Dharmendra (born Dharam Singh Deol on 8 December 1935) is a Hindi film actor. In 1997, he received the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award for his contribution to Hindi cinema.
His starring roles in action films earned him nicknames such as "Action King" and "He-Man". One of his most notable roles was in Sholay (1975).
He has also been a member of the 14th Lok Sabha of India, representing Bikaner constituency in Rajasthan from Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). In 2012, he was honoured India's third highest civilian honour Padma Bhushan by the Government of India.
Early life
Dharmendra was born in a Punjabi Jat Sikh family in Phagwara in Kapurthala district in the Indian state of Punjab to Kewal Kishan Singh Deol and Satwant Kaur. His ancestral village is Dangon which is located next to Pakhowal, Ludhiana. He spent his early life in village Sahnewal and studied at Government Senior Secondary School at Lalton Kalan. His father was a school headmaster in the village of Lalton Kalan, Ludhiana. He did his intermediate from Ramgarhia College, Phagwara in 1952.
Personal life
Dharmendra's first marriage was to Prakash Kaur at the age of 19 in 1954. From his first marriage, he has two sons, Sunny Deol and Bobby Deol both successful actors, and two daughters,Vijeeta Deol and Ajeeta Deol.
He has 4 grand sons named Karan, Rajvir, Aryaman, and Dharam. Karan Deol was an assistant director on the sets of Yamla Pagla Deewana 2 and he also rapped in a song sung by Diljit Dosanjh in the film YPD 2. Karan is to make his Bollywood debut by 2015 in Dharmendra's home production.
Dharmendra fell in love with Hema Malini during the filming of Sholay. She eventually married him in 1980. As the Hindu Marriage Act forbade polygamy, he converted to Islam in 1979 to avoid protests and give legitimacy to his second marriage. The couple has two daughters, Esha Deol and Ahana Deol. Esha is an actresses and Ahana is a dancer.
His starring roles in action films earned him nicknames such as "Action King" and "He-Man". One of his most notable roles was in Sholay (1975).
He has also been a member of the 14th Lok Sabha of India, representing Bikaner constituency in Rajasthan from Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). In 2012, he was honoured India's third highest civilian honour Padma Bhushan by the Government of India.
Early life
Dharmendra was born in a Punjabi Jat Sikh family in Phagwara in Kapurthala district in the Indian state of Punjab to Kewal Kishan Singh Deol and Satwant Kaur. His ancestral village is Dangon which is located next to Pakhowal, Ludhiana. He spent his early life in village Sahnewal and studied at Government Senior Secondary School at Lalton Kalan. His father was a school headmaster in the village of Lalton Kalan, Ludhiana. He did his intermediate from Ramgarhia College, Phagwara in 1952.
Personal life
Dharmendra's first marriage was to Prakash Kaur at the age of 19 in 1954. From his first marriage, he has two sons, Sunny Deol and Bobby Deol both successful actors, and two daughters,Vijeeta Deol and Ajeeta Deol.
He has 4 grand sons named Karan, Rajvir, Aryaman, and Dharam. Karan Deol was an assistant director on the sets of Yamla Pagla Deewana 2 and he also rapped in a song sung by Diljit Dosanjh in the film YPD 2. Karan is to make his Bollywood debut by 2015 in Dharmendra's home production.
Dharmendra fell in love with Hema Malini during the filming of Sholay. She eventually married him in 1980. As the Hindu Marriage Act forbade polygamy, he converted to Islam in 1979 to avoid protests and give legitimacy to his second marriage. The couple has two daughters, Esha Deol and Ahana Deol. Esha is an actresses and Ahana is a dancer.