Having appeared in “Nikita” and “1492: Conquest of Paradise,” the actor also made several appearances in “Kaamelott” in the 2000s. He died of cancer.
Known for his roles in French films such as “Nikita,” “La Balance,” “Bleu comme l’enfer,” and “Un long dimanche de fiançailles,” as well as internationally in “The Patriot,” “1492: Christophe Colomb,” and “Crying Freeman,” actor Tchéky Karyo has passed away, his agent announced to AFP on Friday, October 31.
“Valérie Keruzoré, his wife, and their children regret to announce the passing of Tchéky Karyo, who succumbed to cancer this Friday, October 31,” a statement from his family sent to AFP read.
Born in Istanbul in 1953, Tchéky Karyo rose to fame in the late 1980s with his starring role in Jean-Jacques Annaud’s The Bear. The film, a box-office hit with nearly nine million viewers, introduced him as a repentant bear hunter. With his piercing gaze and square jaw, the actor achieved further success playing the ambiguous role of the recruiter for Nikita, the formidable assassin portrayed by Anne Parillaud in Luc Besson’s film.
The career of this polyglot, who speaks fluent French, English, Spanish, and Arabic, began in French art-house cinema, notably in 1982 in front of Chantal Akerman’s camera for Toute une nuit and in 1984 in front of Eric Rohmer’s for Les Nuits de la pleine lune.
His eclectic filmography has led him to work with Jean-Pierre Jeunet on Amélie (2001) and has brought him closer to foreign filmmakers, notably the Brazilian Walter Salles (Terra Estrangeira, 1995) and the American Ridley Scott in 1492: Conquest of Paradise alongside Gérard Depardieu.
Tchéky Karyo also had a long career on stage, notably his performance at the Avignon Festival in the early 1980s. He also frequently appeared on television, including several episodes of the series Kaamelott, where he played a depressed Roman commander. “This profession helped me become a better person. Dramatic art is a gateway to a special and magical space, accessed in the company of others who also need that boost and perhaps to gain a new perspective on themselves,” he stated in 2017 in the newspaper Midi Libre.
