[1] He was the men’s national volleyball champion from 1954 to 1956, before making his film debut as a convict in the 1960 prison thriller The Hole.
Thanks to his stature and striking features, he became a popular character actor in crime films, often playing thugs and gangsters.
Born Constantin Hokhloff in Billancourt (near Paris), he was the son of a White Russian emigre father and his Polish wife.
Constantin appeared as an extra in the 1956 film Plucking the Daisy, but made his first significant acting debut in the 1960 prison thriller The Hole.
Director Jacques Becker and screenwriter José Giovanni sought to recruit a cast of non-professional actors to play the various convicts.