Suchet traces Russian Jewish roots

1:36pm Monday 8th September 2008

Poirot star David Suchet has solved his own family mystery.

The 62-year-old is one of several famous faces, including Patsy Kensit, Jerry Springer and Boris Johnson, to appear in the fifth series of the BBC's genealogy show Who Do You Think You Are?

The London-born actor always suspected he had Eastern European Jewish roots, but never had it confirmed by his family.

Suchet's father Jack, an atheist and eminent surgeon, emigrated from South Africa to England in the 1930s and never spoke about his family's past.

The star's maternal grandfather - a paparazzi photographer who took the first pictures of Edward and Mrs Simpson - sidestepped Suchet's attempts to know more about his heritage.

Suchet, best known for his TV role as Agatha Christie's fictional detective Hercule Poirot, has now finally confirmed that his ancestors fled anti-Semitism in Russia to live in France.

A clue to his family's history came in a book, People I Have Shot, by Suchet's Fleet Street photographer grandfather Jimmy. In the book, Jimmy referred to his father Arnold as "a professional photographer in France".

Suchet told the Radio Times: "Actually, he (and his wife Amelie) were born in Russia and had fled anti-Semitism and got on a train to France where they stayed for a decade."

The actor added: "My father didn't want to know about religion. I certainly couldn't speak to Jimmy about it. Whenever I suggested a Jewish background he'd say, 'I don't know anything about that.' I found that quite upsetting."

Suchet said: "Before doing this programme, I always felt there was something missing. Now the knowledge I have makes me what I am. I'm proud to have discovered those roots. But Jimmy never said a word about his parents and he would have known their story."

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