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Tchéky Karyo

Tchéky Karyo

Actor · Died October 31, 2025, aged 72 · Istanbul, Turkey

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.

Read more

Biography from TMDB.

Born
October 4, 1953
Died
October 31, 2025 (aged 72)
From
Istanbul, Turkey
Works as
Actor
Titles
70 on MovieCove · 140 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 155 days to Oct 26Up 21% in 30 days

What are Tchéky Karyo's films like?

Across their 58 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.

Genres

Action18 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 62nd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Action movies
Comedy10 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 46th percentile
: browse their Comedy movies
Adventure8 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 61st percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Adventure movies
Drama6 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 51st percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Biography4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 46th percentile
: browse their Biography movies
Crime4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 29th percentile
: browse their Crime movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
26%
Self
19%
Morality
18%
Survival
16%
Power
13%
Society
5%
Ideas
2%
Family bonds18 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival12 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity11 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love7 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice8 titles, browse their movies with this themeLoyalty8 titles, browse their movies with this themePurpose6 titles, browse their movies with this themeRevenge6 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 53 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 14 · Serious 18 · Dark 21

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 22 · Stylized 22 · Heightened 9

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

A split, not a type: Gentle 9 · Charged 21 · Intense 23

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 21 · Shifting 28 · Whiplash 4

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 36 · Some laughs 10 · Funny 7

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 21 · Even-paced 24 · Relentless 8

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 16 · Engaged 33 · Full focus 4

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

Easy watch 13 · Affecting 28 · Heavy 12

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 37 · Open-ended 11 · Ambiguous 5

Roles they play

43 analyzed roles

Usually the Shadow: 14 of 43 analyzed roles.

Shadow
14 of 43
Mentor
11 of 43
Ally
7 of 43
Hero
4 of 43
Threshold guardian
3 of 43
Shapeshifter
2 of 43
Trickster
1 of 43
Herald
1 of 43
Show the 43 roles

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
41
Melancholic
24
Thrilling
14
Contemplative
13
Hopeful
15
Other
47

How their films linger

Bittersweet18 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking17 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful16 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good14 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting12 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling13 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 12 with a twist

  • Happy15
  • Bittersweet28
  • Tragic4
  • Ambiguous11

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Tchéky Karyo's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 40 of their 70 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (17).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Tchéky Karyo's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

140 credits, 70 with a MovieCove page; 7 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Steel Butterfly (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2025)

    as Robert

  • Faster(2025)

    as Le Duc

    Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films

  • Immortel Nougaro (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2024)

    as interprete

  • The Killer(2024)

    as Tessier

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films

  • Boat Story (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2023)

    Show 6 episodes · as The Tailor

  • Serial Driver(2023)

    as Jean-Yves Lapick

    Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films

  • Liaison(2023)

    Show 1 episode · as Francis Miller

    Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all shows

  • Forest of the Missing(2022)

    Show 4 episodes · as Franz Agerland

    Midcredits score: 21st percentile of all shows

  • Romantique (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2022)

    as Pascal

  • I3P (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2022)

    Show 6 episodes · as Paul Arkan

  • Fraîche (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2022)

    as Alex

  • Women at War(2022)

    Show 8 episodes · as Général Duvernet

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all shows

  • The Life Before (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2021)

    as André

  • Vicky and Her Mystery(2021)

    as Bruno

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • Christmas Next Door (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2021)

    as Georges, le mari de Nicoletta

  • Possessions (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2020)

    Show 6 episodes · as Joël · as Yoel

  • The Eddy(2020)

    Show 1 episode · as Daniel Perrin

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all shows

  • Mermaid in Paris(2020)

    as Camille

    Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films

  • Charon (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2020)

    as L'homme

  • ZeroZeroZero (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2020)

    Show 3 episodes · as François Salvage

  • The Name of the Rose (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2019)

    Show 8 episodes · as Pope John XXII

  • Baptiste(2019)

    Show 12 episodes · as Julien Baptiste

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all shows

  • War on Beasts (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2018)

    Show 6 episodes · as Serge Tokarev

  • Mary Magdalene(2018)

    as Elisha

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films

  • Belle and Sebastian, Friends for Life(2017)

    as César

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • I Didn't Shoot Jesse James (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)

    as Bob Ford

  • Genius(2017)

    Show 1 episode · as Henri Rousseau

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all shows

  • Daydreams (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)

    as Marc

  • Wild Tales From The Village (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)

    as Narrator

  • Section Zéro (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)

    Show 8 episodes · as Franck Varnove

  • L'araignée rouge (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)

    as Simon Delaunay

  • Belle & Sebastian: The Adventure Continues(2015)

    as César

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films

  • Through the Air(2015)

    as Armand Cavelle

    Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films

  • Les brigands (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2015)

    as Old Man

  • The Missing(2014)

