Portrait · Studio Harcourt Paris / CC BY 3.0 Amitabh Bachchan Actor and television host
Born 1942
Amitabh Bachchan is an Indian actor and television host born in Allahabad, now Prayagraj, to poet Harivansh Rai Bachchan and Teji Bachchan. His education at Sherwood College in Nainital and Kirori Mal College in Delhi preceded work in Calcutta, where he also acted with the amateur theatre group CATS. He moved into cinema as a narrator in Bhuvan Shome and an actor in Saat Hindustani. Anand gave him an early breakthrough opposite Rajesh Khanna; Zanjeer, Deewaar and Sholay established the forceful screen persona associated with the angry young man. His range also included the musical comedy Amar Akbar Anthony, the double role in Don, the romantic ensemble Kabhi Kabhie, and the father–son conflict of Shakti. Agneepath, Hum and Khuda Gawah carried his leading work into the next decade. He briefly served as an elected member of Parliament before returning his attention to entertainment. Financial difficulties around his company ABCL and an uneven film comeback preceded a renewed career. In a Rediff interview, he described bankruptcy and the need to keep trying; Kaun Banega Crorepati brought him into viewers' homes, while Mohabbatein introduced a prominent authoritarian patriarch role. In a 2019 IANS interview, he explained that he followed writers and directors rather than an acting-school method; preparing for Black included learning sign language. His later work moved between the teacher in Black, the child Auro in Paa, the demanding father in Piku and the lawyer in Pink. Sarkar, Cheeni Kum, Badla, Gulabo Sitabo, Jhund and Uunchai further widened that character-led period. He played Meyer Wolfshiem in The Great Gatsby and appeared in the Tamil film Vettaiyan alongside Rajinikanth. Awards include national recognition for Agneepath, Black, Paa and Piku, the Padma honours and the Dadasaheb Phalke Award. UNICEF appointed him a Goodwill Ambassador in 2005, building on earlier work for children. He maintains a personal blog and verified social accounts. His recent work includes hosting KBC and playing Ashwatthama in Kalki 2898 AD. Director Nag Ashwin's September 2026 update described further Kalki filming planned for October, with no confirmed release date.
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Connected people 01 Ministry of Home Affairs
Padma Awards Directory 1954–2017 Attribution.
02 Tuli Research Centre
Amitabh Bachchan: archival chronology and filmography Attribution.
03 UNICEF
Goodwill Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan Attribution.
04 Filmfare
Winners Attribution.
05 Amitabh Bachchan
Official personal blog, linked from verified X profile Attribution.
06 X
Verified personal Amitabh Bachchan account Attribution.
07 Penguin Random House India
Madhushala: exact Hindi paperback catalogue Attribution.
08 Instagram
Verified personal Amitabh Bachchan account Attribution.
09 National Film Awards / Directorate of Film Festivals
38th National Film Awards catalogue Attribution.
10 Filmfare
Critics winners Attribution.
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Image rights ledger Black-and-white Studio Harcourt portrait of Amitabh Bachchan Media: Studio Harcourt Paris
Source-level CC BY 3.0, copyright-holder VRT permission ticket 2010061710041251. Personally inspected full portrait pixels. Responsive display may crop; no separate model release claimed. Contextual editorial use.
Amitabh Bachchan wearing glasses at a Captain Tiao event Media: Bollywood Hungama; existing crop by StormyShrestha
Bollywood Hungama CC BY 3.0 verified by Commons reviewer Stemoc; VRT permission 2008030310010794. Existing source crop; responsive display may crop further. Personally inspected full pixels; face unobscured. No separate publicity or endorsement grant claimed.
