Martin Kove is an American actor and martial artist best known for The Karate Kid (1984), in which he played John Kreese, the head teacher of the Cobra Kai karate school. He reprised the role in two sequels, The Karate Kid Part II (1986) and The Karate Kid Part III (1989) as well as the 2018 television sequel series Cobra Kai. He was first seen as Nero the Hero in Death Race 2000 (1975), and afterward as Clem in White Line Fever (1975). He appeared in the TV series Cagney and Lacey (1981) portra