    Show 16 episodes · as Julien Baptiste

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all shows

  • De guerre lasse(2014)

    as Armand

    Midcredits score: 14th percentile of all films

  • Belle & Sebastian(2013)

    as César

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films

  • Le Roman d’un trader (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)

    as le directeur général

  • Jappeloup(2013)

    as Marcel Rozier, French team coach

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films

  • Pieces of Me(2012)

    as Edern

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • Morning Star (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)

    as Heroy

  • No Limit (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)

    Show 8 episodes · as Franck Koskas

  • The Extraordinary Voyage(2011)

    Thanks

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • Les Lyonnais(2011)

    as Serge Suttel

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films

  • Special Forces(2011)

    as Admiral Guezennec

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films

  • Coup d'éclat (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)

    as Mérendon

  • Requiem for a Killer(2011)

    as L'Arménien

    Midcredits score: 18th percentile of all films

  • The Way(2010)

    as Captain Henri

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • Among Us (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)

    as Walter

  • A Previous Engagement (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)

    as Alex Belmont

  • A Man and His Dog(2008)

    as Le guitariste

    Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films

  • L'Affaire Bruay-en-Artois (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)

    as Le Juge Marceau

  • Vampire Party (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)

    as Le duc de Journiac

  • The Resistance: Live Free or Die (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)

    as Narrator (voice)

  • Les Cerfs-volants (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)

    as Ambroise

  • Boxes (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)

    as Jean

  • La masseria delle allodole (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)

    as Aram

  • The Lark Farm(2007)

    as Aram

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films

  • Jacquou le croquant(2007)

    as Le chevalier

    Midcredits score: 63rd percentile of all films

  • The Gravedancers(2006)

    as Vincent Cochet

    Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films

  • S.A.C. : Des hommes dans l'ombre (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    as Louis Routier

  • The Accursed Kings (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    Show 1 episode · as Philippe le Bel

  • D'Artagnan and the Three Musketeers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    Show 2 episodes · as Le cardinal de Richelieu

  • D'Artagnan and the Three Musketeers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    as Le cardinal de Richelieu

  • Kaamelott (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    Show 8 episodes · as Manius Macrinus Firmus

  • Old Goriot (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)

    as Vautrin

  • A Very Long Engagement(2004)

    as Captain Favour

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films

  • Ne quittez pas ! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)

    as Raveu

  • Taking Lives(2004)

    as Leclair

    Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films

  • Renegade(2004)

    as Uncle

    Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films

  • The Core(2003)

    as Serge

    Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films

  • Utopia (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)

    as Hervé

  • The Good Thief(2002)

    as Roger

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films

  • Kiss of the Dragon(2001)

    as Richard

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films

  • The King Is Dancing (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)

    as Molière

  • The Patriot(2000)

    as Jean Villeneuve

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • Arabian Nights(2000)

    Show 2 episodes · as Black Coda

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all shows

  • Saving Grace(2000)

    as Jacques Chevalier

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films

  • The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc(1999)

    as Jean de Dunois

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films

  • My Life So Far(1999)

    as Gabriel Chenoux

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films

  • Comme un poisson hors de l'eau(1999)

    as B. B.

    Midcredits score: 23rd percentile of all films

  • Wing Commander(1999)

    as Cmmdre. James 'Paladin' Taggart

    Midcredits score: 8th percentile of all films

  • Babel (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    as Nemrod

  • Let There Be Light! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)

    as Harper

  • From the Earth to the Moon(1998)

    Show 1 episode · as George Melies

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all shows

  • The Thousand Wonders of the Universe (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)

    as Professor Larsen

  • Dobermann(1997)

    as Inspecteur Sauveur Cristini

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • Addicted to Love(1997)

    as Anton

    Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films

  • Habitat(1997)

    as Hank Symes

    Midcredits score: 19th percentile of all films

  • Les liens du cœur (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)

    as Silas Marner

  • To Have and to Hold (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)

    as Jack

  • Hotel Rome (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)

    as Federale Apolloni

  • Foreign Land(1995)

    as Kraft

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films

  • Passage to Paradise (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)

    as Renato

  • Follow Your Heart (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)

    as Ernesto

  • GoldenEye(1995)

    as Dmitri Mishkin

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • Operation Dumbo Drop(1995)

    as Goddard

    Midcredits score: 17th percentile of all films

  • Crying Freeman(1995)

    as Detective Netah

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films

  • Bad Boys(1995)

    as Fouchet

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films

  • Moon Shadow (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)

    as Lorenzo

  • Zadoc and Happiness (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)

    as Zadoc

  • L'ange noir(1994)

    as Paul Delorme

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films

  • Nostradamus(1994)

    as Nostradamus

    Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films

  • Fear City: A Family-Style Comedy(1994)

    as Mr. Jacques, the 1st projectionist

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films

  • Red Shoe Diaries 3: Another Woman's Lipstick (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)

    as Phillip (archive footage)

