View source for Herbert Lom

{{Short description|Czech-British actor (1917–2012)}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2021}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2021}}
{{Infobox person
| name           = Herbert Lom
| image          = Herbert Lom.jpg
| caption        = Lom in a 1940s publicity photo
| birth_name     = Herbert Charles Angelo Kuchačevič ze Schluderpacheru
| birth_date     = {{Birth date|1917|9|11|df=yes}}
| birth_place    = [[Prague]], [[Kingdom of Bohemia]], [[Austria-Hungary]]
| death_date     = {{Death date and age|2012|9|27|1917|9|11|df=yes}}
| death_place    = [[Camden, London]], England
| nationality    = {{hlist|British|Czech}}
| occupation     = Actor
| years_active   = 1937–2004
| spouse         = {{ubl|{{marriage|Dina Schea|1948|1979|reason=divorced}}|{{marriage|Eve Lacik||1990|reason=divorced}}}}
| children       = 3
}}
'''Herbert Charles Angelo Kuchačevič ze Schluderpacheru''' (11 September 1917&nbsp;– 27 September 2012), known professionally as '''Herbert Lom''' ({{IPA|cs|ɦɛrbɛrt lom}}), was a Czech-British actor with a career spanning over 60 years. His cool demeanour and precise, elegant elocution<ref name=DTObit>{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/culture-obituaries/film-obituaries/9570979/Herbert-Lom.html |title=Film Obituaries: Herbert Lom |work=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |date=27 September 2012 |access-date=7 November 2019}}</ref> saw him cast as criminals or suave villains in his younger years, and professional men and nobles as he aged. Highly versatile, he also played the beleaguered Chief Inspector Charles Dreyfus in seven ''[[Pink Panther]]'' films.

Lom's other notable films included ''[[The Ladykillers (1955 film)|The Ladykillers]]'' (1955), ''[[War and Peace (1956 film)|War and Peace]]'' (1956), [[Spartacus (film)|''Spartacus'']] (1960), [[El Cid (film)|''El Cid'']] (1961), [[Mysterious Island (1961 film)|''Mysterious Island'']] (also 1961), [[The Phantom of the Opera (1962 film)|''The Phantom of the Opera'']] (1962) and [[The Dead Zone (film)|''The Dead Zone'']] (1983). He also originated the role of the [[Mongkut|King of Siam]] in the original West End production of ''[[The King and I]]'', and starred on the 1960s television drama ''[[The Human Jungle (TV series)|The Human Jungle]]''.

==Early life and education==
Lom was born in [[Prague]] to Karl Kuchačevič ze Schluderpacheru and Olga Gottlieb. His mother was of Jewish ancestry.<ref name=OddFellow>{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/herbert-lom-the-odd-fellow-6155719.html |title=Herbert Lom: The Odd Fellow |first=Brian |last=Viner |work=[[The Independent]] |date=18 December 2004 |access-date=8 November 2019}}</ref> His ancestor, Christian Schluderpacher, a [[burgher (social class)|burgher]] of [[Bolzano|Bozen]], was ennobled in 1601.<ref name="OddFellow"/><ref>Genealogisches Handbuch des Adels, 125th edition, Adelslexikon, vol. 12, Rol-Schm, ed. Hans Friedrich von Ehrenkrook, C. A. Starke, 2002, p. 503</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.archivinformationssystem.at/detail.aspx?ID=2721226|title = AT-OeStA/AVA Adel RAA 372.29 Schluderpacher, Christian, Bürger zu Bozen, Wappen mit Krone und Lehenartikel, 1601.08.01 (Akt (Sammelakt, Grundzl., Konvolut, Dossier, File))}}</ref> Lom's family were comfortable, but not grandly aristocratic. His grandfather owned property in Prague and the [[Bohemian Forest]], with his income deriving mainly from two restaurants and a guest house.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.researchwriter.cz/2016/02/09/herec-herbert-lom-a-slechta-rodu-kuchacevich-ze-schluderpacheru/ | title=Herec Herbert Lom a šlechta rodu Kuchačevich ze Schluderpacheru | date=9 February 2016 }}</ref> Lom's father, as a younger son, inherited little, supporting his family by variously running a printing business, a car repair shop, and trying to establish himself as an art agent. The family lived at various Prague city quarters: [[Žižkov]] before moving to [[Vysočany]], subsequently lived at [[Vinohrady]], then [[New Town, Prague|New Town]], where Lom attended a famous German grammar school. He studied philosophy for some time at the [[Charles University#Split into Czech and German universities|German University in Prague]], but ceased his studies to become an actor.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.abchistory.cz/cl1801739073-herec-herbert-lom-a-slechta-rodu-kuchacevich-ze-schluderpacheru.htm|title=Herec Herbert Lom a šlechta rodu Kuchačevich ze Schluderpacheru|website=abchistory.cz|date=9 February 2016 |access-date=3 October 2019}}</ref>

