove with his wife Vivienne Kove.
4. Has black belts in all of the following martial arts: Kendo, Okinawa-te and Tiger Kenpo.
5. Injured his hand during the fateful fight scene between his character, John Kreese, and Mr. Miyagi in The Karate Kid Part II (1986). The effects team ill-timed one of the car window shattering shots, causing Kove to inadvertently break the prop window with his own fist. He sustained several injuries to his hand but continued filming.
6. Profiled in "Character Kings: Hollywood's Familiar Faces Discuss the Art & Business of Acting" by Scott Voisin (2009).
7. Best known by the public for his role as Cobra Kai sensei John Kreese in The Karate Kid (1984) and its sequels. Kove jokingly refers to said character as "Han Solo on steroids".
8. Born exactly one year before Kiki Dee.
9. Auditioned for the role of Max Gunter in the film Voyage of the Damned (1976). The role was later given to Malcolm McDowell.
10. Shares a birthday with Cobra Kai co-star Jacob Bertrand.