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Kamal Haasan Biography: Age, Career, Family and More

F4U Editorial Desk • Updated September 6, 2026 • 6 min read

Quick Info

Date of birth7 November 1954

Age71 Years

BirthplaceParamakudi, Tamil Nadu, India

ProfessionActor, Director, Producer, and Philanthropist

NationalityIndian

Marital statusDivorced

FamilyFather - D. Srinivasan; Mother - Rajalakshmi Srinivasan; Brothers - Chandrahasan, Charuhasan; Sister - Nalini Raghu

Net worth$100 million

Kamal Haasan Biography

Kamal Haasan is an Indian actor, filmmaker and philanthropist whose career began as a child artist and has spanned decades across multiple languages. Known

Early life and background

Kamal Haasan was born on 7 November 1954 in Paramakudi, Tamil Nadu. Brought up in Chennai, he attended local schools including Sir M.Ct. Muthiah Chettiar Boys Higher Secondary School and Hindu Higher Secondary School. He is the son of D. Srinivasan, a lawyer, and Rajalakshmi Srinivasan, and has siblings Chandrahasan, Charuhasan and Nalini Raghu.

Career

Haasan’s screen debut came as a child artist in the film Kalathur Kannamma (1959), a performance that earned early recognition. As he matured he moved into leading roles and expanded his work behind the camera, building a reputation as an actor, director and producer. Over the years he has worked in many Indian languages including Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, Hindi and Bengali.

He has been credited with a wide range of achievements in Indian cinema: winning multiple National Awards for best actor, earning more than 18 Filmfare Awards, and appearing in films that have received international attention. Notable career highlights include contributing to Pushpaka Vimana, a unique Indian colour silent film, and playing ten distinct characters in the multi-role film Dasavathaaram. His film Nayagan has been recognized among the greatest films by international publications, and the long-gestating project Marudhanayagam received a high-profile inauguration during its development.

Haasan has also worked off-camera in the industry, including serving as a technician on major film sets. He became one of the first Indian actors to command top fees during his career and is reported to have been the first Indian actor to receive a salary of 1 crore INR in 1994.

Public profile

Often called by the moniker "Universal Hero," Haasan is also a trained Bharatanatyam dancer with an interest in literature and reading. He founded a welfare organization, Kamal Narpani Iyakkam, which has organized blood and eye donation campaigns and earned recognition for its social work.

His career has not been without controversy. Several of his films and public projects have drawn protests and opposition from political groups at different times. In 2013, his film Viswaroopam faced organized protests and distribution challenges. He has also been involved in disputes over film titles and faced complaints related to public programming and statements.

Personal life

Haasan has been married and divorced twice. He was married to Vani Ganapathy from 1978 to 1988 and to Sarika Thakur from 1988 to 2004. He has two daughters who are public figures: Shruti Haasan and Akshara Haasan. He does not have any sons. In later years he had a public relationship with actress Gautami Tadimalla from 2004 to 2016.

Favorites and traits

Reported personal preferences include a liking for Karimeen fish and an admiration for actors such as Nagesh, Shivaji Ganesan, M.G. Ramachandran and Rajesh Khanna. He has cited Sridevi and Sripriya among actresses he favors, and listed films such as Bicycle Thief, Mughal-e-Azam and Sholay among those he respects. Musicians he has named include Naushad and Ilaiyaraaja.

Latest updates

Haasan continued to receive industry recognition into the 2020s. He won the Best Actor (Tamil) award at the 11th South Indian International Movie Awards (SIIMA) in 2023 for his work in Vikram. Subsequent honors include a SIIMA award in 2025 for a Telugu role in Kalki 2898 AD and the Paidi Jairaj Award at the Telangana Gaddar Film Awards in 2026. After the success of Vikram in 2022 he was publicly noted for generous gestures to collaborators.

Throughout his career Haasan has been noted for performing many of his own stunts, an undertaking that has led to multiple injuries. He has also expressed a long-standing interest in directing and in experimental film projects that challenge mainstream formats.
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Recent Work

Vikram

Earned Best Actor (Tamil) award at SIIMA in 2023; noted for post-release gestures to collaborators.

2022
Kalki 2898 AD

Won SIIMA Best Actor in a Negative Role – Telugu in 2025.

2025
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Career Highlights

  1. Debuted as a child artist in Kalathur Kannamma (1959)
  2. Trained Bharatanatyam dancer
  3. Won multiple National Awards and more than 18 Filmfare Awards
  4. Played ten roles in Dasavathaaram
  5. Pushpaka Vimana, a colour silent Indian film
  6. Nayagan listed among TIME's greatest films
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Net Worth

$100 million

Figures are editorial estimates based on publicly available reporting and may change as new information emerges.

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Frequently Asked Questions

When was Kamal Haasan born?

7 November 1954

What is Kamal Haasan known for?

Actor, Director, Producer, and Philanthropist

What is Kamal Haasan’s marital status?

Divorced

What is Kamal Haasan’s net worth?

$100 million