Amrish Puri

One of the leading character actors of Indian cinema, Amrish Puri was born in India on June 22, 1932. The brother of actor Madan Puri and cousin of the star Om Puri. Amrish yearned to be a Bollywood hero, buta failed screen test in 1954 didn't bode well for leading man roles.

At the age of almost 40, Amrish finally made his film debut in 1971's Reshma Aur Shera and soon found his niche playing villains in dozens of Hindi films. Best known in India for his role as the evil crime lord Mogambo in 1987's Mr. India. Amrish¿s first English-speaking role came in the 1982 epic Gandhi. This in turn led to his casting as the bald cult leader Mola Ram in 1984's Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. So striking was Amrish's shaved head in the Steven Speilberg hit that he made it his trademark look, remaining bald for the duration of his career.

He died of a brain hemorrhage on Jan. 12, 2005.

Filmography