Txéky Karyo, the French actor who starred in the BBC’s “Missing” and “The Baptist,” and appeared in “La Femme Nikita,” “Addicted to Love,” “Bad Boys,” and “GoldenEye,” died of cancer on October 31, AFP reported. He was 72 years old.
Born in Istanbul in 1953, Karyo moved to Paris with his family when he was young. There, he studied acting at the Cyrano Theater and later performed as a member of the Daniel Solano Company. At a young age, he entered the Strasbourg National Theater and began appearing in French films. He had early notable roles in Jean-Jacques Annaud’s The Bear and Luc Besson’s La Femme Nikita.
In the 1990s, Karyo began appearing in Hollywood films. He played the title character in Nostradamus, the villain opposite Will Smith and Martin Lawrence in Bad Boys, the antagonist opposite Jet Li in Kiss of the Dragon, a French military officer opposite Mel Gibson in The Patriot, and the Russian Minister of Defense opposite Pierce Brosnan in his first turn as James Bond in GoldenEye. He also appeared in Ridley Scott’s 1492: Conquest of Paradise and had a memorable role as a French restaurant owner in Griffin Dunne’s Addicted to Love.
Throughout the new millennium, he appeared in several American and French films and shows. In 2014, he began playing detective Julien Baptiste in The Missing. He played the central character for two seasons and then reprized the role for a two-season spinoff, Baptiste, from 2019 to 2021. Earlier this year, he appeared in the French comedy film Faster.
Karyo is also a songwriter and musician and has released two albums throughout his career. He has been married twice, first to actress Isabel Pasco. After his divorce, he married actress Valerie Kerzolet in 2002, and they remained a couple until his death.
He is survived by Kelzore and their two children, Louise and Liv.
