M. G. Ramachandran (17 January 1917 – 24 December 1987), popularly known by his initials "MGR", was an Indian actor, director and producer who had an extensive career primarily in Tamil language films. After starring in numerous commercially successful films from the 1950s to the early 1970s, he has continued to hold a matinée idol status in Tamil Nadu. Ramachandran made his debut in Ellis R. Dungan's 1936 film Sathi Leelavathi, where he played a police inspector. He followed it with a string of minor appearances and supporting roles in many films, notably Ashok Kumar (1941), where he played the general of emperor Ashoka's army, and as a captain in Dungan's Meera (1945).

Ramachandran's breakthrough came with his first lead role in A. S. A. Sami's swashbuckler film Rajakumari (1947) where he played a villager who marries a princess. Based on the Arabian Nights, Rajakumari was a commercially successful venture. He established himself as an action hero akin to Errol Flynn and Douglas Fairbanks in Tamil cinema with Manthiri Kumari (1950) and Marmayogi (1951). Both films had political undertones which earned Ramachandran a Robin Hood persona of being a champion for the downtrodden. His performance as the caring brother Rajendran who tries to keep his family together in En Thangai (1952) earned him critical acclaim. In 1953, he made his debut in Malayalam films opposite B. S. Saroja in Genova. Ramachandran continued to play roles which enabled him to adopt his ideas of fighting injustice meted out to the poor such as an outlaw in Malaikkallan (1954), and Nadodi Mannan (1958). In the latter, he featured in dual roles, as a king and a commoner, for the first time in his career. Both Malaikkallan and Nadodi Mannan were commercially successful, becoming the highest-grossing films of their respective release years. In addition to social dramas, Ramachandran received positive feedback and commercial success for swashbuckler films such as Alibabavum 40 Thirudargalum (1956), the first South Indian full-length colour film, Madurai Veeran (1956), Chakravarthi Thirumagal and Mahadevi (both released in 1957).

According to Ashish Rajadhyaksha and Paul Willemen in the book Encyclopedia of Indian Cinema, the success of Ramachandran's 1961 film Thirudathe, marked a beginning of transition to roles that had "a contemporary setting". He often played "a saintly member of an oppressed class". The act of showering love and affection for his family members was a recurring theme in his films during this period. The films he appeared in during the 1960s played a crucial part in his subsequent career as a politician. The 1963 comedy-drama film Periya Idathu Penn had him play a farmer who seeks revenge from his village's zamindar. The following year, he appeared in Thozhilali as a bus conductor who exposes the fraudulent methods of a rival bus company, and in Padagotti as a fisherman who resolves to end the dispute between two fishing communities. In 1965, he collaborated with Tapi Chanakya in Enga Veettu Pillai, where he featured as twins of opposite natures, one a coward and the other courageous. He also featured in B. R. Panthulu's Aayirathil Oruvan the same year as a doctor who joins, and later becomes the leader of, a rebellion against a dictator. Both the films were major commercial successes. The romantic comedy Anbe Vaa (1966), where Ramachandran played an industrialist and was his only film under AVM Productions, is considered an antithesis of the roles he was doing during this period and was also commercially successful. He continued to achieve success at the box-office with films like Arasa Kattalai and Kaavalkaaran (both released in 1967), also garnering acclaim for the latter. Ramachandran's portrayal of twins, a club dancer and a criminal, who are separated as children in Kudiyirundha Koyil (1968) garnered him the Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Actor. In 1969, he appeared as a prince who brings down a tyrant who usurps his throne and mistreats his people in K. Shankar's Adimai Penn, and as a government clerk who masquerades as a billionaire to defeat the corrupt trio of a doctor, a builder and a merchant in Nam Naadu. The former won him the Best Film at the Tamil Nadu State Film Awards.

