Devaraj

Devaraj (born 21 September 1953) is an Indian actor and theatre actor who works in Indian film industry. He has largely featured in Kannada films performing various roles as a lead character, supporting character and villainous character. He has also featured in Telugu and Tamil films.

Having worked in over 200 feature films, Devaraj is popularly referred to as a "Dynamic Hero" in the Kannada film industry. Prior to acting in films, Devaraj performed in stage plays under the guidance of Shankar Nag and B. Jayashree. Devaraj has won several awards and accolades including the Karnataka State Film Award for Best Actor for his portrayal as the protagonist in the film Veerappan in 1991.

Early life Devaraj was born on 21 September 1953 to Ramachandrappa and Krishnamma in Lingarajpuram, a locality in Bangalore, in the erstwhile Mysore State (now Karnataka). His father worked in ITC Factory, Welfare department. Devaraj lost his father when he was three months old to malaria. In 1976, due to his family's financial problems, Devaraj decided to work in a HMT Watch factory, in the case and dial department, where he worked for nine years. During this time, he was suggested to act in dramas by a senior colleague, Govindaraju. Consequently, Devaraj joined R.Nagesh's theatre group, before joining the B. Jayashree's group Spandana and later Shankar Nag's Sanket. His first released film was 27 Mavalli Circle in 1986. After the success of 27 Mavalli Circle Devaraj acted in many more films mainly in supporting roles. His notable performances include: His First Hero Leading Role In Hatyakanda In 1989. Upnext Aaganthuka, Navabharatha, Indrajith among others.

After the year 2000, Devaraj switched over to character roles and debuted in Tamil and Telugu film industries. He worked in highly acclaimed films such as Malaikottai and Villu in Tamil and Yagnam, Sri in Telugu.

Personal life In 1986, Devaraj married actress Chandralekha, whom he had met on the sets of his film Sikku.

Filmography

Kannada

Telugu YearFilmRoleNotes1990 20va Sathabdam Suryam Prema Yuddham Ranjith Kaliyuga Abhimanyudu Bhagawan Neti Siddhartha Bhillu 1991 Yerra Mandaram Jagganna Dora 1993 Bangaru Bullodu Nana Varasudu Narendra 1994 S. P. Parasuram Rayappa Anna 1999 Samarasimha Reddy Veera Raghava Reddy's son 2004 Yagnam Redappa 2005 Sri Bhikshapati 2006 Raam Rahim 2007 Yogi Evadaithe Nakenti Chakravarthi Lakshyam DIG Hari Narayan 2009 Naa Style Veru Parvathy's uncle 2018 Bharat Ane Nenu Sripathi Rao 2023Salaar: Part 1 – CeasefireOm

Tamil YearFilmRoleNotes 1988 Pillaikkaga 2007 Malaikottai Palani 2009 Villu Shaan 2019 NGK Killivazhavan

Awards Nandi Award for Best Villain - Erra Mandaram 9th SIIMA Award for Best Supporting Actor for Yajamana