If you have seen any of the Pink Panther movies (Revenge of the Pink Panther, Trail of the Pink Panther, Curse of the Pink Panther, and Son of the Pink Panther), I am sure that you knew of Herbert Lom, who acted as the character of “Charles LaRousse Dreyfus.” Unfortunately, this talented actor passed away today at the age of 95.
Herbert Lom (born as Herbert Karel Angelo Kucha?evi? ze Schluderpacheru) was from Prague, and escaped to England in 1939 due to the pending Nazi occupation of Czechoslovakia. During this time, Herbert changed his surname to Lom to avoid detection from the Nazis. After Lom got settled in England, Lom started his acting career in various stage plays, such as The King and I in 1953.
Later in the 1950s, Lom got involved with screen acting, starring as “Mr. Harvey” in The Ladykillers, “Tigranes Levantus” in Spartacus (1960), and also played “The Phantom” in the 1962 version of Phantom of the Opera.
Herbert Lom died peacefully in his sleep on September 27th, 2012, at the age of 95. Many fans of his acting left their respects via Twitter:
RIP Herbert Lom, an underrated actor with a wicked sense of comedic timing
Rest in peace, Herbert Lom. Will be enjoying your work with my family in your honor(: #hepulledthewrongtooth.
RIP Herbert Lom. I really loved him in the Pink Panther movies. He was as vital as Sellers.
R.I.P. Herbert Lom. Hopefully, you’ll be able to chase down Peter Sellers in the after life and say “I’ve finally got you, Clouseau!”
So long, Herbert Lom. He went toe to toe with Sellers. No easy task! Great character man.
