Nagesh
Nageshwaran Rao (born Cheyur Krishnarao Nageshwaran; (27 September 1933 – 31 January 2009) was an Indian actor and comedian mostly remembered for his comic roles in Tamil films during the 1960s. Nagesh was born in Dharapuram. He acted in over 1,000 films from 1958 to 2008, performing in a variety of roles as comedian, lead roles, supporting actor and antagonist. He has also acted in Telugu, Malayalam, Hindi and Kannada films. Nagesh's style of comedy was largely inspired by Hollywood actor Jerry Lewis. Similarities between Nagesh and Lewis earned Nagesh the sobriquet the "Jerry Lewis of India". He was also nicknamed as the King of Comedy due to his impeccable comedy timing and body language. He featured regularly in the film projects of M. G. Ramachandran and Sivaji Ganesan even at a time when there was a massive rift between the two leading actors in Tamil cinema at that time.
He has a unique distinction of sharing screen with lead actors belonging to three generations of Tamil film industry, starring with MGR and Sivaji Ganesan in the 1960s; Kamal Haasan and Rajnikanth in the 1980s: Vijay and Ajith before his death.
He was also a dancer. The song "Kanni Nathiyoram" in the movie Neerkumizhi shows some of his dance skills.
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