Age, Biography and Wiki

Vijayakanth (Vijayaraj Azhagarswami) was born on 25 August, 1952 in Madurai, Madras State, India, is an Indian actor and politician (1952–2023). Discover Vijayakanth's Biography, Age, Height, Physical Stats, Dating/Affairs, Family and career updates. Learn How rich is he in this year and how he spends money? Also learn how he earned most of networth at the age of 71 years old?

Popular As Vijayaraj Azhagarswami
Occupation Actor · film director · film producer · philanthropist · politician
Age 71 years old
Zodiac Sign Virgo
Born 25 August, 1952
Birthday 25 August
Birthplace Madurai, Madras State, India
Date of death 28 December, 2023
Died Place Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
Nationality India

We recommend you to check the complete list of Famous People born on 25 August. He is a member of famous Actor with the age 71 years old group.

Vijayakanth Height, Weight & Measurements

At 71 years old, Vijayakanth height is 1.73 m .

Physical Status
Height 1.73 m
Weight Not Available
Body Measurements Not Available
Eye Color Not Available
Hair Color Not Available

Who Is Vijayakanth's Wife?

His wife is Premalatha Vijayakanth (m. 1990)

Family
Parents Not Available
Wife Premalatha Vijayakanth (m. 1990)
Sibling Not Available
Children 2

Vijayakanth Net Worth

His net worth has been growing significantly in 2023-2024. So, how much is Vijayakanth worth at the age of 71 years old? Vijayakanth’s income source is mostly from being a successful Actor. He is from India. We have estimated Vijayakanth's net worth, money, salary, income, and assets.

Net Worth in 2024 $1 Million - $5 Million
Salary in 2024 Under Review
Net Worth in 2023 Pending
Salary in 2023 Under Review
House Not Available
Cars Not Available
Source of Income Actor

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Timeline

1952

Vijayaraj Alagarswami (25 August 1952 – 28 December 2023), better known by his stage name Vijayakanth, was an Indian actor and politician who worked in Tamil cinema.

He acted in over 150 films in his career spanning four decades.

Vijayakanth was born as Vijayaraj Alagarswami in Madurai on 25 August 1952.

His parents were K. N. Alagarswami and Aandal Azhagarswami.

His father ran a rice mill at Keeraithurai.

His father was apparently worried about Vijayakanth as he showed less attention and less interest towards studies but was more interested in cinema.

Vijayakanth grew up idolising M. G. Ramachandran and he displayed his passion towards community and societal issues at a young age.

Vijayakanth then went to work in the rice mill owned by his father and surprised him with his administrative skills.

1978

In 1978, Vijayakanth engaged in a photo shoot in Rasi Studios located at Madurai (now known as Rasi Digital Studios) with the aim of obtaining a film acting opportunity.

The photos which he took at Rasi Studios helped him to garner attention from film industry and it became a turning point in his career.

Vijayakanth gave credit and acknowledgment to the chief photographer of Rasi Studios, R. Asaithambi, in a few magazine interviews, indicating that the photographs taken by Asaithambi eventually helped him earn a spot in the film industry.

Vijayakanth was then cast in a supporting role as Rajnikanth's brother in En Kelvikku Enna Bathil (1978) by the director P. Madhavan; he received an advance of Indian Rupees 100 for the film.

However, Madhavan later replaced Vijayakanth with Ceylon Manohar for the role as Rajnikanth's brother after the director left unimpressed with Vijayakanth's screen presence.

He lost several film opportunities during the early stages of his acting career, as many other filmmakers shunned him, largely due to his dark skin colour.

He faced further humiliation when many lead actresses, including Raadhika Sarathkumar, Saritha, Ambika and Radha, refused to act with him due to his dark complexion during this initial phase of his career.

1979

He changed his name to "Vijayakanth", dropping the "Raj" out of his name and adding the suffix "Kanth", when he made his first film appearance in M. A. Kaja's Inikkum Ilamai (1979).

That film was, however, both a critical and financial failure.

His subsequent films Agal Vilakku (1979), Neerottam (1980) and Saamanthippoo (1980) were also box-office flops.

1984

He was well known for his performances in Vaidehi Kathirunthal (1984), Amman Kovil Kizhakale (1986), Poonthotta Kaavalkaaran (1988), Senthoora Poove (1988), Pulan Visaranai (1990), Chinna Gounder (1992), Honest Raj (1994), Thayagam (1996) and Vaanathaippola (2000).

He won two Filmfare Awards South and three Tamil Nadu State Film Awards.

1988

For his role in Senthoora Poove, Vijayakanth won the Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Actor in 1988.

1990

He married Premalatha on 31 January 1990 and had two sons, including Shanmuga Pandian, an actor who starred in Sagaptham (2015) and Madura Veeran (2018).

Vijayakanth left Madurai to pursue his passion in acting, even though he did not have any cinematic background.

1991

He was nicknamed "Captain" following his 100th film Captain Prabhakaran (1991) and for his transformative leadership as president of the Nadigar Sangam (2000–2006), which, under his presidency, arose from a heavily indebted organisation to a charitable trust that provided benefits and pension to low-income members.

Vijayakanth has been credited in films with the title "Puratchi Kalaignar" (revolutionary artist) for often appearing in roles as a law enforcer, vigilante, or village head.

He was also nicknamed as "Karuppu M. G. R."

in recognition for his humanitarian efforts towards impoverished families and supporting struggling actors in Tamil cinema.

Vijayakanth was known for his stance on food equality on film sets, demanding that low-wage cast and crew members must be given the same quality meals that he was served.

For a few films, he also accepted deferred remuneration to help struggling producers.

He was known for his "open and bold stance" during his political career.

1996

In 1996, he was awarded the Tamil Nadu State Film Award Special Prize for his role in Thayagam.

He was also the recipient of two Cinema Express Awards and one Filmfare Awards South.

Vijayakanth was one of very few Tamil lead actors to have acted only in Tamil films throughout his career.

His films have mostly been dubbed into Telugu and Hindi.

He earned several nicknames from fans and co-stars throughout his career.

2001

He was awarded the Kalaimamani in 2001, the highest civilian award in Tamil Nadu.

2005

After founding the Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK) in 2005, he served as an MLA twice, representing the constituencies of Virudhachalam and Rishivandiyam respectively from 2006 to 2016.

2011

The DMDK saw early success as it won the second-most seats in the 2011 election and Vijayakanth became the leader of the opposition in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly, serving until 2016.

He remained leader of the DMDK during his health decline and until his death in 2023.

In January 2024, he was posthumously awarded India's third-highest civilian honour, the Padma Bhushan, by the Government of India.