Herbert Lom

Pencil Portrait by Antonio Bosano.

Herbert Lom Pencil Portrait
To see a larger preview, please click the image.

Shopping Basket

The quality of the prints are at a much higher level compared to the image shown on the left.

Order

A3 Pencil Print-Price £45.00-Purchase

A4 Pencil Print-Price £30.00-Purchase

*Limited edition run of 250 prints only*

All Pencil Prints are printed on the finest Bockingford Somerset Velvet 255 gsm paper.

P&P is not included in the above prices.

Comments

Last Update : 30/10/14

We may all find some people irritating, but for most of us, the phrase “You’re driving me mad” is only an example of sheer exasperation. Not with Chief Inspector Dreyfus.

Doctor: ‘Describe your thoughts. Get them out in the open. You’ll feel much better.’

Dreyfus: ‘All right. See, it’s always the same. Clouseau is sitting there, in a chair, just like you, with his back to me. Then suddenly, my hands go round his throat, and I begin to squeeze. It’s wonderful. It’s marvelous. I’m squeezing. And the more I squeeze, the freer I feel. I’m in ecstasy. And then suddenly, suddenly my problem is solv-ved.’

Dreyfus, as played by the Czech born Herbert Lom, was a masterful creation. It says much for the actor’s near effortless ability to handle both dramatic and comedic roles, that he could consistently give Sellers a run for his money in the long running “Pink Panther” film series.

Mind you, it’s doubtful he would have sustained a 60 year career in film and television until his death at 95, if he hadn’t changed the name on his birth certificate – Herbert Karel Angelo Kuchačevič ze Schluderpacheru !!

Herbert Lom’s early movie roles were mainly supporting ones, although he did occasionally enjoy top billing. As the Nazis rose to power and the threat of his homeland’s occupation grew, Lom fled to Britain where he found numerous film parts throughout the 1940s. His lilting, measured delivery and intense gaze often resulted in his being cast as villains, but he avoided being stereotyped and was able to appear in a diverse range of roles.

After the end of World War II, Herbert Lom secured a seven-picture Hollywood contract, but “political reasons” meant he was denied an American visa and so his career continued in the UK. He starred as the King of Siam in the original London production of The King and I in 1953, opposite Valerie Hobson as Anna. Further high-profile roles included his film performances in The Ladykillers (1955), Spartacus (1960) and El Cid (1961).

However, it is for his performance in the title role in The Phantom of the Opera (1962) that Herbert Lom is best known among horror fans, his sonorous tones lending additional gravitas to the role of tortured Professor Petrie. Later, he would star opposite Peter Sellers in the Pink Panther films, and went head-to-head with Christopher Lee in Count Dracula (1970).

Recommended viewing

The Human Jungle (Tv Series) (1963-65)

Lom’s shining moment on British television in a thought provoking series that boasted incisive, intelligent scripts and a stellar list of guest appearances by stars of the day like Joan Collins, Sylvia Syms, Jane Merrow, Flora Robson, Warren Mitchell, Ian Bannen, Annette Andre and Susan George.

“The Human Jungle,” a British TV series about Dr. Roger Corder, a psychiatrist played by Lom, was made for ABC Television by the small production company “Independent Artists” and premièred on ITV on March 30, 1963. The series was created by Ronald J Khan and produced by Julian Wintle and Leslie Parkyn, and the theme music composed by Bernard Ebbinghouse, was recorded by John Barry and his Orchestra.

Two series were produced between 1963 and 1964, with a total of 26 episodes. The first series was made at Beaconsfield studios which closed down, necessitating a switch to Elstree Studios before filming could commence on the second series.

Lom’s persona dovetails well with his enigmatic on screen character – a widower whose wife has been killed in an air crash leaving him to bring up his attractive teenage daughter all on his own. Affluent, with his own Harley Street practice, he often confers with a junior colleague, one Dr. Jimmy Davis played by Michael Johnson – a stylistic device that enables the central character to share his thoughts with his audience – as well as his faithful secretary Nancy Hamilton (Mary Yeomans).

Under construction

Network issued the entire 26 episodes in a 7 DVD box set in 2012. There are some unrealised ideas and some nondescipts storylines, but the best of the series stands up. Credit to the company for the remastered quality of these 60 minute monochrome episodes.