Ramachandran began the 1970s with roles in such social dramas as Mattukkara Velan and Engal Thangam (both released in 1970), both of which enjoyed commercial success. The following year, he received the National Film Award for Best Actor for his role as a cycle rickshaw driver in Rickshawkaran, making it the first film and him the first actor from South Indian cinema to win the award. It went on to become the highest-grossing film of the year. He then directed and produced the science fiction film Ulagam Sutrum Valiban (1973) where he also starred in dual roles as brothers, a scientist and a CBI officer. It became his most commercially successful film to that point. Ramachandran retired from filmmaking in 1978 to take up his duties as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu; his last venture, entitled Madhuraiyai Meetta Sundharapandiyan, was a commercial failure.

Films

• All films are in Tamil, unless otherwise noted.

Year	Film	Role(s)	Notes	Ref(s)
1936	Sathi Leelavathi	Rangaiah Naidu
	Iru Sahodarargal	Masthaan	Credited as G. Ramachandran
1938	Dakshayagnam	Vishnu
	Veera Jagathis	Baiyan
1939	Maya Machhindra	Sooryakethu	Credited as Ramachandar
	Prahalada	Indra
1941	Vedavathi Alladhu Seetha Jananam	Indrajith
	Ashok Kumar	Mahendran	Credited as M. G. Ramachandar
1942	Tamizhariyum Perumal		Guest appearance
1943	Dhaasippen	Shiva	The film had two alternative titles: Jyothi Malar and Thumbhai Mahatmyam
1944	Harischandra	Sathyakeerthi
1945	Saalivaahanan	Vikramaditya
	Meera	Jayamal
1946	Sri Murugan	Shiva
1947	Rajakumari	Mohan
	Paithiyakkaran	Moorthy
1948	Abhimanyu	Arjuna	Credited as M. G. Ramachandar
	Raja Mukthi	Mahendra Varman
	Mohini	Vijayakumar	Credited as M. G. Ramachandar
1949	Ratnakumar	Baladevan
1950	Maruthanad Elavarasee	Kandeeban
	Manthiri Kumari	Veeramohan
1951	Marmayogi	Karikalan	Also made in Hindi as Ek Tha Raja
	Sarvadhikari	Prathapan
1952	Andhaman Kaidhi	Nataraj
	Kumari	Vijayan
	En Thangai	Rajendran
1953	Naam	Kumaran	Also producer
	Panakkaari	Sundar
	Genova	Cipresso	Malayalam film Also made in Tamil with the same title
1954	Malaikkallan	Kumaraveeran (Abdul Rahim)
	Koondukkili	Thangaraj
1955	Gulebakavali	Dasan
1956	Alibabavum 40 Thirudargalum	Ali Baba
	Madurai Veeran	Madurai Veeran
	Thaikkupin Tharam	Muthaiyan
1957	Chakravarthi Thirumagal	Udhayasuriyan
	Raja Rajan	Rajan
	Pudhumai Pithan	Jeevagan
	Mahadevi	Vallavan
1958	Nadodi Mannan	Marthandan, Veerangan	Also director and producer
1959	Thaai Magalukku Kattiya Thaali	Kanagu
1960	Baghdad Thirudan	Abu
	Raja Desingu	Tej Singh alias Desingu, Dawood Khan
	Mannathi Mannan	Manivannan
1961	Arasilankumari	Arivazhagan, Gunasekaran
	Thirudathe	Balu
	Sabaash Mapillai	Vasu
	Nallavan Vazhvan	Muthu
	Thai Sollai Thattathe	Raju
1962	Rani Samyuktha	Prithviraj Chauhan
