Tchéky Karyo - Details

Biography

Tcheky Karyo recently appeared in Luc Besson's "Joan of Arc," his second picture for Besson, who also cast him in "La Femme Nikita." Additional film credits include "Wing Commander," Hugh Hudson's "MyLife So Far," "Addicted to Love," directed by Griffin Dunne and starring Meg Ryan and Matthew Broderick; "GoldenEye" and "Bad Boys," among many others. His television credits include the ABC miniseries "Arabian Nights," an episode of the HBO miniseries "From the Earth to the Moon," directed by Tom Hanks; and "The Band Played On," also for HBO. Born in Turkey, Kazyo resides in Paris.

After playing a man of the cloth in Neil Jordan's "The End of the Affair", Jason Isaacs (Colonel William Tavington) leaves virtue behind him in "The Patriot."

Isaacs was seen in the 1998 box office giant "Armageddon," portraying Professor Quincy, "the smartest man on the planet." In addition, he has made three movies with director Paul Anderson: the sci-fi thriller "Event Horizon," "Soldier" with Kurt Russell, and the British cult film "Shopping." He appeared with Dennis Quaid in "Dragonheart" and made his feature film debut alongside Jeff Goldblum and Emma Thompson in "The Tall Guy."

Isaacs has played a wide variety of characters on the edge, including everything from priests and gangsters to drag-queens and paratroopers. His roles range from a Jewish, gay, Manhattanite to a Catholic, IRA warlord, to a Scottish detective. He's as convincing as an Ivy League colonel or a cockney crooner.

After graduating from the prestigious Central School of Speech and Drama in London, he starred for two seasons in "Capital City," a British television series based on the world of commodity brokers and bond traders. He then starred in the miniseries "Taggart" as identical twins; one good, one evil. In the controversial BBC miniseries "Civvies," from Lynda LaPlante ("Prime Suspect"), Isaacs portrayed a disturbed soldier adjusting to civilian life. In the CBS miniseries, "The Last Don 2", he played another priest, this time one who tests the limits of his vows.

Born in Liverpool, England, Isaacs attended Bristol University, where he studied law. While there, he also directed and / or starred in over 20 theatre productions. He created the role of Louis in the critically acclaimed Royal National Theatre production of the Purlitzer Prize winning "Angels In America - Parts 1 and 2/" When not in the States conquering a new character or accent, he returns to do film and stage work in his native England.

Events

  • 4th October 1953 - Birth