James Bond Franchise and ‘La Femme Nikita’ Star Tchéky Karyo Dies Aged 72

Born Baruh Djaki Karyo in Istanbul in 1953, the actor was raised in Paris, where he trained in classical theater with the Daniel Sorano company, later working at the National Theatre of Strasbourg. In the 1980s, he swapped stage for screen, making his first breakout role in La Balance in 1982. He was nominated for a César award for the role, and the moody, intense performance would end up defining his career over the following four decades.

Tchéky Karyo’s Career Across 5 Decades

BBC

Karyo came to the attention of international audiences when appearing as the implacable intelligence handler Bob in Luc Besson’s La Femme Nikita in 1990. He then shifted to Hollywood movies, starring opposite Mel Gibson in 1492: Conquest of Paradise in 1992, played the crime boss Fouchet in Will Smith and Martin Lawrence’s Bad Boys, and had a role in Pierce Brosnan’s James Bond debut in GoldenEye in 1995. Later credits included another Mel Gibson movie, The Patriot in 2000 and Kiss of the Dragon in 2001, confirming his place in cinema history as a consistent performer in both action blockbusters and historical epics.

In the 2010s, Karyo traded movies for TV, appearing on British television as detective Julien Baptiste in The Missing between 2014 and 2016. The role was well received and earned a spinoff series, simply titled Baptiste, which ran for two seasons between 2019 and 2021. Two years later, his TV roles continued with the BBC comedy-thriller, Boat Story.

As well as almost 140 film and TV career roles, Karyo recorded several music albums, proving his ability to transcend mediums to find success in several areas. However, his lengthy career on screen will be what he is mostly remembered for, whether early roles like Nikita’s Bob or later ones like Julien Baptiste.