	Madappura	Ramu
	Thayai Katha Thanayan	Sekar
	Kudumba Thalaivan	Vasu
	Paasam	Gopi
	Vikramaadhithan	Vikramaditya
1963	Panathottam	Selvam
	Koduthu Vaithaval	Selvam
	Dharmam Thalai Kaakkum	Chandran
	Kalai Arasi	Mohan, Alien
	Periya Idathu Penn	Murugappan
	Anandha Jodhi	Anand
	Neethikkupin Paasam	Gopal
	Kaanchi Thalaivan	Narasimha Pallavan (Mamallan)
	Parisu	Venu
1964	Vettaikkaran	Babu
	En Kadamai	Inspector Nathan
	Panakkara Kudumbam	Nallathambi
	Deiva Thai	Maran
	Thozhilali	Raju
	Padagotti	Manickam
	Thayin Madiyil	Raja
1965	Enga Veettu Pillai	Ilango, Ramu
	Panam Padaithavan	Raja
	Aayirathil Oruvan	Manimaran
	Kalangarai Vilakkam	Ravi
	Kanni Thai	Saravanan
	Thazhampoo	Durai
	Aasai Mugam	Manohar, Vajravelu
1966	Anbe Vaa	J. B. (Balu)
	Naan Aanaiyittal	Pandiyan
	Muharasi	Ramu
	Nadodi	Thyagu
	Chandrodayam	Chandran
	Thaali Bhagyam	Murugan
	Thanippiravi	Muthaiah
	Parakkum Pavai	Jeeva
	Petralthan Pillaiya	Anandhan
1967	Thaikku Thalaimagan	Marudhu
	Arasa Kattalai	Vijayan
	Kaavalkaaran	Mani
	Vivasaayee	Muthaiah
1968	Ragasiya Police 115	Ramu
	Ther Thiruvizha	Saravanan, Himself
	Kudiyirundha Koyil	Anand, Sekar (Babu)	Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Actor
	Kannan En Kadhalan	Kannan
	Puthiya Bhoomi	Katheeravan
	Kanavan	Valaiyan
	Oli Vilakku	Muthu
	Kadhal Vaaganam	Sundaram
1969	Adimai Penn	Vengaiya Malaiyan, Vengaiyyan	Also producer Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Film
	Nam Naadu	Durai
1970	Mattukkara Velan	Velan, Raghu
	En Annan	Rangan
	Thalaivan	Ilango
	Thedi Vandha Mappillai	Shankar
	Engal Thangam	Thangam, Himself
1971	Kumari Kottam	Gopal
	Rickshawkaran	Selvam	National Film Award for Best Actor
	Neerum Neruppum	Manivannan, Karikalan
	Oru Thai Makkal	Kannan
1972	Sange Muzhangu	Murugan
	Nalla Neram	Raju
	Raman Thediya Seethai	Raman
	Naan Yen Pirandhen	Kannan
	Annamitta Kai	Durairaj
	Idhaya Veenai	Sundaram
1973	Ulagam Sutrum Valiban	Raju, Murugan	Also director and producer
	Pattikaattu Ponnaiya	Ponnaiah, Muthaiah
1974	Netru Indru Naalai	Rathnam (Manickam), Kumar
	Urimaikural	Gopi
	Sirithu Vazha Vendum	Ramu, Rahman
1975	Ninaithadhai Mudippavan	Sundaram, Ranjith Kumar
	Naalai Namadhe	Shankar, Vijay
	Idhayakkani	Mohan
	Pallandu Vaazhga	Rajan
1976	Needhikku Thalaivanangu	Vijay
	Uzhaikkum Karangal	Ranga
	Oorukku Uzhaippavan	Selvam, Kumar
1977	Navarathinam	Thangam
	Indru Pol Endrum Vaazhga	Murugan
	Meenava Nanban	Kumaran
1978	Madhuraiyai Meetta Sundharapandiyan	Sundarapandian	Also director
1990	Avasara Police 100	Raju	Posthumous release. Archive footage of Ramachandran's unfinished film Anna Nee En Dheivam used.
1991	Nallathai Naadu Kekum	Jeeva	Posthumous release. Archive footage of Ramachandran's unfinished film of the same name used.

See also

• M. G. Ramachandran's unrealized projects