by Hal Erickson
biography
Armenian actor Gregoire Aslan was born in either Switzerland or Istanbul, depending upon which source one believes. He 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. Shifting from comic to villainous parts with ease, Aslan was one of British filmdom's favorite nondescript foreigners, playing Frenchmen, Italians, Germans, and Middle Easterners with equal finesse. Gregoire Aslan's more prominent screen roles included gangster boss Ducas in Joe MacBeth (1956), Herod in King of Kings (1961), and Porthinos in Cleopatra (1963).
