About Amrish Puri
Amrish Puri (22 June 1932 – 12 January 2005) was an icon of Indian cinema and theatre. He performed in over 450 films. He was known for his acting versatility but his villainous roles earned him the greatest recognition. He holds most Filmfare Award for Best Villain nominations. Puri’s charismatic screen presence and distinctive deep voice made him stand out from other actors of his generation. While he predominantly worked in Hindi-language films, he also appeared in Telugu, Kannada, Tamil, Malayalam and Marathi language films. His best-known roles include Vidhaata (1982), Shakti (1982), Hero (1983), Meri Jung (1985), Nagina (1986), Mr. India (1987), Shahenshah (1988), Ram Lakhan (1989), Tridev (1990), Ghayal (1990), Saudagar (1991), Thalapathi (1991), Tahalka (1992), Damini (1993), Karan Arjun (1995), Kaalapani (1996), Jeet (1996), Koyla (1997), Baadshah (1999), Gadar: Ek Prem Katha (2001), and Nayak: The Real Hero (2001). His notable Telugu films include Kondaveeti Donga (1988), Jagadeka Veerudu Athiloka Sundari (1990), and Aditya 369 (1991). Puri's performance as the main antagonist "Mogambo" in Shekhar Kapur's Mr. India (1987) is considered as one of the greatest villain performances in Indian cinema. His comic performance in Chachi 420, opposite Kamal Haasan, was well received by critics. It is reported that he received a salary of ₹1 crore (US$771,890), making him the highest-paid Indian villain actor of the time. Puri was active in art cinema, including films by Shyam Benegal and Govind Nihalani. He also appeared in supporting roles, winning Filmfare Awards for Best Supporting Actor three times. Some of his notable roles were Phool Aur Kaante (1991), Gardish (1993), Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge (1995), Ghatak (1996), Diljale (1996) Pardes (1997), Virasat (1997), China Gate (1998), Badal (2000), Mujhe Kucch Kehna Hai (2001), Mujhse Shaadi Karogi (2004) and Hulchul (2004). In international films, he was best known as Mola Ram in the Steven Spielberg and George Lucas Hollywood film Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984) and as Dada Abdulla Hajee Adab, president of the Natal Indian Congress in Richard Attenborough's Gandhi (1982). Puri was known for his acting versatility but his villainous roles earned him more recognition. He won three Filmfare Awards for Best Supporting Actor in eight nominations. He also appeared in supporting roles, of which he won 3 times Filmfare Awards for Best Supporting Actor. He acted in more than 450 films, and established himself as one of the greatest and iconic actors in Indian cinema.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.