Tchéky Karyo, the prolific French character actor who lent his intensity to tough guys, detectives and historical figures in dozens of films including “GoldenEye” and “Bad Boys,” has died, the AFP reported. He was 72.
Karyo, who was battling cancer, died Friday, his family told AFP.
Though American audiences may best remember his the Turkish-born Karyo as a gloomy villain, he played a variety of roles including a lead detective on “The Missing” for the BBC, a restaurant owner in the Matthew Broderick and Meg Ryan rom-com “Addicted to Love” and Martín Alonso Pinzón, Christopher Columbus’ shipbuilder in Ridley Scott’s “1492: Conquest of Paradise.”
Karyo was often playing historical figures, including the prophet himself in the 1994 film “Nostradamus” and Vincent Van Gogh in “Vincent and Me.” He also had turns as French Major Jean Villeneuve in “The Patriot” and as Jean de Dunois in Luc Besson’s “The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc.”
He was a regular in Besson’s films, with roles in “La Femme Nikita,” “Kiss of the Dragon” and the French espionage series “No Limit.”
Born in Istanbul, Karyo was raised in Paris, the son of a delivery man. His mother kicked him out of the house after she separated from her father, and Karyo set his mind to become an actor. He studied at the National Theatre of Strasbourg, scoring his break on the 1982 film “La Balance,” which earned him a César Award.
