An actor who appeared in James Bond film Casino Royale has gone missing, Scotland Yard said today.
Paul Bhattacharjee was said to be in a good mood when he was last seen as he left the Royal Court Theatre in Sloane Square, London, at around 6.15pm on July 10 after taking part in a rehearsal.
Scotland Yard said Mr Bhattacharjee, who also uses the name Gautam Paul Bhattacharjee, texted his girlfriend at 9pm that night but no one has heard from him since.
The 53-year-old from Redbridge, north-east London, who starred in films The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, White Teeth and Dirty Pretty Things, was due to appear in black comedy Talk Show this week.
Police described his disappearance as "totally out of character".
A spokeswoman for the Royal Court said: "He left on Wednesday in good spirits but didn't make it to rehearsals the next day."
Mr Bhattacharjee was in the theatre's company of 14 actors performing in the Weekly Rep series, which sees six plays staged in six weeks.
He had already appeared in two, including The President Has Come to See You, in which he played the President of Georgia who had gone on the run and was hiding in his citizens' homes. His role in Talk Show, which begins tonight, has now been recast.
The actor played a doctor in Casino Royale in 2006 and appeared as Benedick opposite Meera Syal in an RSC production of Much Ado about Nothing in Stratford-on-Avon last year. His television work includes EastEnders, Waking the Dead, The Jury, Spooks and The Bill.
Mr Bhattacharjee is described as an Asian man of slim build and is 6ft tall with short grey hair. When he went missing he was wearing light-coloured trousers, a blue shirt and light-coloured shoes and was carrying a black backpack.
Anyone with information is asked to call police non-emergency number 101 or Missing People on 116 000.