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Vijayakumar (Tamil Actor) Biography: Age, Career, Family and More

F4U Editorial Desk • Updated October 16, 2026 • 4 min read

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Quick Info

Date of birth29 August 1943

Age81 Years

BirthplaceNattuchalai village, Madras Presidency, British India (now Tamil Nadu, India)

ProfessionActor and Politician

NationalityIndian

Marital statusMarried

FamilySon: Arun Vijay; Daughters: Vanitha, Preetha, Sridevi, Kavitha, Anitha

Vijayakumar (Tamil Actor) Biography

Veteran Tamil actor and politician Vijayakumar has had a screen career spanning six decades across Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam films and television. Born p

Early life and background

Vijayakumar was born Panchaksharam Rangasamy Pillai on 29 August 1943 in Nattuchalai village, in what was then Madras Presidency, British India. He is the son of Rangasamy Pillai and Chinnammal and belongs to the Vellalar community. His birthplace and early years situate him in rural Tamil Nadu, where he later built a long career in film and public life.

Career

Vijayakumar began on screen as a child actor in 1961, portraying the young Murugan in the Tamil film Sri Valli. From that starting point he moved through a steady stream of roles in Tamil cinema across the 1960s, 1970s and beyond, appearing in films that ranged from devotional and family dramas to action and political stories.

Throughout the 1970s and 1980s he played a broad variety of characters: collectors, doctors, army officers and other leading and supporting roles in titles such as Ponnukku Thanga Manasu, Samarpanam, Aval Oru Thodar Kathai, Panayam, Oru Oodhappu Kan Simittugiradhu, Mogam Muppadhu Varusham and Deepham. He continued this prolific run into the late 1970s with performances in Unnai Suttrum Ulagam, Indru Pol Endrum Vaazhga, Ilaya Thalaimurai, Shankar Salim Simon and Aayiram Jenmangal, among others.

The 1980s and 1990s brought further recognition and a widening of his screen presence. He acted in both Tamil and Telugu productions, including the bilingual Kaali (1980) and Sawal (1981), and maintained a steady output in Tamil films such as Sattam, Apoorva Sahodarigal and Paattukku Oru Thalaivan. Vijayakumar’s performance as Periya Gounder in Cheran Pandian (1991) earned him the Cinema Express Award for Best Actor. He also received Tamil Nadu State Film Award Special Prizes for his portrayals in Kizhakku Cheemayile (1993) and Anthimanthaarai (1995).

Vijayakumar expanded into other South Indian film industries, making his Telugu film debut in Geethanjali (1989) and entering Malayalam cinema with Aayirappara (1993). He continued to be a familiar face in Tamil films through the 1990s and 2000s, appearing in films such as Engirundho Vandhan, Bharathi Kannamma, Lingaa and Singam II, and in the 2010s he took roles in Anbanavan Asaradhavan Adangadhavan and Singam III.

Television work became part of his career as well. He first appeared on Tamil television with the serial Kokila Enge Pogiraal in 1997 and later joined the cast of Sun TV’s Thangam in 2009. In 2016 he debuted on Telugu television in the Gemini TV serial Talambralu, staying with that soap opera through 2017. He also took a role in the Tamil-Kannada serial Nandini.

Politics

Vijayakumar entered public life through politics while remaining active as an actor. He was associated with the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) from the late 1970s until 2016. In 2016 he joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), citing support for the party’s leadership and its policies; he described his objective as supporting the BJP’s success in elections rather than contesting polls himself.

Public profile

Across decades Vijayakumar became known for his versatility and longevity on screen, moving from child roles to leading and character parts and winning state and industry awards for his work. His family is closely connected to the film industry: he has one son, actor Arun Vijay, and five daughters — Vanitha Vijayakumar, Preetha Vijayakumar, Sridevi Vijayakumar, Kavitha Vijayakumar and Anitha Vijayakumar — several of whom have worked as actresses. Vijayakumar was married twice; his first wife is Muthukannu Vellalar and his second wife was actress Manjula Vijayakumar, who died in 2013.

The actor’s physical description in public records lists his height at approximately 175 cm (about 5'9") and his eye colour as dark brown with salt-and-pepper hair.

Latest updates

Vijayakumar remained active into the 2010s and beyond, with appearances in films such as Lingaa (2014), Aambala (2015), Janatha Garage (2016), and the Telugu films Prati Roju Pandage and Entha Manchivaadavuraa (2019). He was also part of the ensemble cast of the much-discussed Tamil historical project Ponniyin Selvan: I in 2022. On the political front, his switch from AIADMK to the BJP in 2016 marked a notable change in his public alignment.

While his long career has included awards and a steady presence across media, his public life has also involved disputes and family controversies that have been the subject of news coverage. Nevertheless, his professional record shows consistent work across six decades in South Indian cinema and television.

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 Vijayakumar (Tamil Actor), send the page URL and a reliable correction source to f4udotin@gmail.com.

Reference context: StarsUnfolded

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Recent Work

Ponniyin Selvan: I (PS1)

Acted in the 2022 Tamil film

2022
Prati Roju Pandage

Appeared in the 2019 Telugu film

2019
Entha Manchivaadavuraa

Appeared in the 2019 Telugu film

2019
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Career Highlights

  1. Film debut as a child actor in Sri Valli (1961)
  2. Cinema Express Award for Best Actor for Cheran Pandian (1991)
  3. Tamil Nadu State Film Award Special Prize for Kizhakku Cheemayile (1993)
  4. Tamil Nadu State Film Award Special Prize for Anthimanthaarai (1995)
  5. Long career across Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam films and television
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 Vijayakumar (Tamil Actor) born?

Vijayakumar (Tamil Actor) was born on 29 August 1943.

What is Vijayakumar (Tamil Actor) known for?

Vijayakumar (Tamil Actor) is known for actor and Politician.

What is Vijayakumar (Tamil Actor)’s marital status?

Vijayakumar (Tamil Actor)'s marital status is listed as Married.