==Career==
Lom's film debut was in the [[Cinema of the Czech Republic|Czech film]] ''Žena pod křížem'' ("Woman Under the Cross", 1937) followed by the ''Boží mlýny'' ("Mills of God", 1938). His early film appearances were mainly supporting roles, with the occasional top billing. At this time he also changed his surname to Lom ("quarry" or "breakage" in [[Czech language|Czech]]) because it was the shortest he found in a local telephone directory.{{citation needed|date=July 2018}}

Due to the [[Occupation of Czechoslovakia (1938–1945)|occupation of Czechoslovakia]] by [[Nazi Germany]], [[Second Polish Republic|Poland]] and [[Kingdom of Hungary (1920–1946)|Hungary]] in 1938–39, Lom emigrated to Britain in 1939. He made numerous appearances in British films throughout the 1940s, usually in villainous roles, although he later appeared in comedies as well. Despite his mother's Jewish ancestry, Lom's parents survived to join him in England.

He managed to escape being typecast as a European heavy by securing a diverse range of casting, including as [[Napoleon Bonaparte]] in ''[[The Young Mr. Pitt]]'' (1942), and again in the [[King Vidor]] version of ''[[War and Peace (1956 film)|War and Peace]]'' (1956). He secured a seven-picture Hollywood contract after [[World War II]], but was unable to obtain an American visa for "political reasons".<ref>[[BBC Radio 4]] Interview, 31 October 2008 [https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/b00f4stb]</ref> In a rare starring role, Lom played twin trapeze artists in ''[[Dual Alibi]]'' (1946).

Lom starred as the King of Siam in the original London production of [[Rodgers and Hammerstein]]'s musical ''[[The King and I]].'' Opening at the [[Theatre Royal, Drury Lane|Drury Lane Theatre]] on 8{{nbsp}}October 1953, it ran for 926 performances.<ref>[[Stanley Green (historian)|Stanley Green]], ''Encyclopedia of the Musical Theatre,'' (New York, 1976: Dodd, Mead & Company, rpt. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Da Capo Press, 1980), p. 233.</ref> He can be heard on the cast recording.
A few years later, he appeared opposite [[Alec Guinness]] and [[Peter Sellers]] in ''[[The Ladykillers (1955 film)|The Ladykillers]]'' (1955); and with [[Robert Mitchum]], [[Jack Lemmon]] and [[Rita Hayworth]] in ''[[Fire Down Below (1957 film)|Fire Down Below]]'' (1957). He went on to more film success in the 1960s with a wide range of parts, including ''[[Spartacus (film)|Spartacus]]'' (1960); ''[[El Cid (film)|El Cid]]'' (1961); ''[[Mysterious Island (1961 film)|Mysterious Island]]'' (also 1961), as Captain Nemo; and [[Hammer Films]]' remake of ''[[The Phantom of the Opera (1962 film)|The Phantom of the Opera]]'' (1962), in which Lom had the leading role, wearing a full-face Phantom mask. "It was wonderful to play such a part," he said, "but I was disappointed with the picture... This version of the famous [[Gaston Leroux]] story dragged. The Phantom wasn't given enough to do, but at least I wasn't the villain, for a change. [[Michael Gough]] was the villain."{{Citation needed|date=August 2015}} Lom co-starred, with [[Shirley MacLaine]] and [[Michael Caine]], in ''[[Gambit (1966 film)|Gambit]]'' (1966).

