Grégoire Aslan
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Grégoire Aslan (b. 28 March 1908 - d. 8 January 1982) is an Armenian actor.
Born Krikor Aslanian in Switzerland or in Istanbul, according to different sources, Aslan made his professional debut at 18 as a vocalist and drummer with a Paris dance band, then launched an acting career under the name of Koko Aslan. His first film appearance was in Feux de joie (1938). He became an indispensable feature in many British and American films, usually playing foreigners - Russians, Frenchmen, Italians, Germans, Albanians and Middle Easterners - with equal finesse.
Aslan's more prominent screen appearances include gangster boss Duca in Joe MacBeth (1955), King of Kings (1961) (Herod), and Cleopatra (1963) (Porthinos). In 1961, in The Devil at 4 O'Clock, alongside Frank Sinatra and Spencer Tracy, he portrayed Marcel, a criminal who finds repentance by giving his life to save inhabitants from being killed by a volcanic eruption. In Paris, When It Sizzles (1964), he played a police chief. He played another police chief in The Return of the Pink Panther (1975).
Aslan died of a heart attack in Cornwall. He had appeared in over 110 film and TV roles.
