Birth Date: 21 Oct, 1940, Age (51)

Occupation : Actor, Director

Place of Birth : Peshawar

Date of Death : 27 Jul, 1992

Amjad Khan

Amjad Khan (21 october 1943 – 27 July 1992) was an Indian actor and director. He worked in over 130 films in a career spanning nearly twenty years. He enjoyed popularity for his villainous roles in Hindi films, the most famous being the iconic Gabbar Singh in the 1975 classic Sholay and of Dilawar in Muqaddar Ka Sikandar (1978).

Before Amjad Khan came to films, he was a theatre actor. His first role was in the film Nazneen (1951). His next role was at the age of 17 in the film Ab Dilli Dur Nahin (1957). He made appearances in minor roles with father Jayant in a few films. He assisted K. Asif in Love And God in the late 1960s and had a brief appearance in the film. The film was left incomplete after Asif's death in 1971, and it ended up releasing in 1986. In 1973 he made his debut as an adult in Hindustan Ki Kasam.

In 1975 he was offered the role of dacoit Gabbar Singh for the film Sholay by Salim Khan, who was one of its writers. In preparation for the role, Amjad read Abhishapth Chambal, a book on Chambal dacoits written by Taroon Kumar Bhaduri (actress Jaya Bhaduri's father). Amjad shot to stardom with the movie. His portrayal of Gabbar Singh is considered by many to be the first depiction of pure evil in Indian Cinema.

After the success of Sholay, Khan continued to play negative roles in many subsequent Hindi films in the 1970s, 1980s and early 1990s – superseding, in terms of popularity and demand, the earlier Indian actor, Ajit. He often acted as villain opposite Amitabh Bachchan as the hero. His role in Inkaar was also presented in terrifying manner. He made his presence felt in Des Pardes, Nastik, Satte Pe Satta, Dada, Chambal Ki Kasam, Ganga Ki Saugandh, Hum Kisise Kum Nahin, and Naseeb.

He ventured into directing for a brief period in the 1980s, directing and starring in Chor Police (1983), which did not do well, and Ameer Aadmi Gareeb Aadmi (1985) which was a block buster at the box office.

In 1986 Amjad Khan had a severe accident on the Mumbai-Goa highway which left him with broken ribs and a punctured lung. He was going to participate in the shooting of the film The Great Gambler, starring Amitabh Bachchan.9] Due to the serious injuries he also almost slipped into a coma, but fortunately, he recovered soon. The drug administered during his operation caused him to gain a lot of weight, which led to further health complications. As a result of his increasing weight, he died in 1992 after suffering from heart failure at the age of 51.