Tchéky Karyo (1953)

 early life

Karyo was born in Istanbul to a Greek mother and Sephardic-Jewish father and raised in Paris, France. He studied drama at the Cyrano Theatre and later became a member of the Daniel Sorano Company, playing many classical roles.

 career

After that, he joined the National Theatre of Strasbourg, starring in both contemporary and classical plays. Karyo found success in French films during 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 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 successful historic war films. Laudable performances include his performance as a vengeful French officer alongside Mel Gibson in The Patriot 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.

 personal life

He was married to Isabelle Pasco.