Actor Mel Novak, Known for Bruce Lee’s ‘Game of Death’, Dead at 90

Hollywood actor Mel Novak has died. He was 90 years old.

His daughter Nikol Conant told TMZ that he passed away last Wednesday in a Hospice facility in Southern California of natural causes.

The actor was best known for his villainous roles, and his starring role in the classic 1978 Bruce Lee film Game of Death as Stick (named for the matchstick constantly hanging from his mouth), which was the last film Lee ever made before his death.

He starred in many iconic action films, like the Isaac Hayes blaxploitation classic Truck Turner, and with Chuck Norris in the films A Force of One and An Eye for an Eye. His last major role was in 2015’s Samurai Cop 2: Deadly Vengeance, a sequel to the beloved cult-classic action-comedy from 1991.

Famously, Novak did all of his own stunts and fighting scenes—and suffered hundreds of injuries because of it.

He was also an ordained minister, and spent over 40 years of his life doing outreach to poor communities and men in prison. He also led several celebrity funerals, like for director Tim Burton’s father, Bill or for Chuck Connors’ son, Jeffrey.

Novak is survived by his two daughters and three grandchildren.