Anil Chatterjee

Actor

Born: Calcutta, Bengal Presidency, British India

BIOGRAPHY

Anil Chatterjee (Chattopadhyay) অনিল চ্যাটার্জী (চট্টোপাধ্যায়) (25 October 1929 – 17 March 1996) was a Bengali actor in the Bengali cinema during the early fifties through the mid-nineties and is mostly remembered as a character actor. He acted or performed in about 150 movies, including a few in Hindi. He played different shades, though mostly as a character actor, as well as in leading roles and at times as an antagonist, despite the limited opportunities he received. Irrespective of the roles, he left an indelible impression on the viewers and the critics. He also acted in the leading role in a tele-serial named Naqab in the national network of Doordarshan. He is one of the very few selected actors who worked with Satyajit Ray, Ritwik Ghatak, Tapan Sinha and Mrinal Sen; with the first three directors, he performed in more than a number of occasion. His performance in the title role of the film Deshbandhu Chittaranjan [a biopic on the noted and revered freedom-fighter and barrister Chittaranjan Das (1870-1925) who was conferred the title of Deshbandhu (Friend of the Country)] won the appreciation of Basanti Devi, the wife of the Deshbandhu (she is said to have personally blessed the actor).Born in Calcutta, West Bengal, India, he graduated from St. Xaviers College, Kolkata - the institution to which he remained attached all through as an office-bearer and member of The Alumnoram Soceitas (Alumni Society) of the College. Prior to that, he completed his schooling from Delhi, having stood first in entire North India in the Senior Cambridge Examinations. In his college days, he became associated with Utpal Dutta and acted in a number of plays. He was also a Member of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly [MLA], having won the by-election from the erstwhile Chowringhee Assembly Constituency as a Left Front supported Independent candidate.