Herbert Lom was born in Prague. He moved to England in 1939.
Herbert Lom started out playing European heavies. Then, Lom played Napoleon in THE YOUNG MR. PITT in 1942, a role which he played again in the 1956 WAR AND PEACE. Although he had a contract to work for a studio in America, there were visa problems.
In the 1955 heist comedy, THE LADY KILLERS, he played one of a gang of dopes who pose as classical musicians in order to rob a wealthy lady, with Alec Guinness and Peter Sellers.
He was an ensemble member of the cast of SPARTACUS in 1960, playing Tigranes Levantus. Herbert Lom played characters in several more classics, EL CID in 1961, Captain Nemo in MYSTERIOUS ISLAND, 1961 and the Phantom in THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA in 1962.
In 1975, the role of Chief Inspector Charles LaRousse Dreyfus came to life, created by Herbert Lom in the Blake Edwards' Pink Panther movies. His delightfully over-the-top depiction of a French police detective bedeviled and deranged by Peter Seller's bumbling Inspector Clouseau is the role he is best known for. He played in THE RETURN OF THE PINK PANTHER (1975), THE PINK PANTHER STRIKES AGAIN (1976), REVENGE OF THE PINK PANTHER (1978), TRAIL OF THE PINK PANTHER (1982) and CURSE OF THE PINK PANTHER (1983).
In 1983, he played the doctor in the intense drama, THE DEAD ZONE, to Christopher Walken's head trauma patient, who becomes psychic as a result of his injury.
Of his colleague in the Pink Panther movies, he said, "Peter Sellers was always a mixed-up guy, a childish fellow. But if you're fond of children, you're also fond of childish men. He was always very helpful to me. After he was famous and when I was still in trouble with the US embassy, he wrote a letter in support of me which was magnificent. "
Lom's other credits include...
SON OF THE PINK PANTHER (1993) .... Police
Commisioner Charles Dreyfus
TEN LITTLE INDIANS (1989) .... General Brancko
Romensky
KING SOLOMON'S MINES (1985) .... Colonel Bockner
THE DEAD ZONE (1983) .... Dr. Sam Weizak
CURSE OF THE PINK PANTHER (1983) .... Dreyfus
TRAIL OF THE PINK PANTHER (1982) .... Chief
Inspector Dreyfus
HOPSCOTCH (1980) .... Yaskov
REVENGE OF THE PINK PANTHER (1978) .... Chief
Inspector Dreyfus
THE PINK PANTHER STRIKES AGAIN (1976) ....
former Chief Inspector Charles Dreyfus
THE RETURN OF THE PINK PANTHER (1975) ....
Chief Inspector Dreyfus
MURDERS IN THE RUE MORGUE (1971) .... Rene
Marot
A SHOT IN THE DARK (1964) .... Charles Dreyfus
MYSTERIOUS ISLAND (1961) .... Captain Nemo
WAR AND PEACE (1956) .... Napoleon
NIGHT AND THE CITY (1950)
Herbert Lom - MovieActors.com
