Top 50 Indian Actors of all time

1. Amitabh Bachchan

Actor | Black

Amitabh Bachchan was born on October 11, 1942 in Allahabad, British India (present-day Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, India) to legendary poet Harivansh Rai Bachchan & Teji Bachchan. He also has a brother named Ajitabh. He completed his education from Uttar Pradesh and moved to Bombay to find work as a ...

2. Kamal Haasan

Actor | Vishwaroopam

Kamal Haasan was born November 7, 1954 in Paramakudi, Ramanathapuram District, Tamil Nadu. He debuted as a child artiste in the film "Kalathoor Kannamma" (1960). Since then, he has starred in nearly 220 films in the major Indian languages - Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and Hindi. He has been a...

3. Shah Rukh Khan

Actor | Don 2

Known for his trademark gelled spiked up crew cut with sunglasses, Shah Rukh Khan (SRK) is an Indian Bollywood movie star, movie producer, magazine model, showman, public speaker, author, philanthropist and television host/personality working predominantly in Hindi cinema.

Khan began his on-camera ...

4. Aamir Khan

Actor | Taare Zameen Par

Aamir Khan was born on March 14, 1965 in Mumbai. He is one of the most successful Indian Bollywood actors who is also known as "Mr. Perfectionist of Bollywood". With his recent successes in both the Indian and Chinese film markets, he has shouldered his way into becoming one of the world's biggest ...

5. Naseeruddin Shah

Actor | A Wednesday

Naseeruddin Shah was born on July 20 1950, in Barabanki, a small village in Uttar Pradesh. He is a seasoned Bollywood actor and has received several awards for his notable performance in several movies. The actor has also been awarded the Padma Shri and the Padma Bhushan awards for his enormous ...

6. Balraj Sahni

Writer | Baazi

Balraj Sahni, born in Rawalpindi, British India (present-day Pakistan), was an acclaimed Indian film and stage actor. Known for his powerful and impactful performances, Balraj Sahni became a prominent figure in the golden era of Indian cinema.

Balraj Sahni initially pursued a career in the civil ...

7. N.T. Rama Rao

Actor | Daana Veera Soora Karna

Born into a farmer's family, Rama Rao Taraka Nandamuri got his bachelors of arts degree and took a job with the government. Married to Nandamuri Basavatarakam, he began acting in films, his first being Mana Desam (1949), in which he played a police officer. His first movie as a hero was Palletoori ...

8. Vikram

Actor | I

Vikram is an Indian film actor, voice actor and a playback singer. He made his debut in the 1990 film En Kadhal Kanmani, which was followed by a series of Tamil and Telugu films and supporting roles in few Malayalam films throughout the early decade. After the critical and commercial success of ...

9. Mohanlal

Actor | Dasharatham

Mohanlal was born to Viswanathan Nair (father) and Santhakumari (mother) in the Pathanamthitta district of Kerala, which is located in the southern part of India on the 21st May 1960. Starting his career with a classic villain role, he has now become an outstanding actor in Malayalam Cinema. ...

10. Nana Patekar

Actor | Krantiveer

Vishwanath Patekar (born on January 1, 1951 in Murud-Janjira, Maharashtra, India) is an actor, writer and filmmaker. He is known for his work on Ab Tak Chhappan (2004), Raajneeti (2010) and Parinda (1989). He made his acting debut in the early 70's and since then has been nominated for multiple ...

11. Mammootty

Actor | Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha

Malayalam film actor Mammootty was born to Ismail (an agriculturist) and Fatima (a homemaker). He has two younger brothers Ibrahim and Zakariah; and three sisters, Ameena, Sauda and Shafina. He did his schooling in St.Joseph's Thevara, Maharaja's College and then studied law at Ernakulam Government...

12. Pankaj Kapur

Actor | Maqbool

Pankaj Kapur, born in Ludhiana, Punjab, India, is a highly respected Indian actor, director, and playwright known for his exceptional contributions to the world of Indian cinema, television, and theater. With a career spanning over four decades, Pankaj Kapur has carved a niche for himself with his ...

13. Manoj Bajpayee

Actor | Gangs of Wasseypur

Manoj Bajpayee is a highly acclaimed Indian film actor known for his versatile acting skills and intense performances. Despite facing financial struggles during his childhood, he pursued his passion for acting and worked hard to achieve success in the film industry. Bajpayee is the second child in ...