During this period, Lom starred in his only regular TV series, the British drama ''[[The Human Jungle (TV series)|The Human Jungle]]'' (1963–64), playing a [[Harley Street]] [[psychiatrist]] for two series. He starred in another low-budget horror film, the witch-hunting story ''[[Mark of the Devil (1970 film)|Mark of the Devil]]'' (''Hexen bis aufs Blut gequält'', 1970), with unusually graphic torture scenes. Cinemas reportedly handed out sick bags at screenings.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.esplatter.com/reviewshton/markofthedevil.htm |title=Esplatter.com |publisher=Esplatter.com |access-date=16 November 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111116084720/http://esplatter.com/reviewshton/markofthedevil.htm |archive-date=16 November 2011 }}</ref> Lom appeared in other horror films made in both the US and UK, including ''[[Asylum (1972 horror film)|Asylum]]'', ''[[And Now the Screaming Starts!]]'', ''[[Murders in the Rue Morgue (1971 film)|Murders in the Rue Morgue]]'' and ''[[The Dead Zone (film)|The Dead Zone]]''.

Lom was perhaps best known for his portrayal of Chief Inspector [[List of The Pink Panther characters#Chief Inspector Charles LaRousse Dreyfus|Charles Dreyfus]], [[Inspector Clouseau]]'s long-suffering superior, in most of [[Blake Edwards]]' ''[[Pink Panther]]'' films, beginning with the second in the series, ''[[A Shot in the Dark (1964 film)|A Shot in the Dark]]'' (1964). He also appeared in two screen versions of the [[Agatha Christie]] novel ''[[And Then There Were None]]''—as Dr. Armstrong in the 1975 version, and as General Romensky in the 1989 version.

Lom wrote two historical novels: one on the playwright [[Christopher Marlowe]] (''Enter a Spy: The Double Life of Christopher Marlowe'', 1978), and the other on the [[French Revolution]] (''Dr Guillotine: The Eccentric Exploits of an Early Scientist'', 1992). The film rights to the latter have been purchased, but no film has yet been produced.

==Personal life==
Lom married Diana Scheu in 1948. They had two children before they divorced after separating between 1961 and 1976. He had a child from a relationship with Brigitta Appleby. He later married Eve Lacik; they divorced in 1990.<ref name=DTObit/>

Lom died in his sleep at his home in [[Camden Town]], London,<ref name="ODNB">{{Cite ODNB|id=105645|title=Lom, Herbert (1917–2012)}}</ref> on 27 September 2012, at the age of 95.<ref>{{cite news|title=Herbert Lom, Pink Panther star, dies aged 95 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-19745910 |access-date=27 September 2012 |work=[[BBC News]] |date=27 September 2012}}</ref>

==Selected filmography==
{{Div col|colwidth=30em}}
* ''Žena pod křížem'' (1937) as Gustav, Hodan's son
* ''Boží mlýny'' (1938) as Chasník
* ''[[The Young Mr. Pitt]]'' (1942) as [[Napoleon]]
* ''[[Secret Mission]]'' (1942) as Medical Officer
* ''[[Tomorrow We Live (1943 film)|Tomorrow We Live]]'' (1943) as Kurtz
* ''[[The Dark Tower (1943 film)|The Dark Tower]]'' (1943) as Stephen Torg
* ''[[Hotel Reserve]]'' (1944) as Andre Roux
* ''[[The Seventh Veil]]'' (1945) as Dr. Larsen
* ''[[Night Boat to Dublin]]'' (1946) as Keitel
* ''[[Appointment with Crime]]'' (1946) as Gregory Lang
* ''[[Dual Alibi]]'' (1947) as Jules de Lisle / Georges de Lisle
* ''[[Snowbound (1948 film)|Snowbound]]'' (1948) as Keramikos
* ''[[Good-Time Girl]]'' (1948) as Max Vine
* ''[[Brass Monkey (film)|Brass Monkey]]'' (1948) as Peter Hobart
* ''[[Portrait from Life]]'' (1948) as Fritz Kottler Hendlmann
* ''[[The Lost People]]'' (1949) as Guest (uncredited)
* ''[[Golden Salamander (film)|Golden Salamander]]'' (1950) as Rankl
* ''[[Night and the City]]'' (1950) as Kristo
* ''[[State Secret (1950 film)|State Secret]]'' (1950) as Karl Theodor
* ''[[The Black Rose]]'' (1950) as Anthemus
* ''[[Cage of Gold]]'' (1950) as Rahman
* ''[[Hell Is Sold Out]]'' (1951) as Dominic Danges
* ''[[Two on the Tiles]]'' (1951) as Ford
* ''[[Mr. Denning Drives North]]'' (1952) as Mados
* ''[[Whispering Smith Hits London]]'' (1952) as Roger Ford
* ''[[The Ringer (1952 film)|The Ringer]]'' (1952) as Maurice Meister
* ''[[The Man Who Watched Trains Go By]]'' (1952) as Julius de Koster, Jr.
* ''[[The Net (1953 film)|The Net]]'' (1953) as Dr. Alex Leon
* ''[[Rough Shoot]]'' (1953) as Sandorski
* ''[[The Love Lottery]]'' (1954) as André Amico
* ''[[Star of India (film)|Star of India]]'' (1954) as Vicomte de Narbonne
* ''[[Twist of Fate (1954 film)|Beautiful Stranger]]'' (1954) as Emile Landosh
* ''[[The Ladykillers (1955 film)|The Ladykillers]]'' (1955) as Louis 
* ''[[War and Peace (1956 film)|War and Peace]]'' (1956) as [[Napoleon]]
* ''[[Fire Down Below (1957 film)|Fire Down Below]]'' (1957) as Harbour Master
* ''[[Hell Drivers (film)|Hell Drivers]]'' (1957) as Gino Rossi
* ''[[Action of the Tiger]]'' (1957) as Trifon
* ''[[Chase a Crooked Shadow]]'' (1958) as Police Commissar Vargas
* ''[[I Accuse!]]'' (1958) as [[Armand du Paty de Clam|Major du Paty de Clam]]
* ''[[Intent to Kill (1958 film)|Intent to Kill]]'' (1958) as Juan Menda
* ''[[The Roots of Heaven (film)|The Roots of Heaven]]'' (1958) as Orsini
* ''[[Passport to Shame]]'' (1958) as Nick Biaggi
* ''[[No Trees in the Street]]'' (1959) as Wilkie
* ''[[The Big Fisherman]]'' (1959) as [[Herod Antipas]]
* ''[[North West Frontier (film)|North West Frontier]]'' (US: ''Flame Over India'', 1959) as Peter van Leyden
* ''[[Third Man on the Mountain]]'' (1959) as Emil Saxo
* ''[[I Aim at the Stars]]'' (1960) as Anton Reger
* ''[[Spartacus (film)|Spartacus]]'' (1960) as Tigranes Levantus (pirate envoy)
* ''[[Mr. Topaze]]'' (1961) as Castel Benac
* ''[[Mysterious Island (1961 film)|Mysterious Island]]'' (1961) as [[Captain Nemo]]
