Frank Lackteen

Of Russian heritage, actor Frank Lackteen was born in the area of the world now known as Lebanon. In American films from 1916, the slight, hollow-cheeked, scar-faced Lackteen trafficked in a uniquely maleficent brand of screen villainy. When talkies... more

Of Russian heritage, actor Frank Lackteen was born in the area of the world now known as Lebanon. In American films from 1916, the slight, hollow-cheeked, scar-faced Lackteen trafficked in a uniquely maleficent brand of screen villainy. When talkies arrived, his indeterminately foreign accent enhanced his disreputable image. For four decades, he played assassins, smugglers, cult leaders, poisoners, insurrectionists, kidnappers and two-bit hoodlums. He was seen as sinister Arabs, sinister East Indians, sinister Native Americans and sinister South Sea Islanders. A fixture of weekly movie serials since 1916's The Yellow Menace, he played parts of all variety in such chapter plays as Tarzan the Fearless (1933), Wild Bill Hickock (1938), Don Winslow of the Navy (1941), Jungle Girl (1941), Black Widow (1947), Superman (1948). On a lighter note, Frank Lackteen was a regular in Columbia's comedy 2-reelers, menacing everyone from Charley Chase to the Three Stooges. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide less