Tchéky Karyo
Acting
Born: October 4, 1953 · Istanbul, Turkey
Died: October 31, 2025 (aged 72)
Highest Rated
Biography
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
Bad Boys
1995
GoldenEye
1995
The Patriot
2000
The Core
2003
Nikita
1990
Taking Lives
2004
The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc
1999
Kiss of the Dragon
2001
Fear City: A Family-Style Comedy
1994
A Very Long Engagement
2004
1492: Conquest of Paradise
1992
Belle and Sebastian
2013
Photos (6)
Movies (112)
GoldenEye
Dmitri Mishkin
1492: Conquest of Paradise
Martín Alonso Pinzón
The Bear
Tom
Taking Lives
Leclair
The Patriot
Jean Villeneuve
The Killer
Tessier
Crying Freeman
Detective Netah
Bad Boys
Fouchet
Belle and Sebastian
César
The Way
Captain Henri
A Very Long Engagement
Captain Favour
Wing Commander
Cmmdre. James 'Paladin' Taggart
The Good Thief
Roger
And the Band Played On
Dr. Willy Rozenbaum
The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc
Jean de Dunois
Kiss of the Dragon
Richard
The Core
Serge
Saving Grace
Jacques Chevalier
Mary Magdalene
Elisha
Special Forces
Admiral Guezennec
Nikita
Bob
Addicted to Love
Anton
The Outsider
Francis Pierron
Blueberry
Uncle
A Mermaid in Paris
Camille
D'Artagnan and the Three Musketeers
Le cardinal de Richelieu
Dobermann
Inspecteur Sauveur Cristini
Fear City: A Family-Style Comedy
Mr. Jacques, the 1st projectionist
Belle and Sebastian: The Adventure Continues
César
Belle and Sebastian 3: The Last Chapter
César
A Gang Story
Serge Suttel
Mad Love
Micky
The Black Angel
Paul Delorme
De guerre lasse
Armand
Husbands and Lovers
Paolo
A Man and His Dog
Le guitariste
Jacquou the Rebel
Le chevalier
My Life So Far
Gabriel Chenoux
Vicky and Her Mystery
Bruno
Vincent and Me
Vincent van Gogh
Operation Dumbo Drop
Goddard
Romantique
Pascal
Full Moon in Paris
Remi
The Return of Martin Guerre
Augustin
Jappeloup
Marcel Rozier, French team coach
Isabelle Eberhardt
Slimene
The King Is Dancing
Molière
Serial Driver
Jean-Yves Lapick
Boxes
Jean
Sketch Artist
Paul Korbel
The Gravedancers
Vincent Cochet
The Lark Farm
Aram
Among Us
Walter
Red Shoe Diaries 3: Another Woman's Lipstick
Phillip (archive footage)
Let There Be Light!
Harper
L'Affaire Bruay-en-Artois
Le Juge Marceau
Requiem for a Killer
L'Arménien
Le Roman d’un trader
le directeur général
Toute une nuit
1982
Through the Air
Armand Cavelle
Moon Shadow
Lorenzo
Pieces of Me
Edern
Vampire Party
Le duc de Journiac
Blue Hell
Franck
Too Close to the Gods
Henri Georges
Hotel Rome
Federale Apolloni
Faster
Le Duc
Sorceress
Etienne de Bourbon
Foreign Land
Kraft
A Previous Engagement
Alex Belmont
Nostradamus
Nostradamus
Like a Fish Out of Water
B. B.
Follow Your Heart
Ernesto
La masseria delle allodole
Aram
Christmas Next Door
Georges, le mari de Nicoletta
The Thousand Wonders of the Universe
Professor Larsen
Old Goriot
Vautrin
High Art
Hermes, the Knife master
La Balance
Petrovic
Babel
Nemrod
Will the High Salaried Workers Raise Their Hands!
1982
La fille des collines
Vincent
Le Matelot 512
The scarred one / André
Habitat
Hank Symes
S.A.C. : Des hommes dans l'ombre
Louis Routier
Rita Ritter
Man
To Have and to Hold
Jack
Morning Star
Heroy
Zadoc and Happiness
Zadoc
Passage to Paradise
Renato
Fraîche
Alex
Coup d'éclat
Mérendon
Les Cerfs-volants
Ambroise
L'araignée rouge
Simon Delaunay
The Life Before
André
Steel Butterfly
Robert
Australia
Julian Pierson
Shadow Dance
Xavier
L'unique
Michel
Wild Tales From The Village
Narrator
L'Atlantide
Lieutenant Morhange
On Guard
Jean Vergier
États d'âme
Bertrand
Immortel Nougaro
interprete
Daydreams
Marc
I Didn't Shoot Jesse James
Bob Ford
Utopia
Hervé
Les brigands
Old Man
Ne quittez pas !
Raveu
Corps perdus
Eric Desange
Spiral
Kino
Grottenolm
Gerome Holm
TV Shows (23)
Kaamelott
Manius Macrinus Firmus · 8 eps
Genius
Henri Rousseau · 1 eps
Red Shoe Diaries
Phillip · 1 eps
Liaison
Francis Miller · 1 eps
From the Earth to the Moon
George Melies · 1 eps
ZeroZeroZero
François Salvage · 3 eps
The Missing
Julien Baptiste · 16 eps
The Name of the Rose
Pope John XXII · 8 eps
Women at War
Général Duvernet · 8 eps
Arabian Nights
Black Coda · 2 eps
The Eddy
Daniel Perrin · 1 eps
Baptiste
Julien Baptiste · 12 eps
Boat Story
The Tailor · 6 eps
No Limit
Franck Koskas · 8 eps
The Accursed Kings
Philippe le Bel · 5 eps
Possessions
Joël · 6 eps
Possessions
Yoel · 6 eps
La Terre et le Sang
Charles Luciani · 6 eps
Section Zéro
Franck Varnove · 8 eps
Forest of the Missing
Franz Agerland · 4 eps
D'Artagnan and the Three Musketeers
Le cardinal de Richelieu · 2 eps
I3P
Paul Arkan · 6 eps
War on Beasts
Serge Tokarev · 6 eps