14. Rajinikanth

Actor | Enthiran

Rajinikanth has been a superstar in the Tamil movie industry since the 70s. He is one of the highest earning actors in Asia. Primarily starring in Tamil movies, he has also worked in Hindi, Telugu, Kannada, and Hollywood movies. He was born in Bangalore (India), and was employed as a bus conductor ...

15. Mithun Chakraborty

Actor | The Tashkent Files

Mithun Chakraborty, whose birth name was Gouranga Chakraborty, is an actor, producer, and politician. He is a former Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament and has worked in several Hindi and Bengali films.

He studied at Oriental Seminary and then cleared his B.Sc. degree in Chemistry from Scottish Church...

16. Irrfan Khan

Actor | The Lunchbox

Born Sahabzade Irfan Ali Khan, in Jaipur, Rajasthan (NW India) January 7, 1967 to a Pashto-speaking Muslim family. Khan's mother, Begum Khan, was from the Tonk Hakim family and his father, Jagirdar Khan, from the Khajuriya village near the Tonk district, ran a tire business.

The Khan family name ...

17. Sanjeev Kumar

Actor | Sholay

Harihar Jariwala a.k.a. Sanjeev Kumar was born in a Gujrati family in 1938. He portrayed many roles irrespective of the age or the type of chararcter. The actor ballooned in size in later years of his life due to the gastronomical pleasures he had inherited by sleeping in a kitchen while he was a ...

18. Ashok Kumar

Actor | Mahal

The Grandfather & Great Custodian of Indian Motion Pictures!

Ashok Kumar was one of India's most famous actors for over half a century, from before independence to the cusp of the new millennia!

As a young assistant to Bengali film-maker Himanshu Rai, he got his start in acting by accident when he ...

19. Kishore Kumar

Music_department | Sholay

Abhas Kumar Ganguly was born in Khandwa, now in Madhya Pradesh. His dad's name was Kunjilal, a lawyer by profession, and his mom's name was Gouri Devi, who came from a wealthy family.

Kishore was the youngest in the Ganguly family, preceded by Ashok Kumar, Sati, & Anoop Kumar (I). Sati was married ...

20. Dilip Kumar

Actor | Gunga Jumna

Dilip Kumar (1922-2021) is widely considered the greatest acting exponent India ever produced. Born Muhammad Yusuf Khan on December 11, 1922, in Qissa Khwani Bazaar, Peshawar, British India (present-day Pakistan), he is better known by his stage name Dilip Kumar given to him by actress and owner of...

21. Raaj Kumar

Actor | Kaajal

Kulbhushan Pandit, also known as Raaj Kumar, was a distinguished Indian actor renowned for his unique dialogue delivery.

Kumar completed his education and joined as a Sub-Inspector with the Bombay Police in the late 1940s. Although he began his career in law enforcement, his passion for acting led ...

22. Akshay Kumar

Actor | Hera Pheri

Rajiv Hari "Akshay Kumar" Om Bhatia was born on September 09, 1967, in Amritsar, Punjab to Aruna Bhatia and Hari Om Bhatia. He is an Indian actor, film producer, former model, and television personality. He went to Bangkok to learn how to use a sword and also worked as a waiter in a restaurant. He ...

23. Uttam Kumar

Actor | Chiriyakhana

The legendary Bengali Actor of Calcutta, Uttam Kumar (Guru, Mahanayak as fans say), widely regarded as one of the Greatest actors ever in India, was an Indian film actor, director, producer, singer, music composer, playback singer who predominantly worked in Indian Cinema. Though he was a ...

24. Shivaji Ganesan

Actor | Thevar Magan

Tamil superstar from a poor family in Tamil Nadu, India. His father worked on the railways.

On the day of his birth his father, Chiniah Pillai, follower of Mahatma Gandhi, was jailed for participating in the Independence movement in Nellikuppam (Tamil Nadu, India). He was frequently in and out of ...

25. Madhavan

Actor | Vikram Vedha

Ranganathan Madhavan was born on June 01, 1970, to businessman R. Iyengar and his wife R. Saroja in a Tamil family. He is an Indian actor, writer, film director and producer.

At the age of 18, his college entrusted him with the responsibility of representing India as a Cultural Ambassador to Canada.

...

26. Prakash Raj

Actor | Anniyan

Prakash Raj is an established actor, producer, director, and television presenter in the Indian film industry. He is known for his works in South Indian and Hindi films.

