The 1990s marked a golden era in Bollywood, witnessing the rise of iconic actors who left an indelible mark on Indian cinema. From mesmerizing performances to blockbuster hits, these actors defined the essence of Hindi cinema during that decade.
In this retrospective journey, we pay homage to the legendary Bollywood superstars who captivated audiences and ruled the silver screen throughout the 90s. Join us as we reminisce about the charisma, talent, and influence of the top 20 actors who were the epitome of stardom in Bollywood’s most iconic era.
Top Bollywood Actors of the 90s List
| Serial No | Actor | Notable Works |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dilip Kumar | Jugnu, Andaz, Devdas, Naya Daur, etc. |
| 2 | Govinda | Hero No. 1, Dulhe Raja, Coolie No. 1, etc. |
| 3 | Anil Kapoor | Slumdog Millionaire, Various Bollywood films |
| 4 | Salman Khan | Various Indian films, Being Human charity |
| 5 | Dharmendra | Member of Parliament, BJP |
| 6 | Boman Irani | 3 Idiots, Munnabhai M.B.B.S., etc. |
| 7 | Raj Babbar | Itihas, Kalyug, Bodyguard, etc. |
| 8 | Amitabh Bachchan | Zanjeer, Padma awards, Bollywood titles |
| 9 | Shah Rukh Khan | Karan Arjun, Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, etc. |
| 10 | Satish Kaushik | Ram Lakhan, Saajan Chale Sasural, etc. |
| 11 | Kishore Kumar | Playback singer, Composer, Actor, etc. |
| 12 | Dalip Tahil | Raaz Ki Baaten, Agra, Uttar Pradesh |
| 13 | Rajpal Yadav | Comedy roles, Lead role in Kushti |
| 14 | Suniel Shetty | Balwaan, Dhadkan, Welcome to New York, etc. |
| 15 | Rajinikanth | Apoorva Raagangal, Padma awards |
| 16 | Akshay Kumar | Phool Aur Kaante, National Film Award |
| 17 | Sunil Dutt | Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports |
| 18 | Om Puri | Aakrosh, Various Indian Cinema |
| 19 | Ajay Devgn | Phool Aur Kaante, Increased earnings |
| 20 | Nana Patekar | Tirangaa, Krantiveer, Donated to charity |
1. Dilip Kumar
Dilip Kumar is an Indian Actor who is also a producer, and writer known for his Notable work in many films such as Jugnu (1947), Andaz (1949), Deedar (1951), Aan (1952), Devdas (1955), Naya Daur (1957) and many more films. He was born on 11 December 1922 in Peshawar, Pakistan, while his current residence in Pali Hill, Bandra, Mumbai, Maharashtra. He was honoured with 8 Filmfare Awards for Best Actor.
2. Govinda
Govinda is an Indian actor, dancer, comedian and former politician from Indian National Congress. Govinda was born on 21 December 1963 in Mumbai, Maharashtra, best known for his dancing skills. He currently living in Maharashtra, acted since 1986. Govinda appeared in several films, such as “Hero No. 1 (1997)”, “Dulhe Raja (1998)”, “Coolie No. 1 (1995)”, “Raja Babu (1994)”, and many more.
3. Anil Kapoor
Anil Kapoor is a famous Bollywood actor and producer who acted in various Indian films; he was born on 24 December 1956 in Bombay. As well as he also appeared in Hollywood films such as “Slumdog Millionaire”. He is also honoured with several film awards by the Bollywood industry.
4. Salman Khan
Salman Khan is a famous actor, singer, producer and television personality born on 27th December 1965 in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, currently residing in Maharashtra. He is also a film producer, Singer and T.V. presenter at 10 Ka Dum and Bigg Boss. He started his film career in 1988 and acted in various Indian films. He also operates the Being Human charity foundation to help orphans.
5. Dharam Singh Deol
Dharam Singh Deol is an Indian Actor who is also a member of the Bhartiya Janta Party; he joined the office in 2004 as a Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha for Bikaner. He was born on 8 December 1935 in Nasrali, Punjab and completed his education at Ramgarhia College, Phagwara.
6. Boman Irani
Boman Irani is a famous Bollywood actor, voice artist and photographer. He is known for his notable roles in many Bollywod films such as “3-Idiots-2009” as Viru Sahastrabuddhe (Virus), “Munnabhai M.B.B.S. 2003” as Dr. J. C. Asthana and many more. He was born on 2 December 1959 in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India.
7. Raj Babbar
Raj Babbar, popular as the Bollywood actor, is also a Politician from the Indian National Congress party. He was born on 23 June 1952 in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, and debuted in many Bollywood movies such as Itihas, Kissa Kursi Ka, Kalyug, Prem Geet, Body Guard and many more. Raj Babbar assumed Rajya Sabha’s office on 14 March 2015.
8. Amitabh Bachchan
Amitabh Bachchan is popularly known as a television presenter, Actor, producer, and singer born on 11 October 1942 in Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, while living in Maharashtra. Amitabh Bachchan is a firebrand of the Bollywood industry, honoured with many awards such as Padma Vibhushan 2015, Padma Bhushan 2001 and Padma Shri 1984. People also call him many other names, such as Angry Young Man, Shahenshah of Bollywood, Star of the Millennium and Big B. His first most successful movie was Zanjeer in 1970S. He is also one of the richest people from Uttar Pradesh, His net worth is more than 400 million U.S. Dollars.
