Tchéky Karyo
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Tchéky Karyo (French: [tʃeki kɑʁjo]; born Baruh Djaki Karyo; October 4, 1953 – October 31, 2025) was a Turkish-born French actor and musician. Beginning his career as an actor on stage in classical and contemporary plays, he later worked as a character actor in films in the 1980s. He acted in numerous films by Hollywood and French directors, including Luc Besson. He was nominated for a César Award for Most Promising Actor for his performance in the 1982 film La Balance. Baruh Djaki Karyo was born in 1953 in Istanbul, Turkey. His mother was Greek Jewish, and his father, a delivery man and builder, was from a Turkish Sephardic Jewish family; both families had Spanish roots. When he was young, his family moved to Paris, France. The spelling of his name, Djaki, was changed to Tchéky in a form of French transliteration. At age 13, his parents separated, and his mother ordered him to leave her home as well. He attended the Parisian secondary school Lycée Arago. 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.
Known for
Credits
Bad Boys (1995)
as Fouchet
The Patriot (2000)
as Jean Villeneuve
The Core (2003)
as Serge
Kiss of the Dragon (2001)
as Richard
The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc (1999)
as Jean de Dunois
GoldenEye (1995)
as Dmitri Mishkin
Taking Lives (2004)
as Leclair
The Killer (2024)
as Tessier
Nikita (1990)
as Bob
Crying Freeman (1995)
as Detective Netah
Mary Magdalene (2018)
as Elisha
1492: Conquest of Paradise (1992)
as Martín Alonso Pinzón
Special Forces (2011)
as Admiral Guezennec
The Way (2010)
as Captain Henri
A Very Long Engagement (2004)
as Captain Favour
Addicted to Love (1997)
as Anton
Belle and Sebastian 3: The Last Chapter (2018)
as César
Fear City: A Family-Style Comedy (1994)
as Mr. Jacques, the 1st projectionist
Belle and Sebastian: The Adventure Continues (2015)
as César
And the Band Played On (1993)
as Dr. Willy Rozenbaum
Wing Commander (1999)
as Cmmdre. James 'Paladin' Taggart
Dobermann (1997)
as Inspecteur Sauveur Cristini
A Gang Story (2011)
as Serge Suttel
The Bear (1988)
as Tom
Belle and Sebastian (2013)
as César
Husbands and Lovers (1991)
as Paolo
A Mermaid in Paris (2020)
as Camille
Saving Grace (2000)
as Jacques Chevalier
Vicky and Her Mystery (2021)
as Bruno
The Good Thief (2003)
as Roger
My Life So Far (1999)
as Gabriel Chenoux
The Outsider (1983)
as Francis Pierron
Mad Love (1985)
as Micky
The Return of Martin Guerre (1982)
as Augustin
Blueberry (2004)
as Uncle
Faster (2025)
as Le Duc
Operation Dumbo Drop (1995)
as Goddard
Full Moon in Paris (1984)
as Remi
The Gravedancers (2006)
as Vincent Cochet
D'Artagnan and the Three Musketeers (2005)
as Le cardinal de Richelieu
Jappeloup (2013)
as Marcel Rozier, French team coach
Through the Air (2015)
as Armand Cavelle
Requiem for a Killer (2011)
as L'Arménien
Sketch Artist (1992)
as Paul Korbel
A Man and His Dog (2009)
as Le guitariste
Vincent and Me (1990)
as Vincent van Gogh
The Lark Farm (2007)
as Aram
Isabelle Eberhardt (1991)
as Slimene
Like a Fish Out of Water (1999)
as B. B.
La masseria delle allodole (2007)
as Aram
Serial Driver (2023)
as Jean-Yves Lapick
Pieces of Me (2013)
as Edern
The Sword of Thyrus (—)
as Maardin
Foreign Land (1996)
as Kraft
Rita Ritter (1984)
as Man
Red Shoe Diaries 3: Another Woman's Lipstick (1993)
as Phillip (archive footage)
Blue Hell (1986)
as Franck
Sorceress (1987)
as Etienne de Bourbon
Will the High Salaried Workers Raise Their Hands! (1982)
Actor
The Black Angel (1994)
as Paul Delorme
Boxes (2007)
as Jean
High Art (1991)
as Hermes, the Knife master
Passage to Paradise (1996)
as Renato
La fille des collines (1990)
as Vincent
The King Is Dancing (2000)
as Molière
Morning Star (2012)
as Heroy
Romantique (2022)
as Pascal
Christmas Next Door (2021)
as Georges, le mari de Nicoletta
Jacquou the Rebel (2007)
as Le chevalier
Toute une nuit (1982)
Actor
Follow Your Heart (1996)
as Ernesto
Vampire Party (2008)
as Le duc de Journiac
To Have and to Hold (1996)
as Jack
The Thousand Wonders of the Universe (1997)
as Professor Larsen
États d'âme (1986)
as Bertrand
Nostradamus (1994)
as Nostradamus
Charon (2020)
as L'homme
Let There Be Light! (1998)
as Harper
Shadow Dance (1983)
as Xavier
Among Us (2010)
as Walter
Tell Me Iggy (2022)
as Self
L'araignée rouge (2016)
as Simon Delaunay
Wild Tales From The Village (2016)
as Narrator
Au coeur de Nikita (1990)
as Self
Fraîche (2022)
as Alex
La Balance (1982)
as Petrovic
Les Cerfs-volants (2007)
as Ambroise
Habitat (1997)
as Hank Symes
The Life Before (2021)
as André
S.A.C. : Des hommes dans l'ombre (2005)
as Louis Routier
Too Close to the Gods (1992)
as Henri Georges
The Resistance: Live Free or Die (2008)
as Narrator (voice)
Le Roman d’un trader (2013)
as le directeur général
Hotel Rome (1996)
as Federale Apolloni
Moon Shadow (1995)
as Lorenzo
Zadoc and Happiness (1995)
as Zadoc
Coup d'éclat (2011)
as Mérendon
De guerre lasse (2014)
as Armand
Babel (1999)
as Nemrod
Old Goriot (2004)
as Vautrin
Steel Butterfly (2025)
as Robert
L'unique (1986)
as Michel
Ne quittez pas ! (2004)
as Raveu
L'Affaire Bruay-en-Artois (2008)
as Le Juge Marceau
Les liens du cœur (1996)
as Silas Marner
Corps perdus (1990)
as Eric Desange
L'Atlantide (1992)
as Lieutenant Morhange
Utopia (2003)
as Hervé
I Didn't Shoot Jesse James (2017)
as Bob Ford
Australia (1989)
as Julian Pierson
On Guard (1992)
as Jean Vergier
A Previous Engagement (2009)
as Alex Belmont
Le Matelot 512 (1984)
as The scarred one / André
Spiral (1987)
as Kino
Daydreams (2017)
as Marc
Les brigands (2015)
as Old Man
Immortel Nougaro (2024)
as interprete
Grottenolm (1985)
as Gerome Holm
Berlin Berlin (—)
Actor