Tchéky Karyo
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Tchéky Karyo | |
|---|---|
 Karyo in 2013 | |
| Born | 4 October 1953 |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, musician |
| Years active | 1982 – present |
| Spouse | Isabelle Pasco (m.1995, divorced) |
| Partner | Valérie Kéruzoré |
| Children | 2 |
Tchéky Karyo (French: [tʃeki kɑʁjo]; born 4 October 1953) is a Turkish-born French actor and musician. Beginning his career as an actor on stage in classical and contemporary works, he began to work as a character actor in films in the 1980s. He has acted in numerous films by Hollywood and French directors, including Luc Besson.
Early life
He was named Baruh Djaki Karyo[1] at birth in 1953 in Istanbul, Turkey; his mother was Greek and his father was from a Sephardic Jewish family with ancestral roots in Spain[2]. When he was young, his family moved to Paris, France, where he grew up. The spelling of his name, Djaki, was changed to Tchéky in a form of French transliteration. As a young man, Karyo studied drama at the Cyrano Theatre and later became a member of the Daniel Sorano Company, playing many classical roles.
Career
Karyo joined the National Theatre of Strasbourg, where he starred in both contemporary and classical plays. He found success in French films beginning in the 1980s, first as a character actor. He later appeared in leading roles in several notable films, such as The Bear, in which he played one of the hunters, and director Luc Besson's Nikita, in which he played the heroine's spy mentor.
He has participated in many Hollywood movies, often portraying a French character, in the same fashion as Jean Reno. He has acted in prominent roles in major films set during wartime. Such performances include his acting as a vengeful French officer alongside Mel Gibson in The Patriot (2000), set during the American Revolutionary War, and his role as Jean de Dunois in The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc. In the DVD edition of The Patriot, Karyo overdubbed his own lines on the French-language track.
In 2014 and 2016 Karyo has received critical praise for his performance as Julien Baptiste in the acclaim BBC One/Starz drama series The Missing.[3]
Karyo is also a musician and songwriter. He released the highly acclaimed 2006 album Ce lien qui nous unit (translated in English as "the link that binds us"), and released Credo in 2013 on his 60th birthday.
Awards
He was nominated for a César Award for Most Promising Actor for his role in La Balance. In 1986, he was awarded the Jean Gabin Prize in recognition of his acting performances.
Selected filmography
Music videos
- 1992 : "Born On The Wrong Side Of Town" Jaye Muller (J.) (directed by Jean Baptiste Mondino)
- 2005 : "L'avenir est à nous" Kool Shen feat Rohff & Dadoo (directed by J.G Biggs)
References
- ^ "Tcheky Karyo Biography". www.premiere.fr.
- ^ "Tcheky Karyo: I was brought up with respect for my Jewish roots". www.actuj.com.
- ^ Hogan, Michael (30 November 2016). "What on earth happened to Alice Webster? 11 big questions The Missing finale needs to answer". The Daily Telegraph.
External links
- Tchéky Karyo at IMDb
- Tchéky Karyo at ECI Global Talent Management
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Academics | |
| Artists | |
| People | |
| Other | |
- 1953 births
- Living people
- 20th-century French male actors
- 21st-century French male actors
- French male film actors
- Musicians from Istanbul
- Male actors from Istanbul
- Turkish emigrants to France
- French people of Greek descent
- French people of Turkish-Jewish descent
- Officiers of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres
- Male actors of Greek descent