---
name: "Bernard L. Kowalski"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/bernard-l-kowalski"
roles: ["Director"]
born: "2 August 1929"
died: "26 October 2007"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 3
average_fi1m_score: 84
updated: "2026-09-16T16:42:45.642857+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Bernard L. Kowalski

Director. Born 2 August 1929 in Brownsville, Texas, USA. Died 26 October 2007.

## Details

- **Work:** Director
- **Born:** 2 August 1929, Brownsville, Texas, USA
- **Died:** 26 October 2007
- **Active:** 1966–1974
- **Also known as:** Bernard Louis Kowalski, Bernard Kowalski
- **Works often with:** Howard Berk, Alexander Singer, Alf Kjellin, Bruce Kessler, Edward J. Lakso, Hy Averback

## Biography

Bernard L. Kowalski was an American film and television director. Born in Brownsville, Texas, he began working in the entertainment industry as a child extra and later as a clerk for his father, an assistant director and production manager. He directed his first television episodes in the mid-1950s on western series such as *Frontier* and *Boots and Saddles*, and made his feature-film debut in 1958 with *Hot Car Girl*.

Kowalski directed the pilot of *Mission: Impossible* (1966) and episodes of numerous series, including *The Untouchables*, *Rawhide*, *Gunsmoke*, *Columbo*, *Knight Rider* and *Magnum, P.I.*. He served as producer and executive producer on shows including *Airwolf* and *Jake and the Fatman*, and was twice nominated for a Primetime Emmy for producing *Baretta*.

He died in Los Angeles in 2007. He was the uncle of producer Brian Grazer.

*Sources: variety.com, en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com.*

## On Fi1m (3)

- *The Rockford Files* (1974), Fi1m 83, Director — [page](https://film.one/tv/the-rockford-files.md)
- *Columbo* (1971), Fi1m 86, Director — [page](https://film.one/tv/columbo.md)
- *Mission: Impossible* (1966), Fi1m 82, Director — [page](https://film.one/tv/mission-impossible-1966.md)

## Also known for

- *Knight Rider* (1982), Director
- *Airwolf* (1984), Director
- *Magnum, P.I.* (1980), Director
- *CHiPs* (1977), Director
- *Perry Mason* (1957), Director
- *Blue Thunder* (1984), Director
- *Diagnosis: Murder* (1993), Director
- *Gunsmoke* (1955), Director

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/bernard-l-kowalski