Herbert Lom, the Czech-born actor best know for his role as Chief Inspector Dreyfus in the Pink Panther films, has died aged 95, it has been reported.
As Inspector Clouseau’s long-suffering superior, Dreyfus gradually cracked under the stress, with a nervous twitch developing into full-blown homicidal insanity over the course of the film series.
On top of that long-running comedy role, Lom appearing in a diverse body of film roles. Credits include the 1955 Ealing classic The Ladykillers , historical epic El Cid , and the original Gambit .
He also worked with some of the business’s greatest directors including Stanley Kubrick ( Spartacus ) and David Cronenberg ( The Dead Zone ), and played Van Helsing opposite Christopher Lee’s bloodsucker in 1970’s Count Dracula . His final acting role was in TV's Agatha Christie's Marple: The Murder At The Vicarage in 2004.
Born in Prague in 1917, Lom moved to the UK in 1939.
Lom’s family confirmed that he passed away peacefully in his sleep, according to the BBC’s report .