* ''[[The Frightened City]]'' (1961) as Waldo Zhernikov
* ''[[El Cid (film)|El Cid]]'' (1961) as [[Yusuf ibn Tashfin|Ben Yusuf]]
* ''[[The Phantom of the Opera (1962 film)|The Phantom of the Opera]]'' (1962) as [[Erik (The Phantom of the Opera)|The Phantom]]
* ''[[Tiara Tahiti]]'' (1962) as Chong Sing
* ''[[Treasure of the Silver Lake]]'' (1962) as Colonel Brinkley
* ''{{Interlanguage link|The Horse Without a Head|fr|3=L'Affaire du cheval sans tête|lt=|WD=}}'' (1963, TV film) as Schiapa
* ''[[The Human Jungle (TV series)|The Human Jungle]]'' (1963–1964, TV series, 26 episodes) as Dr. Roger Corder
* ''[[A Shot in the Dark (1964 film)|A Shot in the Dark]]'' (1964) as [[List of The Pink Panther characters|Police Commissioner Charles Dreyfus]]
* ''[[Uncle Tom's Cabin (1965 film)|Uncle Tom's Cabin]]'' (1965) as [[Simon Legree]]
* ''[[Return from the Ashes]]'' (1965) as Dr. Charles Bovard
* ''[[Our Man in Marrakesh]]'' (1966) as Mr. Casimir
* ''[[Gambit (1966 film)|Gambit]]'' (1966) as Ahmad Shahbandar
* ''[[The Karate Killers]]'' (1967) as Randolph
* ''[[Die Nibelungen (1966/1967 film)|Die Nibelungen: Kriemhild's Revenge]]'' (1967) as King Etzel ([[Attila]])
* ''[[Villa Rides]]'' (1968) as [[Victoriano Huerta|General Huerta]]
* ''[[Eve (1968 film)|Eve]]'' (1968) as Diego
* ''[[Assignment to Kill]]'' (1968) as Matt Wilson
* ''[[99 Women]]'' (1969) as Governor Santos
* ''[[Doppelgänger (1969 film)|Doppelgänger]]'' (1969) as Dr Kurt Hassler
* ''[[Mark of the Devil (1970 film)|Mark of the Devil]]'' (1970) as Lord Cumberland
* ''[[Mister Jerico]]'' (1970, TV film) as Rosso
* ''[[Count Dracula (1970 film)|Count Dracula]]'' (1970) as [[Abraham Van Helsing|Van Helsing]]
* ''[[Dorian Gray (1970 film)|Dorian Gray]]'' (1970) as [[The Picture of Dorian Gray#Characters|Henry Wotton]]
* ''[[Murders in the Rue Morgue (1971 film)|Murders in the Rue Morgue]]'' (1971) as René Marot
* ''[[Hawaii Five-O (1968 TV series)|Hawaii Five-O]]'' ("Highest Castle, Deepest Grave", 1971, TV) as Mondrago
* ''[[Asylum (1972 horror film)|Asylum]]'' (1972) as Dr. Byron (segment: "Mannikins of Horror")
* ''[[Dark Places (1973 film)|Dark Places]]'' (1972) as Prescott
* ''[[And Now the Screaming Starts!]]'' (1973) as Sir Henry Fengriffin
* ''[[And Then There Were None (1974 film)|And Then There Were None]]'' (1974) as [[And Then There Were None#Principal characters|Dr. Edward Armstrong]]
* ''[[The Return of the Pink Panther]]'' (1975) as [[List of The Pink Panther characters|Chief Inspector Charles Dreyfus]]
* ''[[The Pink Panther Strikes Again]]'' (1976) as [[List of The Pink Panther characters|Former Chief Inspector Charles Dreyfus]]
* ''[[Charleston (1977 film)|Charleston]]'' (1977) as Inspector Watkins
* ''[[Revenge of the Pink Panther]]'' (1978) as [[List of The Pink Panther characters|Chief Inspector Charles Dreyfus]]
* ''[[The Lady Vanishes (1979 film)|The Lady Vanishes]]'' (1979) as Dr. Hartz
* ''[[The Man with Bogart's Face]]'' (1980) as Mr. Zebra
* ''[[Hopscotch (film)|Hopscotch]]'' (1980) as Yaskov
* ''[[Peter and Paul (film)|Peter and Paul]]'' (1981) as [[Barnabas]]
