Irrfan Khan (7 January 1967 – 29 April 2020) was an Indian actor known for his quiet, natural style of acting in Hindi and international films. Trained at the National School of Drama, he spent years in television and small film roles before films such as Haasil, Maqbool and Paan Singh Tomar made him one of India’s most respected actors. He was also one of the few Indian actors with a steady Hollywood career, appearing in Slumdog Millionaire, Life of Pi and Jurassic World. He died in 2020 after a two-year illness.
Quick Facts
| Birth name | Sahabzade Irfan Ali Khan |
| Born | 7 January 1967, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India |
| Died | 29 April 2020, Mumbai (aged 53) |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Education | National School of Drama, New Delhi |
| Years active | 1988–2020 |
| Spouse | Sutapa Sikdar (m. 1995) |
| Children | 2 (Babil and Ayan) |
| Honours | Padma Shri (2011), National Film Award for Best Actor (2012) |
Early Life
Irrfan was born in Jaipur into a Muslim family of Pathan descent. His father ran a tyre business, and the family hoped he would join it. Instead, Irrfan became interested in acting while studying for his master’s degree in Jaipur, and in 1984 he won a scholarship to the National School of Drama (NSD) in New Delhi, where he met his future wife, the writer Sutapa Sikdar.
Career
While still at NSD, Irrfan was cast by Mira Nair in Salaam Bombay! (1988), though most of his role was cut in the final film. For the next decade he worked mainly in television, in serials such as Chanakya, Bharat Ek Khoj, Chandrakanta and Banegi Apni Baat, while taking small parts in art-house films.
His fortunes changed with Asif Kapadia’s British film The Warrior (2001), which won the BAFTA for Outstanding British Film. In India he made his mark as the menacing student leader in Tigmanshu Dhulia’s Haasil (2003), which won him the Filmfare Award for Best Villain, and as the title character in Vishal Bhardwaj’s Maqbool (2003), an adaptation of Macbeth. He then played the Bengali father in Mira Nair’s The Namesake (2006) and won the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor for Life in a… Metro (2007).
Irrfan played a police inspector in Danny Boyle’s Oscar-winning Slumdog Millionaire (2008) and went on to appear in The Amazing Spider-Man (2012), Life of Pi (2012), Jurassic World (2015) and Inferno (2016). In India, his portrayal of an athlete-turned-rebel in Paan Singh Tomar (2012) won him the National Film Award for Best Actor. His performance as a lonely widower in The Lunchbox (2013) was praised around the world, and he also starred in Piku (2015) with Amitabh Bachchan and Deepika Padukone, and in the crime drama Talvar (2015).
The comedy Hindi Medium (2017) became one of his biggest commercial hits and won him the Filmfare Award for Best Actor. In March 2018 he announced that he had been diagnosed with a neuroendocrine tumour and went to London for treatment. He returned to complete Angrezi Medium (2020), his last film, which was released shortly before the COVID-19 lockdown.
Personal Life and Death
Irrfan married Sutapa Sikdar in 1995. They had two sons, Babil and Ayan; Babil later became an actor himself, debuting in Qala (2022). Irrfan was admitted to Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital in Mumbai with a colon infection in late April 2020 and died on 29 April, aged 53, just days after the death of his mother. He was buried at the Versova cemetery in Mumbai.
Awards and Honours
Selected Filmography
Frequently Asked Questions
When and where was Irrfan Khan born?
Irrfan Khan was born on 7 January 1967 in Jaipur, Rajasthan, India.
When did Irrfan Khan die?
Died: 29 April 2020, Mumbai (aged 53).
What is Irrfan Khan’s occupation?
Occupation: Actor.
What honours has Irrfan Khan received?
Padma Shri (2011), National Film Award for Best Actor (2012).
Featured image: President Pratibha Patil presents Irrfan Khan with the Padma Shri at Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi, 1 April 2011. Photo by President’s Secretariat, licensed under Government Open Data License – India, via Wikimedia Commons.
