Paul Koslo obit

Paul Koslo, Actor in 'The Omega Man' and 'The Stone Killer,' Dies at 74

He was not on the list.

He also appeared in 'Vanishing Point,' 'Rooster Cogburn,' 'Mr. Majestyk' and 'Heaven's Gate.'

Paul Koslo, a character actor who played the heavy in such films as The Omega Man, Rooster Cogburn and The Stone Killer, has died. He was 74.

Koslo died Wednesday of pancreatic cancer at his home in Lake Hughes, Calif., his wife, actress Allaire Paterson Koslo, told The Hollywood Reporter.

Koslo also portrayed a Nevada patrolman in Vanishing Point (1971), a bounty hunter in Joe Kidd (1972) and a gang member in Cleopatra Jones (1973) and the True Grit sequel Rooster Cogburn (1975). He appeared in other notable films like Voyage of the Damned (1976) and Heaven's Gate (1980) as well.

Perhaps Koslo's most well-known role was as Dutch in director Boris Sagal's The Omega Man (1971). His character, a motorcycle-riding former medical student who is one of the few to survive biological warfare, helps rescue Charlton Heston's Neville from burning at the stake at Dodger Stadium.

"It was my first big movie," he said in a 2001 interview. "I like it because it's different, totally different from any other film I've ever made. And being it was with Charlton Heston. He was a phenomenon…. I loved that movie. I love the fact that it catapulted me into not stardom, but I could go anywhere in the world and people would say, 'I know you, you're [Dutch].'"

In The Stone Killer (1973), Koslo portrayed a psychotic trombonist-assassin who is hunted down by Charles Bronson's ex-New York detective cop in a memorable motorcycle-car chase. Bronson got the best of him again in Mr. Majestyk (1974), and the two also shared screen time in Love and Bullets (1979).

Born Manfred Koslowski in Germany on June 27, 1944, he and his family moved to Canada — first to Regina, Saskatchewan, and then to Vancouver — when he was six. In one of his first films, The Losers (1970), he played a machine-gun-toting biker who is sent to the jungle to help rescue a U.S diplomat.

Koslo's big-screen résumé also included Scandalous John (1971), The Laughing Policeman (1973), Freebie and the Bean (1974), Bootleggers (1974), The Drowning Pool (1975), Assault in Paradise (1977) and Loose Cannons (1990).

He also worked a great deal in television, showing up on such shows as Mission: Impossible, Barnaby Jones, Hawaii Five-O, The Incredible Hulk, The A-Team, Matlock, T.J. Hooker, MacGyver and Hunter.

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes

1966 Julius Caesar Cinna the Conspirator TV Movie

1969 House of Zodiac

1970 Nam's Angels (aka The Losers) Limpy

1971 Vanishing Point Deputy Charlie Scott

Scandalous John Pipes

The Omega Man Dutch

The Birdmen Davies TV Movie

Welcome Home, Soldier Boys Shooter

1972 Joe Kidd Roy

The Daughters of Joshua Cabe Deke Wetherall TV Movie

1973 Lolly-Madonna XXX Villum Gutshall

Cleopatra Jones Gang Member

The Stone Killer Langley

The Laughing Policeman Haygood

1974 Mr. Majestyk Bobby Kopas

Bootleggers Othar Pruitt

Freebie and the Bean Whitey

1975 The Drowning Pool Candy

Rooster Cogburn Luke

1976 Voyage of the Damned Aaron Pozner

Scott Free Al TV Movie

1977 Ransom Victor Also known as Assault on Paradise

1978 Tomorrow Never Comes Willy

1979 Love and Bullets Huntz

1980 Rape and Marriage: The Rideout Case Ralph Larson TV Movie

Heaven's Gate Mayor Charlie Lezak

1981 Inmates: A Love Story Virgil TV Movie

1983 Kenny Rogers as The Gambler: The Adventure Continues Holt TV Movie

Hambone and Hillie Jere

1984 The Glitter Dome Griswold Veals TV Movie

1985 The Annihilators Roy Boy Jagger

1987 Caribe Mercenary

1988 A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon Al Reardon

1989 Robot Jox Alexander

1990 Loose Cannons Grimmer

Xtro II: The Second Encounter Dr. Alex Summerfield

Solar Crisis Haas

1991 Conagher Kiowa Staples TV Movie

1993 Chained Heat II Franklin Goff

1996 Downdraft Gen. Devlin TV Movie

Judge and Jury Lockhart

1999 Inferno Ives

2004 Y.M.I. Intruder

Breaking the Fifth Himself (final film role)

Television

Year Title Role Notes

1966 Festival Raskolnikov 2 episodes

1971 Bearcats! Billy Ray Joiner Episode: "The Devil Wears Armor"

Longstreet Bobby Karp Season 1, Episode 7: "The Shape of Nightmares"

