Amitabh Bachchan

Dubbed the "King of Bollywood," Amitabh Bachchan has made more than 90 films over the course of his long career. Born Oct. 11, 1942, in Allahabad, India, the son of a well-known poet, Bachchan had a hard timing breaking into movies as a young man because filmmakers considered him too dark-skinned.

With persistence, however, Bachchan prevailed, and the powers that be soon realized that the young actor had plenty of assets -- including a deep baritone voice, piercing eyes and an imposing physical presence -- that would help him make his mark in Indian cinema. By the mid-1970s, Bachchan had become a bona fide action star in films such as Zanjeer, Deewaar and Sholay.

During the '90s, Bachchan's career foundered, but with the dawn of the new millennium, the Bollywood legend could be seen again in a series of high-profile films such as Mohabbatein and Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham.

Filmography