9. Shah Rukh Khan
In the 1990s, King Khan produced back-to-back box office successes. The actor who starred in such blockbuster hits as Karan Arjun and Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge demanded Rs 30 Lakhs per film, and subsequently captivated the audience in Dil To Pagal Hai, Yes Boss, and Pardes.
10. Satish Kaushik
Satish Kaushik is a famous director, producer and actor in Indian film industry. He was born on 13th April 1956 in Dhanounda Village, Mahendragarh, Haryana. Kaushik started his career asana assistant director to Shekhar Kapoor in Masoom movie.
Satish Kaushik was also awarded Filmfare Best Comedian Award twice for Ram Lakhan and Saajan Chale Sasural movies. His estimated net worth is 8,505,620 dollars. Some of his famous characters in Bollywood movies like “Calendar” in Mr India. Pappu pager in Deewana Mastana and “Chanu Ahmed” in British film Brick lane.
11. Kishore Kumar
Abhas Kumar Ganguly, better known as Kishore Kumar in the Bollywood industry, was an Indian Actor, Playback singer, Composer, Writer, producer and writer also. He was one of the most popular playback singers who sang in many Indian language,s such as Assamese, Gujarati, Bengali, Marathi, Kannada, Bhojpuri and Malayalam. He was born on 4 August 1929 in Khandwa, Central Provinces, British India.
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Dalip Tahil is also listed in the list of Famous Bollywood Actors from Uttar Pradesh. Dalip debuted in many bollywood movies, theatre and cinema. As well, he also released a music album, “Raaz Ki Baaten”. He was born on 30 October 1952 in Agra, Uttar Pradesh and completed his from elite Sherwood College in Nainital. Thereafter he completed his graduation from Aligarh Muslim University.
13. Rajpal Yadav
Rajpal Yadav is a big comedy icon in Bollywood who gained popularity due to their excellent comedy talent. He debuted in many Bollywood films and played a lead role in Kushti’s movie, released in 2009. He was born on 16 March 1971 in Shahjahanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India and completed his education at the National School of Drama, UP.
14. Suniel Shetty
Sunil Veerappa Shetty is an Indian actor, entrepreneur, and producer better known as Suniel Shetty in the Bollywood Industry. He was born on 11 August 1961 in Mulki, Mysore State, and resides in Karnataka. Suniel has predominantly worked in Bollywood since 1992 and acted in Malayalam, Tamil and English films. In the Bollywood industry, he served in more than 110 films. served in many famous movies like Balwaan, Dilwale, Gopi Kishan, Dhadkan, Bhagam Bhag, Mission Istaanbul, Welcome to New York etc
15. Rajinikanth
Rajinikanth is a famous actor, screenwriter, producer, politician and philanthropist whose official name is Shivaji Rao Ramoji Rao Gaekwad. He was born on 12th December 1949 in Bangalore City, Mysore State (now Karnataka), India. He is the highest-paid actor in Asia after Jackie Chan. He made his first debut with the movie Apoorva Raagangal. His films did a massive blast at the Indian boxing office.
He is an Indian film actor and politician. He works primarily in Tamil cinema. Now he is a great actor in Bollywood. He is a role model for young actors. The Government of India honoured him with the Padma Bhushan in 2000. In 2016, The Government of India honoured him with Padma Vibhushan for his contributions to the arts. His net worth is $55 million U.S. dollars.
16. Akshay Kumar
Akshay Kumar is a Bollywood actor, producer, and presenter who start his film career in 1991 and earn many achievements. He was born on 9 September 1967 in Amritsar, Punjab. He is known as the wealthiest Punjab person currently resides in Mumbai, Maharashtra. He completed his education at Guru Nanak Khalsa College. Akshay kumar was awarded National Film Award in 2017, Padam Shri in 2009, and many others.
17. Sunil Dutt
Sunil Dutt is an Indian film actor, popularly known as Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports. He is also known as Balraj Dutt, sometimes referred to as producer and director. He assumed office in 1984 as a Member of Parliament. His son Sanjay Dutt is also a Bollywood actor. Sunil was born on 6 June 1928 in Jhelum, Punjab.
18. Om Puri
Om Puri was an Indian actor who debuted in many Bollywood films in 1972. He gained popularity for his author-backed role in the movie Aakrosh, released in 1980. Apart from this, he also acted in various films in Indian Cinema. He received many awards and achievements in his film career. He was born on 18 October 1950 in Ambala.
19. Ajay Devgn
The promising actor made his Bollywood debut with the film Phool Aur Kaante. According to reports, he earned Rs 70 Lakhs per film in the 1990s. Even though his early films failed to resonate with audiences, the actor’s career advanced over time, and his earnings increased.
20. Nana Patekar
After his groundbreaking performances in films such as Tirangaa and Krantiveer, the actor increased his fee to Rs 50 Lakhs. According to reports, he donated 90% of his income to charity.
Conclusion
As we conclude our journey through the top 20 Bollywood actors of the 90s, it’s evident that this era was truly a golden age in Indian cinema. These iconic superstars not only entertained audiences with their memorable performances but also became cultural icons, leaving an enduring legacy that continues to inspire generations of actors and fans alike.
Their contributions to Bollywood have shaped the industry and left an indelible mark on its history. As we look back with nostalgia and reverence, we celebrate the timeless charm and talent of these actors, who will forever remain etched in the hearts of moviegoers as the true stars of the 90s era.