Starting in the early 90s, he went on to appear in about 400 films. He has received several awards and accolades in his career, ...

27. Nawazuddin Siddiqui

Actor | Bajrangi Bhaijaan

Nawazuddin Siddiqui (born 1974) also known as Nowaz is an Indian film actor who has appeared in some of Bollywood's major films including, Black Friday (2004), New York (2009), Peepli Live (2010), Kahani (2012), Gangs of Wasseypur (2012) and Gangs of Wasseypur - Part 2 (2012).

Early life and ...

28. Prithviraj Kapoor

Actor | Mughal-E-Azam

Prithviraj Kapoor was born on November 3, 1906 in Samundri, Punjab, British India. He was an actor and director, known for Mughal-E-Azam (1960), Maharathi Karna (1944) and Bidyapati (1937). He was married to Rama Kapoor. He died on May 29, 1972 in Bombay, Maharashtra, India.

29. Shammi Kapoor

Actor | Vidhaata

Shamsher Raj "Shammi" Kapoor was the son of theater and film actor Prithviraj Kapoor and his wife Ramsarni "Rama" Mehra Kapoor. Shammi's acting career began in 1948, when he joined his father's theatrical company "Prithvi Theatres." Like his father and his brothers, Shammi eventually moved into the...

30. Shashi Kapoor

Actor | Deewaar

Shashi Kapoor is one of the leading actors of Indian cinema having appeared in 160 movies - 12 in English and 148 in Hindi. He has appeared in 148 Hindi films - of them played the solo lead hero in 61 films, was lead hero in 53 released multi star cast Hindi films, 2 unreleased multi star film and ...

31. Raj Kapoor

Actor | Mera Naam Joker

Raj Kapoor was the son of well-known Indian actor Prithviraj Kapoor, who acted both in film and on stage. After apprenticing in the Bollywood production studios of the 1940's, at 24 years of age Raj Kapoor produced, directed and acted in Aag (1948), with his new company, RK Films. His next ...

32. Rishi Kapoor

Actor | Agneepath

Born in south Mumbai, Kapoor is the second son of film director and actor Raj Kapoor. He did his schooling with his brothers at Mumbai's Campion School. His brothers are well-known actors, Randhir Kapoor and Rajiv Kapoor.

Rishi Kapoor debuted in his father's 1970 film Mera Naam Joker, playing his ...

33. Ranbir Kapoor

Actor | Rockstar

Son of Rishi Kapoor and Neetu Singh; nephew of actors Randhir Kapoor, Rajiv Kapoor, Kunal Kapoor. Grandnephew of actors Shashi Kapoor, Jennifer Kendal, Shammi Kapoor, Geeta Bali; cousin of actresses Kareena Kapoor, Karisma Kapoor.

Belongs to the fourth generation of highly prestigious and considered ...

34. Anil Kapoor

Actor | Slumdog Millionaire

Living in a Chawl in Tilak Nagar, Punjabi-speaking Anil was born in 1959 to Surinder and Nirmal aka Suchitra Kapoor. He has an elder brother, Boney, a sister, Reena, and a younger brother, Sanjay. His dad used to be Shammi Kapoor's Secretary.

A loner, without many friends, he studied in the nearby ...

35. Diljit Dosanjh

Actor | Udta Punjab

Daljit Singh Dosanjh, popularly known as Diljit Dosanjh, is a singer, actor, and television presenter who works in the Hindi and Punjabi film industry. He is a leading artiste in the music industry in Punjab.

Dosanjh spent the initial days of his life in Dosanjh Kalan before moving to Ludhiana, ...

36. Ajay Devgn

Actor | Shivaay

Vishal Veeru "Ajay" Devgn was born on April 02, 1969, in New Delhi, Delhi to action director Veeru Devgan and his wife Veena Devgan. He is an Indian actor, film director and producer who works in the Bollywood industry and is one of the highest-paid celebrities in India. Devgn started his film ...

37. Dev Anand

Actor | Kala Bazar

One of the most beloved, charismatic and accomplished actors as well as one of the most imaginative and pathbreaking directors in the history of Indian cinema, Dev Anand was a leading man for more than five decades in over 110 motion pictures and continues to bestride Indian film fraternity even ...

38. Hrithik Roshan

Actor | Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara

Hrithik Roshan is an Indian actor, born on 10th January 1974, well known globally for his versatile roles, unmatchable dancing skills and attractive looks.

