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Unkempt, rough and tough looking members of the gang, or lynch mob, or vigilantes, or posse riders, or cow herders. They had minimal or no dialog, not much screen time, and were generally not listed in the film credits. Some would show up as a face in the crowd, portraying townspeople, barflies, deputies, wagon drivers, ranch hands, etc. We tend to recognize some of their faces, but have no clue as to their real names.


Joe Garcio
Joe Garcia

Real name:
Israel Kominsky

1905 - 1982

Joe Garcio / Garcia was born Israel Kominsky in Wilmington, New Castle County, Delaware on April 24, 1905 and his parents were Jewish and born in Russia. Father Herman / Hyman Kominsky was a shoemaker / shoe shop owner, and the family was in Chicago at the time of the 1920 census. By the mid 1930s, Joe Kominsky was an actor in Hollywood ... had shortened his legal / last name to "Komins" ... and his movie moniker was sometimes "Joe Garcia" and sometimes "Joe Garcio".

He married Rebecca Steinberg in 1938 and there were two sons: E. Leslie Komins (born 1941) and I. Ross Komins (born 1945).

In 1950, he married Lucille Ruth Kaplan and three daughters were born from that pairing: Elyse Komins (born 1953), Ina Komins (born 1955), and Lynne Komins (born 1960).

There were health problems and Joe resided at the Motion Picture Home and Hospital, Woodland Hills, California. He passed away there on April 11, 1982 from a heart attack due to arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease and is interred at Valhalla Memorial Park, North Hollywood.

The few scant biographies on Joe mention that John Wayne helped him gain entry to the Motion Picture Home and Hospital. Unable to confirm that story.

His film and TV career spanned 30+ years, from the mid 1930s through the late 1960s. And most were uncredited bit and support roles as a townsman, henchman, thug, etc. He also turns up in about a half dozen of the Three Stooges comedy shorts at Columbia Pictures. His total volume of work during those years amounts to about sixty movies and television programs. Definitely not a large quantity and this would indicate he had other occupations and employment.

There's still confusion with that Garcia / Garcio last name. As noted, Joe was rarely credited, but I did check a couple films in which he got billed in the opening titles and credits:

  • One of his earliest film appearances was Jack Randall's WHERE THE WEST BEGINS (Monogram, 1938). He's billed as "Joe Garcia" and portrays a henchman.
  • In the Range Busters BULLETS AND SADDLES (Monogram, 1943), he does another henchman role and is credited as "Joe Garcia".

But the Garcio surname pops up in newspaper articles. A UPI syndicated article from early 1946 was about Linda Darnell and the John Cromwell directed ANNA AND THE KING OF SIAM (20th Century Fox, 1946). Portraying executioners were former wrestler Constantine Romanoff and Joe Garcio, who was described as "ex-pride of the merchant marine who packs 225 pounds ...". And a syndicated article from April, 1947 noted that "Joe Garcio, who plays a blacksmith in Columbia's color production of Zane Grey's 'Twin Sombreros' is an expert shoer of horses. He has 12 horses on his own Ventura ranch ..." (A title change occurred - the Randolph Scott Twin Sombreros became GUNFIGHTERS (Columbia, 1947). Viewed the film and didn't spot Garcio in it.)

  Although some of the data is incomplete or inaccurate, the Internet Movie Database (IMDb) has information: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0305496

The Three Stooges Net website has Joe in about a half dozen 1940s Three Stooges comedy shorts: http://www.threestooges.net/cast/actor/388/



(Courtesy of Minard Coons)

Left to right above are Forrest Taylor, Max 'Alibi' Terhune, Joe Garcia, John Merton (sitting), Ed Cassidy, and Steve Clark. Still from BULLETS AND SADDLES (Monogram, 1943), the 24th and last of Monogram's Range Busters trio adventures.

Crop / blowup below of Joe Garcia, John Merton (sitting), Ed Cassidy, and Steve Clark.


On the trail of Joe Garcia / Joe Garcio.

The Family Search website (free), Ancestry.com (subscription), California Death Index, Social Security Death Index (SSDI), tradepapers and other sources provide more on Joe and family.

There's three common threads in the information below:

  1. The last name of Joe and parents was Kominsky ... which Joe shortened or "Americanized" to Komins. And all five of his children have the Komins surname. The Kominsky and Komins last name variations are highlighted in this color.
  2. Joe's mother was Ida Newman (born Russia), and is highlighted in this color.
  3. Joe's date of birth was April 24, 1904 or 1905, and is highlighted in this color.

Jim Tipton's Find A Grave website confirms that Joe Garcio is interred at Valhalla Memorial Park, North Hollywood, Los Angeles County, California: https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=158952523

Two children with Rebecca Steinberg:

  • California Birth Index for son E. Leslie Komins, born February 27, 1941 in Los Angeles and mother's maiden name was Steinberg: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:V2QR-QKT
  • March 5, 1941 issue of Variety had a birth announcement: "Mr. and Mrs. Joe Garcio, son in Hollywood, Feb. 27. Father is stunt man in films."
  • California Birth Index for son I. Ross Komins, born June 29, 1945 in Los Angeles, and mother's maiden name was Steinberg: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VL1M-K6H
  • July 4, 1945 issue of Variety had a birth announcement: "Mr. and Mrs. Joe Garcio, son, Hollywood, June 29. Father is a screen actor."
  • Jim Tipton's Find A Grave website has a photo of the marker for Ross Komins (1945-2006) who is interred at Sholom Memorial Park, San Fernando, Los Angeles County, California: https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=146391133

Three children with Lucille Ruth Kaplan:


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