Actor Tchéky Karyo, star of 'Nikita' and 'The Bear' dies aged 72

Tchéky Karyo, a rugged and easily recognisable figure in French cinema, who starred in 'The Bear', 'Nikita' and 'Dobermann', has died aged 72.

"Valérie Keruzoré, his wife, and their children are saddened to announce the death of Tchéky Karyo from cancer on Friday 31 October", his family wrote in a statement sent to French news agency AFP.

Born in Istanbul in 1953 to a Greek father and Turkish mother, the actor grew up in Paris and made his film debut in 1982 in Chantal Akerman's 'All Night Long' (Toute une nuit).

Throughout his career, he played a number of dark and violent characters and will probably be best remembered for his roles as a hunter in Jean-Jacques Annaud's 1988 classic The Bear and as Anne Parillaud's recruiting agent in Luc Besson's 1990 noir thriller Nikita.

A polyglot, Karyo appeared in around 100 films in several countries, and was increasingly present on television since the 2010s with his appearance in the British crime series 'The Missing' (2014-2016) also ranking as one of his biggest hits.