  • And the Band Played On(1993)

    as Dr. Willy Rozenbaum

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films

  • L'Atlantide (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

    as Lieutenant Morhange

  • Sketch Artist(1992)

    as Paul Korbel

    Midcredits score: 16th percentile of all films

  • 1492: Conquest of Paradise(1992)

    as Martín Alonso Pinzón

    Midcredits score: 52nd percentile of all films

  • Red Shoe Diaries (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

    Show 1 episode · as Phillip

  • On Guard (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

    as Jean Vergier

  • Too Close to the Gods (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

    as Henri Georges

  • Isabelle Eberhardt(1991)

    as Slimene

    Midcredits score: 14th percentile of all films

  • Husbands and Lovers(1991)

    as Paolo

    Midcredits score: 13th percentile of all films

  • A Grande Arte(1991)

    as Hermes, the Knife master

    Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films

  • Vincent and Me(1990)

    as Vincent van Gogh

    Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films

  • La fille des collines (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)

    as Vincent

  • La Femme Nikita(1990)

    as Bob

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • Corps perdus (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)

    as Eric Desange

  • Australia (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)

    as Julian Pierson

  • The Bear(1988)

    as Tom

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films

  • Sorceress(1987)

    as Etienne de Bourbon

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films

  • Spiral (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)

    as Kino

  • États d'âme (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1986)

    as Bertrand

  • Bleu comme l'enfer(1986)

    as Franck

    Midcredits score: 11th percentile of all films

  • L'unique (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1986)

    as Michel

  • Grottenolm (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)

    as Gerome Holm

  • Mad Love(1985)

    as Micky

    Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films

  • Le Matelot 512 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)

    as The scarred one / André

  • Full Moon in Paris(1984)

    as Remi

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • Rita Ritter (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)

    as Man

  • The Outsider(1983)

    as Francis Pierron

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films

  • Shadow Dance (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1983)

    as Xavier

  • La Balance (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)

    as Petrovic

  • Will the High Salaried Workers Raise Their Hands!(1982)

    Actor

    Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films

  • Toute une nuit (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)

    Actor

  • The Return of Martin Guerre(1982)

    as Augustin

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • Berlin Berlin (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Actor

  • La Terre et le Sang (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Show 6 episodes · Actor

  • The Sword of Thyrus (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    as Maardin

Career shape

Star power in the 99th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 140 titles, 137 of them dated from 1982 to 2025; peak year 1995.

Biggest box office

GoldenEye (1995)

$352M worldwide

Highest rated

The Bear (1988)

Midcredits 95th

Most popular right now

Bad Boys (1995)

Film career

MilestoneBreakout
19822025

Peak 1995 · steadily prominent in film for years. Top draw in 15 MovieCove titles. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting139 of 140: 139 only acting, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score57thOther crew1 of 140: 1 only other crew, 0 with another role

By decade

1980s18 · acting1990s41 · acting2000s29 · acting2010s29 · 28 acting · 1 crew2020s20 · acting

Billing

usually 5th · top billed in 5% of 58 roles
82879702071217

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30; the columns are the share of top-billed roles in each era, 5-year spans from the year on the label, merged until each holds at least 5 roles.

How do Tchéky Karyo's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 56th percentile, the median of all 61; across their 53 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 52nd percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

52ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 53

Approval · how many liked their films

54thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 53

Reach · how many have seen their films

81stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 53

Midcredits score across 70 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up19
  • 50th to 74th21
  • 25th to 49th18
  • Below 25th12

Shape of the crowd

31 of their 70 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved9
  • Divisive1
  • Crowd Pleaser31
  • Broadly Agreed9
  • Mixed20

Most divisive · actor

The Lark Farm (2007)

92nd percentile spread · 22% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

The Bear (1988)

Midcredits 95th · 85% liked

Reviewers score the acting 65/100 in their films, across 47 reviewed titles; fans 75, detractors 38. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Tchéky Karyo's work okay for kids?

Across up to 21 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore, sex & nudity, profanity and frightening / intense run heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore15 titles31–88 · median 77 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity21 titles10–63 · median 44 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity14 titles23–77 · median 55 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs15 titles26–58 · median 40 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense15 titles36–70 · median 58 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Tchéky Karyo work with?

People who share at least 2 of Tchéky Karyo's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Clément Miserez shares the most, 5.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers

Mixed roles