Herbert Lom

'Herbert Lom' (qv) was born Herbert Charles Angelo Kuchacevich Schluderpacheru on September 11, 1917. He made his film debut in the Czech film _Woman Below the Cross (1937)_ (qv) and played supporting and, occasionally, lead roles. His career picked up in the 1940s and he played, among other roles, Napoleon Bonaparte in _The Young Mr. Pitt (1942)_ (qv) (and, again, in _War and Peace (1956)_ (qv)). In a rare starring role, Lom played twin trapeze artists in _Dual Alibi (1947)_ (qv). He continued into the 1950s with roles opposite 'Alec Guinness' (qv) and 'Peter Sellers' (qv) in _The Ladykillers (1955)_ (qv) and 'Robert Mitchum' (qv), 'Jack Lemmon' (qv) and 'Rita Hayworth' (qv) in _Fire Down Below (1957)_ (qv). His career really took off in the 1960s and he got the title role in Hammer Films' production of _The Phantom of the Opera (1962)_ (qv). He also played "Captain Nemo" in _Mysterious Island (1961)_ (qv) and landed supporting parts in _El Cid (1961)_ (qv) and an especially showy role in _Spartacus (1960)_ (qv) as a pirate chieftain contracted to transport Spartacus' army away from Italy. The 1960s was also the decade in which Lom secured the role for which he will always be remembered: Clouseau/'Peter Sellers' (qv)' long-suffering boss, Commissioner Charles Dreyfus, in the "Pink Panther" films, in which he pulled off the not-inconsiderable feat of stealing almost every scene he and Sellers were in--a real accomplishment, considering what a veteran scene-stealer Sellers was. However, Lom did not concentrate solely on a film career. He had become a familiar face to British television viewers when he starred as Dr. Roger Corder in the series _The Human Jungle (1963)_ (qv). He moved into horror films in the 1970s, with parts in _Asylum (1972)_ (qv) and _And Now the Screaming Starts! (1973)_ (qv). He played Prof. Abraham Van Helsing opposite 'Christopher Lee' (qv) in _Count Dracula (1970)_ (qv), matching wits against the sinister vampire himself.Lom appeared as one of the ten victims in _Ten Little Indians (1974)_ (qv), playing the drunken Dr. Edward Armstrong. His career continued into the 1980s, a standout role being that of 'Christopher Walken' (qv)'s sympathetic doctor in _The Dead Zone (1983)_ (qv). He also played opposite 'Walter Matthau' (qv) in _Hopscotch (1980)_ (qv) and returned to the murder mystery _Ten Little Indians (1989)_ (qv), this time playing The General. Lom has been taking it easy since then, though he returned to his familiar role of Commissioner Dreyfus in _Son of the Pink Panther (1993)_ (qv). He was always a reliable and eminently watchable actor, and unfortunately did not receive the stardom he should have.'Herbert Lom' (qv) died in his sleep at age 95 on September 27, 2012, in London, England.::frankfob2@yahoo.com and Nick Johansen honassen@yahoo.com