Sivaji Ganesan

Sivaji Ganesan (born October 1, 1928, Villupuram?, Madras Presidency [now in Tamil Nadu], India—died July 21, 2001, Chennai, Tamil Nadu) was a versatile star of Indian cinema. Along with M.G. Ramachandran and Gemini Ganesan, he dominated Tamil cinema during the 1950s–70s. He was admired for his portrayal of historical and tragic characters on-screen, earning the moniker Nadigar Thilagam (Tamil: “Pride of Actors”). Regarded as a method actor, he often drew comparisons to American actor Marlon Brando. Over the course of his illustrious career he starred in more than 300 films in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, and Hindi languages. Although Ganesan ventured into politics, he could not replicate the success he found on-screen.