1. Herbert Lom originated the role of the King of Siam in the original West End production of The King and I, and starred on the 1960s television drama The Human Jungle.
14 Facts About Herbert Lom
1. 2.
Herbert Lom was born in Prague to Karl Kuchacevic ze Schluderpacheru and Olga Gottlieb.
3.
Herbert Lom's grandfather owned property in Prague and the Bohemian Forest, with his income deriving mainly from two restaurants and a guest house.
4.
Herbert Lom studied philosophy for some time at the German University in Prague, but ceased his studies to become an actor.
5.
Herbert Lom made numerous appearances in British films throughout the 1940s, usually in villainous roles, although he later appeared in comedies as well.
6.
Herbert Lom 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, and again in the King Vidor version of War and Peace.
7.
Herbert Lom secured a seven-picture Hollywood contract after World War II, but was unable to obtain an American visa for "political reasons".
8.
Herbert Lom went on to more film success in the 1960s with a wide range of parts, including Spartacus ; El Cid ; Mysterious Island, as Captain Nemo; and Hammer Films' remake of The Phantom of the Opera, in which Lom had the leading role, wearing a full-face Phantom mask.
9.
Herbert Lom starred in another low-budget horror film, the witch-hunting story Mark of the Devil, with unusually graphic torture scenes.
10.
Herbert Lom was perhaps best known for his portrayal of Chief Inspector 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.
11.
Herbert Lom wrote two historical novels: one on the playwright Christopher Marlowe, and the other on the French Revolution.
12.
Herbert Lom had a child from a relationship with Brigitta Appleby.
13.
Herbert Lom later married Eve Lacik; they divorced in 1990.
14.
Herbert Lom died in his sleep at his home in Camden Town, London on 27 September 2012, at the age of 95.