Acting
Tchéky Karyo
EN, FR, SV, IT cinema · 120 credits
Born
4 October 1953
Died
31 October 2025 (aged 72)
Birthplace
Istanbul, Turkey
Also known as Tcheky Karyo · Techky Karyo · צ'קי קאריו · Baruh Djaki Karyo · Baruch Djaki Karyo
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
Filmography
The Sword of Thyrus
as Maardin
Faster
as Le Duc
Steel Butterfly
as Robert
The Killer
as Tessier
Immortel Nougaro
as interprete
Serial Driver
as Jean-Yves Lapick
Romantique
as Pascal
Tell Me Iggy
as Self
Fraîche
as Alex
Christmas Next Door
as Georges, le mari de Nicoletta
Charon
2020
Charon
as L'homme
A Mermaid in Paris
as Camille
Mary Magdalene
as Elisha
Daydreams
as Marc
I Didn't Shoot Jesse James
as Bob Ford
L'araignée rouge
as Simon Delaunay
Wild Tales From The Village
as Narrator
Les brigands
as Old Man
Through the Air
as Armand Cavelle
De guerre lasse
as Armand
Pieces of Me
as Edern
Jappeloup
as Marcel Rozier, French team coach
Belle and Sebastian
as César
Le Roman d’un trader
as le directeur général
Morning Star
as Heroy
Requiem for a Killer
as L'Arménien
Coup d'éclat
as Mérendon
Special Forces
as Admiral Guezennec
A Gang Story
as Serge Suttel
Among Us
as Walter
The Way
as Captain Henri
A Previous Engagement
as Alex Belmont
A Man and His Dog
as Le guitariste
Vampire Party
as Le duc de Journiac
L'Affaire Bruay-en-Artois
as Le Juge Marceau
La Résistance : Vivre libre ou mourir
2008
The Resistance: Live Free or Die
as Narrator (voice)
The Lark Farm
as Aram
Jacquou the Rebel
as Le chevalier
Boxes
as Jean
Les Cerfs-volants
as Ambroise
The Gravedancers
as Vincent Cochet
D'Artagnan and the Three Musketeers
as Le cardinal de Richelieu
S.A.C. : Des hommes dans l'ombre
as Louis Routier
Blueberry
as Uncle
Ne quittez pas !
as Raveu
Taking Lives
as Leclair
Old Goriot
as Vautrin
A Very Long Engagement
as Captain Favour
The Good Thief
as Roger
The Core
as Serge
Utopia
as Hervé
Kiss of the Dragon
as Richard
Saving Grace
as Jacques Chevalier
The Patriot
as Jean Villeneuve
The King Is Dancing
as Molière
The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc
as Jean de Dunois
Wing Commander
as Cmmdre. James 'Paladin' Taggart
My Life So Far
as Gabriel Chenoux
Babel
as Nemrod
Let There Be Light!
as Harper
Addicted to Love
as Anton
Dobermann
as Inspecteur Sauveur Cristini
The Thousand Wonders of the Universe
as Professor Larsen
Habitat
as Hank Symes
Les liens du cœur
1996
Les liens du cœur
as Silas Marner
Hotel Rome
as Federale Apolloni
Follow Your Heart
as Ernesto
Foreign Land
as Kraft
Passage to Paradise
as Renato
GoldenEye
as Dmitri Mishkin
Bad Boys
as Fouchet
Operation Dumbo Drop
as Goddard
Moon Shadow
as Lorenzo
Zadoc and Happiness
as Zadoc
Crying Freeman
as Detective Netah
Fear City: A Family-Style Comedy
as Mr. Jacques, the 1st projectionist
Nostradamus
as Nostradamus
The Black Angel
as Paul Delorme
And the Band Played On
as Dr. Willy Rozenbaum
Red Shoe Diaries 3: Another Woman's Lipstick
as Phillip (archive footage)
1492: Conquest of Paradise
as Martín Alonso Pinzón
On Guard
as Jean Vergier
L'Atlantide
as Lieutenant Morhange
Too Close to the Gods
as Henri Georges
Sketch Artist
as Paul Korbel
Isabelle Eberhardt
as Slimene
High Art
as Hermes, the Knife master
Husbands and Lovers
as Paolo
Nikita
as Bob
Vincent and Me
as Vincent van Gogh
La fille des collines
as Vincent
Corps perdus
as Eric Desange
Australia
as Julian Pierson
The Bear
as Tom
Sorceress
as Etienne de Bourbon
Spiral
as Kino
États d'âme
as Bertrand
L'unique
as Michel
Blue Hell
as Franck
Mad Love
as Micky
Grottenolm
as Gerome Holm
Rita Ritter
as Man
Le Matelot 512
as The scarred one / André
The Outsider
as Francis Pierron
Shadow Dance
as Xavier
La Balance
as Petrovic
The Return of Martin Guerre
as Augustin
