Dharam Singh Deol

Dharam Singh Deol (born 8 December 1935, known mononymously as Dharmendra), is an Indian film actor, producer, and politician. In 1997, he received the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award for his contribution to Hindi cinema.
He was a member of the 14th Lok Sabha of India, representing Bikaner constituency in Rajasthan from Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). In 2012, he was awarded India's third-highest civilian honour Padma Bhushan by the Government of India.

Early life

Dharmendra was born Dharam Singh Deol in Nasrali, a village in Ludhiana district, Punjab on 8 December, 1935 to Kewal Kishan Singh Deol and Satwant Kaur in a Punjabi Jat Sikh family,His ancestral village is Dangon, near Pakhowal Tehsil Raikot, Ludhiana.
He spent his early life in the village of Sahnewal and studied at Government Senior Secondary School at Lalton Kalan, Ludhiana, where his father was the village school's headmaster He did his intermediate studies at Ramgarhia College, Phagwara in 1952.

Career

Film actor

Dharmendra won the famous Nationally organised Filmfare magazine's new talent award and went to Mumbai from Punjab, to work in the movie promised, being the award winner, but the movie was never made. He later made his debut with Arjun Hingorani's Dil Bhi Tera Hum Bhi Tere in 1960.He had a supporting role in the film Boy Friend in 1961, and was cast as the romantic interest in several films between 1960 and 1967.
Dharmendra has worked with all members of the Kapoor family except for Prithviraj and Kareena Kapoor. He has periodically made films in his native tongue of Punjabi, starring in Kankan De Ohle (Special Appearance) (1970), Do Sher (1974), Dukh Bhanjan Tera Naam (1974), Teri Meri Ik Jindri (1975), Putt Jattan De (1982) and Qurbani Jatt Di (1990). Throughout the 1980s and 1990s he continued to appear in many Hindi films in both leading and supporting roles.Dharmendra in October 2012

Television

In 2011, Dharmendra replaced Sajid Khan as the male judge of the third series of popular reality show India's Got Talent.
On 29 July 2011, India's Got Talent aired on Colors with Dharmendra as the new judge and surpassed the opening ratings of the previous two seasons.

Film producer

In 1983 Deol set up a production company known as Vijayta Films. In its maiden venture Betaab, released in 1983,Vijayta Films launched Sunny Deol as the lead actor. The movie was the second highest-grossing movie of the year. In 1990 he produced the action film Ghayal, also starring Sunny. The film won seven Filmfare Awards, including the Best Movie Award. It won the National Film Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment. Dharmendra then launched the career of his younger son, Bobby, in 1995 in Barsaat.