After having appeared in films as a child actor in the 1980s, Roshan made his film debut in a leading role in Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai (2000) for ...

39. Johny Lever

Actor | Koi... Mil Gaya

John Prakash Rao "Johny Lever" Janumala was born on August 14, 1957 in Kanigiri, Andhra Pradesh and was brought up in Mumbai's King's Circle area (Dharavi). He is an Indian actor and comedian in Bollywood. His mother tongue is Telugu. Lever studied in Andhra Telugu School till the seventh grade but...

40. Kay Kay Menon

Actor | Haider

Kay Kay Menon is a well-known Indian actor who has acted in numerous movies and web series. He was born in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India, but raised in Ambarnath, Maharashtra, India.

Menon pursued his early education at St Joseph High School in Pune. After this, he went on to earn a degree in ...

41. Sunil Dutt

Actor | Mujhe Jeene Do

Actor, social activist and politician. Sunil Dutt wore many hats and excelled in a plethora of roles that came his way - both on and off screen.

Born on June 6th, 1926, Sunil Dutt grew up as Balraj Dutt in a family that had survived the Partition of India. A student of Mumbai's Jai Hind college, he ...

42. Sanjay Dutt

Actor | Munna Bhai M.B.B.S.

Sanjay Dutt, son of Nargis and Sunil Dutt, was first featured in Rocky (1981), the movie was a box office hit.

He emerged as a sensitive actor, alongside being the top prominent action hero of 80s & 90s Bollywood, whilst also finding noteworthy praise in the comedic genre.

Sanjay's personal life was ...

43. Utpal Dutt

Actor | Agantuk

Utpal Dutt was born on March 29, 1929 in Barisal, Bengal Presidency, British India [now Bangladesh]. He was an actor and director, known for The Stranger (1991), Gol Maal (1979) and Bhuvan Shome (1969). He was married to Shobha Sen. He died on August 19, 1993 in Calcutta, West Bengal, India.

44. Shatrughan Sinha

Actor | Dostana

Shatrughan Sinha's first acting opportunity was playing a Pakistani military officer in Dev Anand's Prem Pujari. Subsequently, he got a small role as a police inspector in Mohan Sehgal's Sajan in 1969. The release of Prem Pujari was delayed, so his first released film was Sajan. He later appeared ...

45. Soumitra Chatterjee

Actor | Apur Sansar

Soumitra Chatterjee is an Indian actor, playwright and poet. World-renowned film director Satyajit Ray has acted in multiple shadow films. He has made Bengali film a place in the court of the world. In his long acting career, he has received many awards from home and abroad. His films have also won...

46. Chiranjeevi

Actor | Indra

This Telugu Star was a student at the Madras Film Institute and an amateur stage actor. His first public performance was in the Republic Day parade ballet of Andra Pradesh on 26 January, 1976. His film debut was Punadhirallu (1978). His brother-in-law is producer Allu Aravind. His success started ...

47. Prasenjit Chatterjee

Actor | Baishe Srabon

Prasenjit Chatterjee was born on September 30, 1962 in Calcutta, West Bengal, India. He is a producer and actor, known for 22 Shey Shraban (2011), Mishawr Rawhoshyo (2013) and Shanghai (2012). He has been married to Arpita Chatterjee since 2002. They have one child. He was previously married to ...

48. Dhanush

Actor | Raanjhanaa

Venkatesh Prabhu known by his stage name Dhanush, is an Indian film actor, producer, lyricist and playback singer who has worked predominantly in Tamil cinema. In 2011, he won the National Film Award for Best Actor for the Tamil film "Aadukalam" and in the same year, he received international ...

49. Vijay Sethupathi

Actor | 96

Vijay Sethupathy, one of the most versatile actor in Indian film industry, has acted in more than 50 films, with many of them being successful. His first lead role was in Seenu Ramasamy's 'Thenmerku Paruvakatru' (2010) and his first blockbuster 'Pizza' (2012). Starting his acting career as a ...

50. Brahmanandam

Actor | Dookudu

Considered as the greatest comedian Telugu film industry ever produced, Brahmanandam is a native of Muppala village near Sattenapalli, Brahmanandam completed his M.A. (Telugu) and worked as a Lecturer in Telugu before Jandhyala introduced him to the silver screen with a role in the movie 'Chantabbai...