Manoj Bajpayee (born April 23, 1969) is an Indian actor who predominantly works in Hindi cinema and has also done Telugu and Tamil language films. Widely regarded as one of the finest actors of Hindi cinema or Bollywood, he is the recipient of three National Film Awards, six Filmfare Awards, and two Asia Pacific Screen Awards. In 2019, he was awarded India's fourth-highest civilian honour, the Padma Shri, for his contributions to art.
Date of Birth (Birthday):
3 April
Height:
5'7"
Hair Color:
Black
Birth Place:
Betya, Bihar
Religion:
Hindu
Marital Status:
Married
Languages:
Hindi, English
Hobbies:
Theatre
Contact Address:
304 Victoria, Shastri Nagar, Lokhandwala Rd, Andheri (W), Mumbai - 53
Contact No.:
91-22- 6335736
Bajpayee was born in a pious Hindu Brahmin family on April 23, 1969 in a small village called Belwa near the city Bettiah in West Champaran, Bihar. He is the second child among his five other siblings, and was named after actor Manoj Kumar. One of his younger sisters Poonam Dubey, is a fashion designer in the film industry. His father was a farmer and his mother was a housewife. As a son of a farmer, Bajpayee would do farming during their vacation. Since childhood, he wanted to become an actor. His father had difficulty collecting money for their education.
Bajpayee studied at National School of Drama in Delhi, from where he graduated in 1992. He is married to actress Neha Bajpayee, and they have a daughter together.
Bajpayee made his feature film debut with a one-minute role in Drohkaal (1994), and a minor role of a dacoit in Shekhar Kapur's Bandit Queen (1994). After a few unnoticed roles, he played the gangster Bhiku Mhatre in Ram Gopal Varma's 1998 crime drama Satya, which proved to be a breakthrough. Bajpayee received the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actor and Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actor for the film. He then acted in films such as Kaun (1999) and Shool (1999). For the latter, he won his second Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actor.
Bajpayee's other notable films include Zubeidaa (2001), Pinjar (2003), Aks (2001), Gangajal (2003), Veer-Zaara (2004), Black Friday (2004), Rajneeti (2010), Aligarh (2015), Satyameva Jayate (2018), The Family Man (2019-present), and Bhonsle (2020).
Bajpayee is known for his versatility and ability to portray a wide range of characters, from gangsters to policemen to politicians to common men. He is also known for his natural acting style and his commitment to his craft.
Bajpayee has received numerous awards for his work in films, including:
In 2019, Bajpayee was awarded the Padma Shri, India's fourth-highest civilian honour, for his contributions to art.
In 2018, Bajpayee was accused of plagiarism by author Anubhav Sinha for his book "The Accidental Actor". Sinha alleged that Bajpayee had copied parts of his book without attribution. Bajpayee denied the allegations, claiming that he had given due credit to Sinha in his book.