Rajnikanth (1950– )

Indian actor. A prolific southern Indian star from the early 1980s, he became a strong figure in Tamil cinema and, surpassing Hindi-language Bollywood stars, India's highest paid actor. Before starring in more than 100 Tamil language films, his breakthrough was the title role in the gangster film Billa (1980). He became even more popular in the 21st century, achieving major commercial success in vehicles such as the action thriller Sivaji: The Boss (2007).

Like most Indian cinema, his films usually involved highly choreographed musical numbers and action scenes, as well as melodramatic romance and tragedy. Other films include the action drama Moondru Mugam (1982), the romantic dramas Muthu (1995) and Padayappa (1999), and the horror comedy Chandramukhi (2005). He wrote, produced, and starred in the gangster film Baba (2002), which despite its widely hyped release was a commercial disappointment.

Rajinikanth was born in Karnataka, southern India, and went to school in Bangalore. While working as a bus conductor, he began performing in local plays, and went on to study acting at the Madras Film Institute in 1974. His first major film role was in Katha Sangama (1976). He won India's Padma Bhushan award for distinguished service to the country in 2000.