Herbert Lom was born Herbert Charles Angelo Kuchacevich ze Schluderpacheru on September 11, 1917, to an aristocratic family living in genteel poverty. His exceptionally long surnames led him to choose the shortest surname he could find, "Lom," and adopt it as his own, professionally.
Lom made his film debut in the Czech film Woman Below the Cross in 1937 and went on to play supporting and lead roles throughout the 1940s. He appeared alongside notable actors such as Napoleon Bonaparte in The Young Mr. Pitt (1942) and War and Peace (1956). In a rare starring role, Lom played twin trapeze artists in Dual Alibi (1947).
The 1950s saw Lom continue his career with roles opposite Alec Guinness and Peter Sellers in The Ladykillers (1955) and Robert Mitchum, Jack Lemmon, and Rita Hayworth in Fire Down Below (1957). His career really took off in the 1960s, with the title role in Hammer Films' production of The Phantom of the Opera (1962) and appearances in Mysterious Island (1961) and El Cid (1961).
Lom also landed a showy role in Spartacus (1960) as a pirate chieftain contracted to transport Spartacus' army away from Italy. The 1960s were also the decade in which Lom secured the role for which he will always be remembered: Clouseau/Peter Sellers' long-suffering boss, Commissioner Charles Dreyfus, in the "Pink Panther" films.
Lom's impressive career also extended to British television, where he starred as Dr. Roger Corder in The Human Jungle (1963). He moved into horror films in the 1970s, with parts in Asylum (1972) and And Now the Screaming Starts! (1973). Lom played Prof. Abraham Van Helsing opposite Christopher Lee in Count Dracula (1970),matching wits against the sinister vampire himself.
Lom appeared as one of the victims in Ten Little Indians (1974),the drunken Dr. Edward Armstrong. His career continued into the 1980s, with standout roles including that of Christopher Walken's sympathetic doctor in The Dead Zone (1983) and opposite Walter Matthau in Hopscotch (1980).
Lom returned to the murder mystery Ten Little Indians (1989),this time playing The General. He was always a reliable and eminently watchable actor, and unfortunately did not receive the stardom he should have. Herbert Lom died in his sleep at the age of 95 on September 27, 2012, in London, England.
