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Devaraj
Born	(1953-09-20) 20 September 1953 (age 65) Lingarajapuram, Bangalore, Mysore State, India
Nationality	Indian
Other names	Devraj Devu
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1986–present
Spouse(s)	Chandralekha[1]
Children	Prajwal Devaraj Pranam Devaraj

Devaraj (born 20 September 1953)^[2] is an Indian actor and theatre actor who works in South Indian film industries. He has largely featured in Kannada films performing various roles as a lead character, supporting character and villainous character. He has also featured in Telugu and Tamil films.

Having worked in over 200 feature films, Devaraj is popularly referred to as a "Dynamic Hero" in the Kannada film industry.^[3] Prior to acting in films, Devaraj performed in stage plays under the guidance of Shankar Nag and B. Jayashree. Devaraj has won several awards and accolades including the Karnataka State Film Award for Best Actor for his portrayal as the protagonist in the film Veerappan in 1991.^[4]

Early life

Devaraj was born on 20 September 1953 to Ramachandrappa and Krishnamma in Lingarajpuram, a locality in Bangalore, in the erstwhile Mysore State (now Karnataka). His father worked in ITC Factory, Welfare department. Devaraj lost his father when he was 3 months old as he was suffering from Maleria. In 1976 due to his family's financial problems Devaraj decided to work in HMT Watch factory, Case & Dial Section, Where he worked for 9 years. (Got the job due to the refrence of his Brother-in-law, who was working in the same factory), where Devaraj was suggested to act in dramas by his senior colleague HMT Govindaraju.^[5] Firstly Devaraj joined R.Nagesh's theatre group, Later he joined B. Jayashree's theatre group SPANDANA and later on with Shankar Nag's SANKET.^[3] His film debut was as a supporting actor in 'Trishula'. He continued to appear as a supporting actor, then acted in leading roles.

Career

Devaraj auditioned for Trishula with Avinash, both of whom were part of a same theatre troupe. Both got through the auditions and the film was his debut as an actor. However, the film did not release.^[4][6] His first released film was 27 Mavalli Circle in 1986. After the success of 27 Mavalli Circle Devaraj acted in many more films mainly in supporting roles. His notable performances include: Aaganthuka, Navabharatha, Indrajith among others.

After the year 2000, Devaraj switched over to character roles and debuted in Tamil and Telugu film industries. He worked in highly acclaimed films such as Naan Kadavul, Malaikottai and Villu in Tamil and Yagnam, Sri in Telugu.^[7]

Personal life

In 1986, Devaraj married actress Chandralekha, whom he had met on the sets of his film Sikku.^[1] Following this, they appeared together in the 1992film Kendada Male.^[6] After their marriage, Chandralekha quit acting. They have two sons, Prajwal and Pranam. Both sons are active in the Kannada film industry, with Prajwal having established himself as a lead actor.^[8]

Notable filmography

Kannada

Telugu

• 
  20va Shatabdam (1990)


• 
  Prema Yuddham (1990)


• 
  Neti Siddhartha (1990)


• 
  Yerra Mandaram (1991)


• 
  Bangaru Bullodu (1993)


• 
  S. P. Parasuram (1994)


• 
  Anna (1994 film) (1994)


• 
  Samarasimha Reddy (1999)


• 
  Yagnam (2004)


• 
  Sri (2005)


• 
  Raam (2006)


• 
  Yogi (2007)


• 
  Evadaithe Nakenti (2007)


• 
  Lakshyam (2007)


• 
  Bharat Ane Nenu (2018)^[9]
  

Tamil

• 
  Pillaikkaga (1988)


• 
  Malaikottai (2007)


• 
  Villu (2009)

References

External links

• 
  Devaraj on IMDb


• 
  Devaraj on IMDb