LIFE & TIMES: Tcheky Karyo

Tcheky, 67, is familiar to viewers as the limping French detective in Baptiste (9pm, BBC1), but the actor has many more strings to his bow…

● Born Baruh Djaki Karyo in Istanbul on October 4, 1953, he grew up in Paris, and changed the spelling of his name from Djaki to the more French Tcheky. From 1975 to 1978, he studied at the National Theatre of Strasbourg and enjoyed success in French films in the 1980s.

● His breakout role was in the hit French action thriller Nikita (1990), in which Tcheky starred as the handler for the young female assassin of the title (played by Anne Parillaud).

● Among his English-language films, Tcheky has had ‘character’ roles in blockbusters including 1995’s Bad

Boys, with Will Smith, and 2000’s

The Patriot, with Mel Gibson.

● He is the father of two daughters, and is also a granddad to teenager Daniel, the son of his eldest, Liv. His youngest, Louise – whose mum is Valerie Keruzore – nearly cost her dad his role as Julien Baptiste: Tcheky walked away shortly before filming series one of The Missing (2014), because she had just been born. Thankfully, he was persuaded to return by director Tom Shankland.

● Tcheky is also a musician and a songwriter, and has released two albums – the first came out in 2006, with follow-up Credo released on his

60th birthday, in 2013.