| Birth name | Prabhakar |
|---|---|
| Birth date | 30 March 1948 |
| Birth place | Bangalore, Kingdom of Mysore, India |
| Death date | 25 March 2001 (aged 52) |
| Death place | Bengaluru, Karnataka, India |
| Occupation | Actor · director · composer |
| Spouse | Jayamala (m. 1985; div. 1994) Anju (m. 1996; ended 1997) |
Tiger Prabhakar (30 March 1948 – 25 March 2001), also known as Kannada Prabhakar, was an Indian actor who predominantly worked in Kannada and Telugu cinema. He has also acted in a few Malayalam, Tamil and Hindi films. He was reported to have appeared in more than 400 films.[1]
Career
Prabhakar started his career by appearing in small negative roles[2] in Kannada movies and went on to become one of the most sought after villains in Kannada and Telugu movies during the late 70s and 80s.[3][4] He graduated to playing full-fledged action hero roles in Kannada movies 1983-84 onward and remained one of the most sought after heroes until 1993-94. He made a successful pair with all the top Kannada heroines of the time like Jayamala, Aarathi, Bharathi, Lakshmi and Jayanthi. Prabhakar has also directed more than 10 films in Kannada in which he starred as the hero.
Acting style
Prabhakar's unique acting style, his physique helped him become extremely popular amongst the masses. He excelled in action sequences. He even excelled in his comedic timing and excelled in many movies in comedy scenes as is seen in many movies where he played Anant Nag's friend in movies like Nanna Devaru, Dhairya Lakshmi, Gayathri Maduve. He would wear a cross to the sets, being a Christian but would be asked to hide or remove it sometimes.[5]
Prabhakar introduced Kanglish, a mix of Kannada and English dialogues, to Kannada movies.[2]
Personal life
Prabhakar followed the Christian faith. Contemporary media reports following his death quoted Prabhakar saying at an event that he was married five times.[6] His first marriage yielded three children: two daughters, Bharathi and Geetha, and a son, Vinod. He was then married to actress Jayamala, and they one child together: daughter Soundarya. With his third wife, actress Anju, Prabhakar had one son.[1] He also reportedly dated model and actress Dolly Minhas.[7]
It was reported that Prabhakar met with a motorycle accident in the mid-1980s. Health issues related to this incident cropped up later leading to a gangrene on his legs. In early March 2001, he was admitted to Mallya Hospital in Bangalore, for treatment of jaundice.[1] His condition deteriorated and he died on 25 March. The cause of death was reported as multi-organ failure, primarily kidney failure, after prolonged illness.[8]
In later interviews, his son Vinod clarified the rumours circulated about the actor's illness and death, including reports claiming amputation due to gangrene. However, the family stated that these claims were incorrect and that he died due to complications from illness leading to organ failure.[9][10]
Filmography
Kannada
Telugu
Tamil
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | Kettikaran[33] | Fight Master | |
| 1977 | Gaayathri | ||
| 1978 | Idhu Eppadi Irukku[34] | Sastry | |
| Thai Meethu Sathiyam | Balu | ||
| 1980 | Kaalam Bathil Sollum[35] | Thandavan | |
| Anbukku Naan Adimai | Velu | ||
| 1981 | Amara Kaaviyam | Chinnadurai | |
| 1982 | Thyagi[36] | Prathap | |
| 1985 | Annai Bhoomi 3D | General Prabhakar | |
| 1992 | Annaamalai | Don | |
| Pandian | Parameshwaran | ||
| 1993 | Rojavai Killathe | Peter | |
| 1995 | Muthu | Pratap Rayudu |
Malayalam
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Dhruvam | Hyder Marakkar | |
| Mafia | Devaraja Gowda | ||
| 1997 | Ranger | Tiger |
Hindi
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Inquilaab | Anil Raj | |
| 1987 | Jawab Hum Denge | D.J. |
As director
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Shakthi | ||
| 1989 | Bidisada Bandha | ||
| 1991 | Kaliyuga Bheema | Rajashekar Gonzales Mohammed Ali | |
| Bombay Daada | Subhash | ||
| 1993 | Mahendra Varma | Mahendra Varma | |
| 1994 | Mr.Mahesh Kumar | Mr.Mahesh Kumar | |
| 1995 | Yama Kinkara | ||
| 1997 | Arjun Abhimanyu | ||
| 1998 | Mr.Dear Tiger | ||
| 2001 | Mysore Huli | Mr Mahendra | Also Composer |
| 2005 | Good Bad Ugly |
References
- ^ [vhttps://web.archive.org/web/20010804063226fw_/http://chitraloka.com/english/action_cut/prabhakar.html "Kannada Film Lost Vaulable Actor"]. Chitraloka. Archived from the original on 4 August 2001. Retrieved 14 April 2026.
- ^ "This fighter finally met his match". The Times of India. 28 March 2001.
