Shammi Kapoor

Shammi Kapoor
Kapoor during the filming of Rockstar
Born
Shamsher Raj Kapoor

(1931-10-21)21 October 1931
Died14 August 2011(2011-08-14) (aged 79)
Other namesElvis Presley of India, First Rockstar of Indian Cinema
Occupations
  • Actor
  • director
Years active1953–2011
WorksFull list
Spouses
(m. 1955; died 1965)
Neila Devi Gohil
(m. 1969)
Children2, including Aditya
Parents
FamilyKapoor family
Websiteshammikapoor.net
Signature

Shammi Kapoor (born Shamsher Raj Kapoor; (pronounced [ʃʌmːi kʌpuːɾ]; 21 October 1931 – 14 August 2011) was an Indian actor known for his work in Hindi cinema. Kapoor is regarded as one of the greatest actors in the history of Indian cinema. In a career spanning over five decades, he worked in over 100 films and was the recipient of three Filmfare Awards, including one for Best Actor.

Born to actor Prithviraj Kapoor and a member of the Kapoor family, he made his film debut with the commercially unsuccessful Jeewan Jyoti (1953). Following roles in continued box-office flops, he had his breakthrough with Tumsa Nahi Dekha (1957), which attained him the image of a stylish playboy and dancer, and subsequently gained further recognition with Dil Deke Dekho (1959). Kapoor rose to widespread recognition with the romantic blockbuster Junglee (1961), and went on to become one of the most marketable Bollywood stars throughout the 1960s, appearing in a number of highly successful films such as - Professor (1962), Dil Tera Diwana (1962), China Town (1962), Rajkumar (1964), Kashmir Ki Kali (1964), Janwar (1965), Teesri Manzil (1966), An Evening In Paris (1967), Brahmachari (1968) and Prince (1969). For Brahmachari, he won the Filmfare Award for Best Actor.

Following his leading role in Andaz (1971), he began to appear in supporting roles. His notable such roles includes Parvarish (1977), Prem Rog (1982), Vidhaata (1982), Betaab (1983), Hero (1983), Sohni Mahiwal (1984), Wanted (1984), Hukumat (1987), Daata (1989), Tahalka (1992), Chamatkar (1992), Gardish (1993) and Rockstar (2011), which was his final film. For Vidhaata, he won the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor. Apart from acting, Kapoor was widely considered among the best dancers.