1972 Mission Impossible Ollie Shanks Season 6, Episode 20: "Double Dead"

Ironside Donald Flood Season 5, Episode 23: "His Fiddlers Three"

1974 The Manhunter Tommy Wednesday Season 1, Episode 3: "The Baby-Faced Killers"

Gunsmoke Cory Season 20, Episode 10: "In Performance of Duty"

1974-1975 Cannon Drake / Ace 2 episodes

1975 Petrocelli Morgan Season 2, Episode 2: "Mark of Cain"

Police Woman Johnny 'Sticker' Hughes Season 2, Episode 2: "The Score"

Switch Roy Moss Season 1, Episode 6: "The Man Who Couldn't Lose"

1976 Police Story Sleepy Season 4, Episode 3: "Two Frogs on a Mongoose"

Captains and the Kings Rufus Season 1, Episode 8: "Chapter VIII"

1976-1979 The Rockford Files 'Whispering Willie' Green / Pittson 2 episodes

1976-1979 Hawaii Five-O Rolly / Charlie Turner 2 episodes

1977 Barnaby Jones Tony Slayton Season 5, Episode 19: "Anatomy of Fear"

Most Wanted Jimmy Season 1, Episode 21: "The Dutchman"

1978 David Cassidy: Man Undercover Max Season 1, Episode 4: "Deadly Convoy"

Dallas Al Parker Season 2, Episode 13: "Kidnapped"

1979 How the West Was Won Jobe Season 3, Episode 3: "The Enemy"

Roots: The Next Generations Earl Crowther 4 episodes

CHiPs Verne Season 2, Episode 22: "Ride the Whirlwind"

The Sacketts Kid Newton 2 episodes

1980 Buck Rogers in the 25th Century Commander Reeve Episode: "A Dream of Jennifer"

Galactica 1980 Billy Eheres Season 1, Episode 6: "Spaceball"

Paris Phil Storch Season 1, Episode 13: "America the Beautiful"

1980-1981 The Incredible Hulk Doug Hewitt / Carl Rivers 2 episodes

1981 Hart to Hart Val Rankin Season 2, Episode 12: "Murder in the Saddle"

Quincy, M.E. John Doe Killer Season 6, Episode 18: "Vigil of Fear"

Nero Wolfe Daniel Masters Season 1, Episode 14: "Sweet Revenge"

The Greatest American Hero Bad B Season 2, Episode 4: "Hog Wild"

Today's FBI Cooper Season 1, Episode 5: "The Fugitive"

1982 Strike Force Randy Season 1, Episode 8: "The Outcast"

Cassie & Co. Carl Pilgrim Season 1, Episode 4: "Dark Side of the Moon"

Bret Maverick Fletcher Mayberry Season 1, Episode 11: "A Night at the Red Ox"

Trapper John, M.D. Kenny Season 4, Episode 7: "The Ransom"

Gavilan Cutter Season 1, Episode 2: "Pirates"

1983-1985 The A-Team Tanen / Deputy Sneed 2 episodes

1984 Matt Houston Andrew Season 2, Episode 15: "Houston Is Dead"

Legmen Len Weiner Season 1, Episode 5: "Poseidon Indenture"

Blue Thunder Johnny Irons Season 1, Episode 9: "The Long Flight"

You Are the Jury Ed Harrison Season 1, Episode 1: "The Case of the People of Florida vs. Joseph Landrum"

The Paper Chase[ Joe Bob Carter Season 2, Episode 11: "Burden of Proof"

Jessie Season 1, Episode 2: "The Lady Killer"

Knight Rider Lyle Austin Season 3, Episode 3: "The Ice Bandits"

The Dukes of Hazzard Jesse James Episode: "Go West, Young Dukes"

T. J. Hooker Pyro Season 4, Episode 9: "The Confession"

1985 The Hitchhiker Rico Season 2, Episode 5: "Petty Thieves"

Crazy Like a Fox Season 1, Episode 5: "Motor Homicide"

Wildside Sven Johnson Season 1, Episode 3: "The Crimea of the Century"

Misfits of Science Skinner Season 1, Episode 9: "Twin Engines"

1986 Highway to Heaven Jan Baldt Season 2, Episode 21: "The Torch"

MacGyver Dr. Suvarin Season 1, Episode 21: "A Prisoner of Conscience"

1988 Falcon Crest George Westcott 2 episodes

Ohara Ray Willard Season 2, Episode 17: "Open Season"

The Highwayman Episode: "Haunted Highway"

1989 Hunter Bass 2 episodes

1990 The Outsiders Officer Dickey Episode: "Pilot"

Life Goes On Farmer Jack 2 episodes

The Flash Johnny Ray Hix Episode: "Sins of the Father"

1998 Walker, Texas Ranger Matthew Leach Season 6, Episode 8: "Second Chance"

2000 Stargate SG-1 Terok Season 4, Episode 14: "The Serpent's Venom"