* ''[[Trail of the Pink Panther]]'' (1982) as [[List of The Pink Panther characters|Chief Inspector Charles Dreyfus]]
* ''[[Curse of the Pink Panther]]'' (1983) as [[List of The Pink Panther characters|Chief Inspector Charles Dreyfus]]
* ''[[The Dead Zone (film)|The Dead Zone]]'' (1983) as Dr. Sam Weizak
* ''[[Lace (miniseries)|Lace]]'' (1984, TV miniseries) as Monsieur Chardin
* ''[[Memed, My Hawk (film)|Memed, My Hawk]]'' (1984) as Ali Safa Bey
* ''[[King Solomon's Mines (1985 film)|King Solomon's Mines]]'' (1985) as Colonel Bockner
* ''[[Scoop (1987 film)|Scoop]]'' (TV film, 1987) as Mr. Baldwin
* ''[[Master of Dragonard Hill]]'' (1987) as Le Farge
* ''[[Going Bananas (film)|Going Bananas]]'' (1987) as Captain Mackintosh
* ''[[Skeleton Coast (1987 film)|Skeleton Coast]]'' (1988) as Elia
* ''[[Whoops Apocalypse (film)|Whoops Apocalypse]]'' (1988) as General Mosquera
* ''[[River of Death (film)|River of Death]]'' (1989) as Colonel Ricardo Diaz
* ''[[Masque of the Red Death (1989 Alan Birkinshaw film)|Masque of the Red Death]]'' (1989) as Ludwig
* ''[[Ten Little Indians (1989 film)|Ten Little Indians]]'' (1989) as General Romensky
* ''[[The Devil's Daughter (1991 film)|The Devil's Daughter]]'' (1991) as Moebius Kelly
* ''[[The Pope Must Die]]'' (US: ''The Pope Must Diet!'', 1991) as Vittorio Corelli
* ''[[Son of the Pink Panther]]'' (1993) as [[List of The Pink Panther characters|Police Commissioner Charles Dreyfus]]
* ''[[Agatha Christie's Marple]]'', episode "Murder at the Vicarage" (2004), as Augustin Dufosse (final role) {{div col end}}

==Voice work==
*[[List of Agatha Christie's Marple episodes#Series 3 (2007-09)|"Nemesis"]] (2007) in ''[[Agatha Christie's Marple]]'' series, as Jason Rafiel (voice, uncredited)

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{wikiquote}}
* {{IMDb name|7042}}
* {{Tcmdb name}}
* {{Screenonline name|id=486466}}
* [https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/herbert-lom-the-odd-fellow-6155719.html "Herbert Lom: The Odd Fellow"]
* [http://film.virtual-history.com/person.php?personid=3982 Photographs and Literature related to Lom]

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lom, Herbert}}
[[Category:1917 births]]
[[Category:2012 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century British male writers]]
[[Category:20th-century British novelists]]
[[Category:British male film actors]]
[[Category:British male novelists]]
[[Category:British male television actors]]
[[Category:British male writers]]
[[Category:British people of Czech-Jewish descent]]
[[Category:Czech emigrants to the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Czech male film actors]]
[[Category:Czech male television actors]]
[[Category:Czech male writers]]
[[Category:Czech novelists]]
[[Category:Czech people of Jewish descent]]
[[Category:Czechoslovak emigrants to the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Male actors from Prague]]
[[Category:Naturalised citizens of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Pseudonymous actors]]