Dr. Rajkumar

Singanalluru Puttaswamaiah Muthuraj, better known by his stage name Dr. Rajkumar, was an Indian actor and singer who worked in Kannada cinema. Regarded as one of the greatest and versatile actors in the history of Indian cinema, he is considered a cultural icon and holds a matinée idol status in the Kannada diaspora, among whom he is popularly called as Nata Saarvabhouma, Bangarada Manushya, Vara Nata, Gaana Gandharva, Rasikara Raja, Kannada Kanteerava and Rajanna/Annavru. He was honoured with Padma Bhushan in 1983 and Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 1995. He is the only lead actor to win National Award for Playback singing. His 39 movies have been remade 63 times in 9 languages by 34 actors making him the first actor whose movies were remade more than fifty times and the first actor whose movies were remade in nine languages. He was the first actor in India to enact a role which was based on James Bond in a full-fledged manner. The success of his movie Jedara Bale is credited to have widely inspired a Desi bond genre in other Indian film industries. On the occasion of the "Centenary of Indian Cinema" in April 2013, Forbes included his performance in Bangaarada Manushya on its list of "25 Greatest Acting Performances of Indian Cinema". Upon his death, The New York Times had described him as one of India's most popular movie stars.

24 April 1929

Born on the same birth day (24 April): Edmund Cartwright • Gabriel Figueroa • Guy Nève • Jean Paul Gaultier • Jerry Jeudy • Jure Košir • Józef Gosławski (sculptor) • Laura Kenny • Lyubov Popova • Marceline Day • Michael O'Keefe • Pe Maung Tin • Philippe Pétain • President of Mexico • Rein Taaramäe • Ron Arad (industrial designer) • Todd Jones • Xu Guangqi

Born in the same month (April 1929): Bob Denard • Ed Dorn • Gerry Anderson • Humbert Allen Astredo • Ivar Giaever • Jane Powell • Jeremy Thorpe • Joi Lansing • Nina Ponomaryova • Payut Ngaokrachang • Peter Hordern • Poul Schlüter • Robert Wade-Gery • Walter Kempowski