Salman Khan (born 27 December 1965) is an Indian actor, film producer and television presenter who works in Hindi cinema. His fans call him “Bhaijaan” (big brother). He has been a leading star for more than 35 years, first in romantic and family films and later as an action hero. He has hosted the reality show Bigg Boss since 2010 and founded the Being Human Foundation. His life off screen has drawn attention too, including long-running court cases and threats against his life.
Quick Facts
| Full name | Abdul Rashid Salim Salman Khan |
| Nickname | Bhaijaan, Sallu |
| Born | 27 December 1965, Indore, Madhya Pradesh, India |
| Age | 60 |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Occupation | Actor, film producer, television presenter |
| Years active | 1988–present |
| Parents | Salim Khan (father), Salma Khan (mother); Helen (stepmother) |
| Siblings | Arbaaz Khan, Sohail Khan, Alvira Khan Agnihotri, Arpita Khan Sharma |
| Marital status | Unmarried |
| Known for | Maine Pyar Kiya, Hum Aapke Hain Koun..!, Dabangg, Ek Tha Tiger, Bajrangi Bhaijaan, Bigg Boss |
Early Life and Family
Khan was born in Indore, the eldest child of Salim Khan and Salma Khan. His father is one half of the screenwriting duo Salim–Javed, who wrote Sholay and Deewaar. The actress and dancer Helen later married his father. His brothers, Arbaaz and Sohail, also work in films. He studied at the Scindia School in Gwalior and St. Stanislaus High School in Mumbai, and he briefly attended St. Xavier’s College.
Career
After a supporting role in Biwi Ho To Aisi (1988), Khan played his first lead in Sooraj Barjatya’s Maine Pyar Kiya (1989). The romance was a huge hit and won him the Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut. He worked with Barjatya again on Hum Aapke Hain Koun..! (1994), one of the most successful Indian films ever. He followed it with Karan Arjun (1995), co-starring Shah Rukh Khan, and Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999). His role in Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998) won him the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor.
Critics praised his role as a troubled student in Tere Naam (2003), but many of his films in this period flopped. His career recovered with the action film Wanted (2009).
Dabangg (2010), in which he played the charming but corrupt policeman Chulbul Pandey, started a franchise and a decade of hits. His Eid releases became annual events. They included Bodyguard (2011), Ek Tha Tiger (2012), Bajrangi Bhaijaan (2015), Sultan (2016) and Tiger Zinda Hai (2017). Many critics regard Bajrangi Bhaijaan, about a devout man who takes a lost Pakistani girl home across the border, as his finest film. He co-produced it, and it won the National Film Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment. He returned as the spy Tiger in Tiger 3 (2023).
His 2025 Eid release, A. R. Murugadoss’s Sikandar, did worse than expected at the box office. His next major project is a war drama directed by Apoorva Lakhia about the 2020 clash between Indian and Chinese troops in the Galwan Valley. Khan plays Colonel B. Santosh Babu, who was posthumously awarded the Maha Vir Chakra. The film was announced as Battle of Galwan and has since been renamed Maatrubhumi: May War Rest in Peace.
Television, Business and Charity
Khan has hosted Bigg Boss, the Hindi version of Big Brother, since its fourth season in 2010. In 2007 he founded the Being Human Foundation, which supports education and healthcare for people in need. It is funded partly by sales of Being Human clothing. His production company, Salman Khan Films, has produced several of his films.
Legal Cases
In 2002 a car crashed into people sleeping on a pavement in Bandra, and one man died. A Mumbai sessions court convicted Khan in the case in May 2015, but the Bombay High Court acquitted him that December. Separately, in April 2018 a Jodhpur court convicted him of hunting blackbuck, a protected antelope, during a 1998 film shoot. He received a five-year sentence, was granted bail within days, and has appealed.
Threats and Security
The jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi has repeatedly threatened Khan publicly, citing the blackbuck case. The Bishnoi community regards the animal as sacred. On 14 April 2024 two men on a motorcycle fired shots outside his home, Galaxy Apartments, in Bandra. Police arrested several people linked to the Bishnoi gang. Khan’s security was raised to Y-plus category, and bulletproof glass was fitted to the balcony from which he greets fans.
Personal Life
Khan has never married. He lives with his parents at Galaxy Apartments in Bandra, Mumbai, and also spends time at his farmhouse in Panvel.
Awards and Achievements
Selected Filmography
Frequently Asked Questions
When and where was Salman Khan born?
Salman Khan was born on 27 December 1965 in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, India and is 60 years old.
What is Salman Khan known for?
Known for: Maine Pyar Kiya, Hum Aapke Hain Koun..!, Dabangg, Ek Tha Tiger, Bajrangi Bhaijaan, Bigg Boss.
Featured image: Salman Khan at the curtain raiser of the Hornbill International Race, Mumbai, 27 September 2018. Photo by Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, licensed under Government Open Data License – India, via Wikimedia Commons.