Amitabh Bachchan (born 11 October 1942) is an Indian actor, film producer and television host. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential figures in Indian cinema. He became known as the “Angry Young Man” of the 1970s through films such as Zanjeer, Deewaar and Sholay, and he dominated Hindi cinema for more than a decade. He has won seven National Film Awards for acting and has hosted the quiz show Kaun Banega Crorepati since 2000. In 2018 he received the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, India’s highest award in cinema.
Quick Facts
| Full name | Amitabh Harivansh Rai Bachchan |
| Nicknames | Big B, Shahenshah, Angry Young Man |
| Born | 11 October 1942, Allahabad (now Prayagraj), India |
| Age | 84 |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Occupation | Actor, producer, television host, former politician |
| Years active | 1969–present |
| Education | Sherwood College, Nainital; Kirori Mal College, University of Delhi |
| Parents | Harivansh Rai Bachchan (poet), Teji Bachchan |
| Spouse | Jaya Bachchan (m. 1973) |
| Children | 2 (Shweta Bachchan Nanda, Abhishek Bachchan) |
| Known for | Zanjeer, Deewaar, Sholay, Don, Black, Piku, Kaun Banega Crorepati |
Early Life and Education
Bachchan was born in Allahabad. His father, Harivansh Rai Bachchan, was one of the most celebrated Hindi poets of his time, and his mother, Teji Bachchan, was a social activist. He studied at Sherwood College in Nainital and earned a science degree from Kirori Mal College, University of Delhi. He then worked for a shipping company in Calcutta before moving to Bombay to become an actor.
Career
Bachchan’s first work in film was as a narrator for Mrinal Sen’s Bhuvan Shome (1969), and his first acting role was in Saat Hindustani (1969). He won praise for Anand (1971) opposite Rajesh Khanna, but stardom came with Prakash Mehra’s Zanjeer (1973). As a brooding, righteous policeman he created the “Angry Young Man” image that defined his career. Yash Chopra’s Deewaar (1975) and Ramesh Sippy’s Sholay (1975), one of the most celebrated films in Indian history, made him the country’s biggest star.
Through the late 1970s and 1980s Bachchan starred in hit after hit, including Amar Akbar Anthony (1977), Don (1978), Muqaddar Ka Sikandar (1978) and Silsila (1981). On 26 July 1982, while filming a fight scene for Coolie, he suffered a serious abdominal injury that nearly killed him. The nation followed his recovery closely, and when Coolie was released it was a huge success.
In 1984 Bachchan was elected to Parliament from Allahabad for the Indian National Congress, but he resigned three years later. His film Agneepath (1990) won him his first National Film Award for Best Actor. In the 1990s his entertainment company, ABCL, collapsed in heavy debt, and his career slowed. He recovered in 2000 when he began hosting Kaun Banega Crorepati, the Indian version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? The same year he played a stern headmaster in Yash Raj Films’ Mohabbatein.
In his later career Bachchan has taken on character roles and won more National Awards. They came for Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Black (2005), in which he played the teacher of a deaf and blind girl, for Paa (2009), in which he played a boy with progeria, and for Shoojit Sircar’s comedy Piku (2015). He also starred in the courtroom drama Pink (2016). He has appeared in large-scale films including Brahmāstra (2022) and Kalki 2898 AD (2024), where he played the immortal warrior Ashwatthama, and he made his Tamil debut in Vettaiyan (2024).
Personal Life
Bachchan married the actress Jaya Bhaduri in 1973. They have two children: Shweta Bachchan Nanda and the actor Abhishek Bachchan, who is married to Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. The family lives in Mumbai, where fans gather outside his home, Jalsa, every Sunday to see him. He is known for his distinctive baritone voice and has narrated many films.
Awards and Honours
Selected Filmography
Frequently Asked Questions
When and where was Amitabh Bachchan born?
Amitabh Bachchan was born on 11 October 1942 in Allahabad (now Prayagraj), India and is 84 years old.
What is Amitabh Bachchan known for?
Known for: Zanjeer, Deewaar, Sholay, Don, Black, Piku, Kaun Banega Crorepati.
Featured image: Amitabh Bachchan in Mumbai, November 2018. Photo by Shrinivas Kulkarni, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.