- ^ "'TIGER' ERA ENDS". Chitraloka. Archived 6 April 2001 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 19 October 2023.
- ^ "Chitraloka.com". Archived 2001-04-06 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2025-04-05.
- ^ "ನಟ ಟೈಗರ್ ಪ್ರಭಾಕರ್ 'ಕ್ರಿಶ್ಚಿಯನ್' ಆಗಿದ್ದೇ ತಪ್ಪಾಯ್ತಾ.?" (in kn). kannada.filmibeat.com. 2015-04-02. Retrieved 2024-01-21.
- ^ "Actor Prabhakar Dies". Chitraloka. 26 March 2001. Archived from the original on 6 April 2001. Retrieved 14 April 2026.
- ^ "Tiger forced to lie low". Indiainfo. Archived from the original on 13 December 2001. Retrieved 20 May 2026.
- ^ "This fighter finally met his match". The Times of India. Retrieved 7 March 2026.
- ^ "Vinod Prabhakar reveals the truth behind Tiger Prabhakar's death". Filmibeat Kannada. Retrieved 7 March 2026.
- ^ "Actor Tiger Prabhakar death has tragic mystery behind this". Asianet News Kannada. Retrieved 7 March 2026.
- ^ "Naari Munidare Maari--ನಾರಿ ಮುನಿದರೆ ಮಾರಿ ।Movie | Narasimharaju | Kalpana | M.P.Shankar", 2 October 2014, retrieved 2024-01-17
- ^ "Prema Mathsara (1982) Kannada movie: Cast & Crew". chiloka.com. Retrieved 2024-01-09.
- ^ "Aparadhi Nanalla | Rotten Tomatoes". www.rottentomatoes.com. Retrieved 2025-01-24.
- ^ "Kampana (1988) Kannada movie: Cast & Crew". chiloka.com. Retrieved 2023-09-01.
- ^ "Chalaki Rani Khiladi Raja". TVGuide.com. Retrieved 2023-04-25.
- ^ "Nijam Nirupistha (1972)". Indiancine.ma. Retrieved 2023-08-03.
- ^ FilmiClub. "Adavi Manushulu (1978)". FilmiClub. Retrieved 2023-10-21.
- ^ "Dongala Veta Telugu Full Movie | Krishna | JayaPrada | KongaraJaggayya | BabyRani | South CinemaHall", 4 September 2019, retrieved 2023-04-26
- ^ "Anna Thammulla Sawal (1978)". Indiancine.ma
- ^ "Iddaru Asadyule (1979)". Indiancine.ma
- ^ "Bangaru Bava (1980)". Indiancine.ma. Retrieved 2023-04-18.
- ^ "GHARANA GANGULU | TELUGU FULL MOVIE | SHOBHAN BABU | SRI DEVI | NUTHAN PRASAD | V9 VIDEOS", 23 January 2021, retrieved 2023-05-13
- ^ "Billa Ranga 1982 (1982) | Billa Ranga 1982 Telugu Movie | Billa Ranga 1982 Cast & Crew, Story, Release Date, Review, Photos, Videos". FilmiBeat. Retrieved 2023-04-16.
- ^ "Prathignya (1982)". Indiancine.ma. Retrieved 2023-04-17.
- ^ "Moogavani Paga (1983)". Indiancine.ma. Retrieved 2023-04-18.
- ^ "Palleturi Pidugu - Rotten Tomatoes". www.rottentomatoes.com. Retrieved 2023-05-13.
- ^ FilmiClub. "Ide Naa Samadhanam (1986) Complete Cast & Crew". FilmiClub. Retrieved 2023-04-21.
- ^ "Police Officer (1986)". Moviebuff
- ^ "Ravana Brahma (1986)". Indiancine.ma. Retrieved 2023-04-16.
- ^ "Rakshasa Samharam (1987)". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 2023-04-25.
- ^ "PREMA SAMRAT Telugu Movie SUMAN, BHANU PRIYA, TIGER PRABHAKAR", 21 December 2018, retrieved 2023-04-16
- ^ "PALNATI RUDRAIAH | TELUGU FULL MOVIE | SUMAN | VIJAYA SANTHI | TELUGU MOVIE ZONE", 31 January 2023, retrieved 2023-04-25
- ^ "Kettikaran | Rotten Tomatoes". www.rottentomatoes.com. Retrieved 2025-02-10.
- ^ "இது எப்படி இருக்கு திரைப்படம் | Idhu Epdi Iruku Tamil Full Movie | EXCLUSIVE | GOLDENCINEMA.", 3 July 2021, retrieved 2023-07-28
- ^ "Kaalam Bathil Sollum (1980) FULL HD Tamil Movie | #JaiShankar #Radhika #Sarathbabu #movie #oldmovies", 5 February 2023, retrieved 2023-08-01
- ^ "Thyagi Full Movie HD", 12 August 2016, retrieved 2023-09-02
External links
- Tiger Prabhakar at IMDb