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Shammi Kapoor Biography: Age, Career, Family and More

F4U Editorial Desk • Updated October 14, 2026 • 3 min read

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Quick Info

Date of birth21 October 1931

Age80 (at time of death)

BirthplaceMumbai, Maharashtra

ProfessionActor and Director

NationalityIndian

Marital statusMarried

SpouseGeeta Bali (first wife, 1955-1965); Neela Devi Gohil (second wife, 1969)

FamilySon Aditya Raj Kapoor; daughter Kanchan Desai

Shammi Kapoor Biography

Shammi Kapoor was a leading Hindi film actor and director known for his energetic dancing, romantic screen presence and later character roles. Active from

Early life and background
Shamsher Raj Kapoor was born on 21 October 1931 in Mumbai, Maharashtra. He grew up in a prominent film family: his father was Prithviraj Kapoor and his brothers included Raj Kapoor and Shashi Kapoor. He attended schools in Mumbai, including St. Joseph’s Convent and Don Bosco, and later New Era School. His formal education is recorded as matriculation.

Career
Shammi Kapoor began his film career in the early 1950s. His first credited film appearance was in Jeevan Jyoti (1953) directed by Mahesh Kaul. Over the next two decades he established himself as a distinctive romantic and dancing hero in Hindi cinema, often noted for composing his own dance steps and for a charismatic, exuberant screen persona that earned him the nickname “Elvis Presley of India.”

Through the 1950s, 1960s and into the early 1970s he headlined many commercially successful films. Notable titles associated with his stardom include Tumsa Nahi Dekha, Junglee, Kashmir Ki Kali, Rajkumar, Janwar, Teesri Manzil, Professor, Dil Deke Dekho, An Evening in Paris and Pyaar Kiya To Darna Kya. He was widely identified as the industry’s glamorized dancing hero during this period.

In 1968 Shammi Kapoor won the Filmfare Award for Best Actor for his work in Brahmachari. As his screen image and physique changed in the 1970s he transitioned into supporting roles and found success in that register as well. He received the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor in 1982 for Vidhaata, and a Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award in 1995.

Kapoor also tried his hand behind the camera, directing two films, Manoranjan (1974) and Bundle Baaz (1976). Those projects did not make a major commercial impact. He continued to act in character roles through the 1970s and beyond, appearing as a father figure in films such as Zameer (1974) and Parvarish.

Later work included television appearances in the 1990s — among them Shikast (Sony TV, 1996), Dastaan-E-Hatim Tai (DD Metro, 1996), Chattan (Zee TV, 1997) and Main Anari Tu Anari (DD Metro, 1998). One of his final film appearances was in Imtiaz Ali’s Rockstar.

Public profile
Beyond acting, Shammi Kapoor engaged with technology and online communities later in life. He served as chairman of the Internet Users Community of India and founded an organization called the Ethical Hackers Association. He also created and shared video stories about his career and family online.

He was known for personal interests that included playing musical instruments and a noted collection of classic cars and at least one Triumph motorcycle. Among the artists and colleagues he admired were the singers Mohammad Rafi and the music teams Shankar–Jaikishan and O.P. Nayyar; he counted Amitabh Bachchan as a close friend.

Personal life and family
Shammi Kapoor married actress Geeta Bali in 1955; she died in 1965. He later married Neela Devi Gohil in 1969. He had two children: a son, Aditya Raj Kapoor (born 1956), and a daughter, Kanchan Desai (born 1961), who is married to Ketan Desai. His family connections extended into the film world — he was part of the large Kapoor family that has been central to Hindi cinema for generations.

Faith and final years
Kapoor was a follower of Haidakhan Babaji of Uttarakhand. He remained active in public life into his later years, including internet advocacy and occasional performing work. On 14 August 2011 he died in Mumbai from chronic renal failure at the age of 80.

Latest updates
His legacy is remembered through his extensive body of work: more than 50 films as a lead actor and over 20 as a supporting performer, along with television roles and directorial efforts. He has been honored repeatedly with lifetime achievement awards from Indian film organizations through the 1990s and 2000s.

Editorial Review and Sources

This F4U profile is written from publicly available career and profile information, then reviewed for clarity before publication. If you spot an outdated detail about Shammi Kapoor, send the page URL and a reliable correction source to f4udotin@gmail.com.

Reference context: StarsUnfolded

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Recent Work

Rockstar

Acted in Imtiaz Ali’s film, one of his final screen appearances.

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Career Highlights

  1. Became a leading dancing romantic hero in Hindi cinema from the 1950s to early 1970s
  2. Won Filmfare Best Actor for Brahmachari (1968)
  3. Won Filmfare Best Supporting Actor for Vidhaata (1982)
  4. Received Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award (1995)
  5. Served as chairman of the Internet Users Community of India and founded the Ethical Hackers Association
Reviewed by F4U Editorial Desk

F4U profile pages are prepared from public career information, checked for readability, and updated when reliable correction sources are shared with the editorial team.

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Frequently Asked Questions

When was Shammi Kapoor born?

Shammi Kapoor was born on 21 October 1931.

What is Shammi Kapoor known for?

Shammi Kapoor is known for actor and Director.

What is Shammi Kapoor’s marital status?

Shammi Kapoor's marital status is listed as Married.

Who is Shammi Kapoor married to?

Shammi Kapoor is publicly listed as married to Geeta Bali (first wife, 1955-1965); Neela Devi Gohil (second wife, 1969).