Om Puri | |
---|---|
Born | Om Prakash Puri 18 October 1950 |
Died | 6 January 2017 Mumbai, Maharashtra, India | (aged 66)
Alma mater | Film and Television Institute of India National School of Drama |
Occupation | Actor |
Years active | 1972–2017 |
Spouses | Seema Kapoor
(m. 1991; div. 1991)Nandita Puri (m. 1993) |
Children | 1 |
Honours | • Padma Shri (1990) • Order of British Empire (2004) |
Om Prakash Puri, (18 October 1950 – 6 January 2017) was an Indian actor who appeared in mainstream commercial Hindi films as well as Urdu, Malayalam, Bengali, Kannada, English, Punjabi, Gujarati, Telugu, and Marathi films, as well as independent and art films and also starred in several international cinema. He is widely regarded as one of the finest actors in world cinema.[1][2] He won two National Film Awards for Best Actor, two Filmfare Awards and India's fourth highest civilian award Padma Shri in 1990. In 2004, he was made an honorary Officer of the Order of the British Empire.[3][4]
He is best known for his author-backed roles in films like Aakrosh (1980), Arohan (1982), Ardh Satya (1983), television films like Sadgati (1981) and Tamas (1987), light-hearted roles in Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro (1983), Chachi 420 (1997), Hera Pheri (2000), Chup Chup Ke (2006) and Dhol (2007) and several mainstream commercial films throughout his career. He had various collaborations with director Shyam Benegal and Govind Nihalani.[5] Puri also appeared in non-Indian productions in the United States, Pakistan[6] and Britain.[7] In the 1990s, he appeared in My Son the Fanatic (1997) and the comedy drama East Is East (1999), receiving a nomination for the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role.[8]