Events

293 BC – The oldest known Roman temple to Venus is dedicated.

778 – The Battle of Roncevaux Pass, at which Roland is killed.

927 – The Saracens conquer and destroy Taranto.

982 – Holy Roman Emperor Otto II is defeated by the Saracens in the battle of Capo Colonna, in Calabria

1018 – Byzantine general Eustathios Daphnomeles blinds and captures Ibatzes of Bulgaria by a ruse, thereby ending Bulgarian resistance against Emperor Basil II's conquest of Bulgaria.

1040 – King Duncan I is killed in battle against his first cousin and rival Macbeth. The latter succeeds him as King of Scotland.

1057 – King Macbeth is killed at the Battle of Lumphanan by the forces of Máel Coluim mac Donnchada.

1185 – The cave city of Vardzia is consecrated by Queen Tamar of Georgia.

1281 – Mongol invasion of Japan: The Mongolian fleet of Kublai Khan is destroyed by a "divine wind" for the second time in the Battle of Kōan.

1248 – The foundation stone of Cologne Cathedral, built to house the relics of the Three Wise Men, is laid. (Construction is eventually completed in 1880.)

1261 – Michael VIII Palaeologus is crowned Byzantine emperor in Constantinople.

1309 – The city of Rhodes surrenders to the forces of the Knights of St. John, completing their conquest of Rhodes. The knights establish their headquarters on the island and rename themselves the Knights of Rhodes.

1430 – Francesco Sforza, lord of Milan, conquers Lucca.

1461 – The Empire of Trebizond surrenders to the forces of Sultan Mehmet II. This is regarded by some historians as the real end of the Byzantine Empire. Emperor David is exiled and later murdered.

1483 – Pope Sixtus IV consecrates the Sistine Chapel.

1511 – Afonso de Albuquerque of Portugal conquers Malacca, the capital of the Sultanate of Malacca.

1517 – Seven Portuguese armed vessels led by Fernão Pires de Andrade meet Chinese officials at the Pearl River estuary.

1519 – Panama City, Panama, is founded.

1534 – Saint Ignatius of Loyola and six classmates take initial vows, leading to the creation of the Society of Jesus in September 1540.

1537 – Asunción, Paraguay, is founded.

1540 – Arequipa, Peru, is founded.

1549 – Jesuit priest Saint Francis Xavier comes ashore at Kagoshima (Traditional Japanese date: July 22, 1549).

1599 – Nine Years War: Battle of Curlew Pass – Irish forces led by Hugh Roe O'Donnell successfully ambush English forces, led by Sir Conyers Clifford, sent to relieve Collooney Castle.

1695 – French forces end the Bombardment of Brussels, leaving a third of the buildings in the city in ruins.

1760 – Seven Years' War: Battle of Liegnitz – Frederick the Great's victory over the Austrians under Ernst von Laudon.

1843 – The Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace in Honolulu, Hawaii is dedicated. Now the cathedral of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Honolulu, it is the oldest Roman Catholic cathedral in continuous use in the United States.

1843 – Tivoli Gardens, one of the oldest still intact amusement parks in the world, opens in Copenhagen, Denmark.

1863 – The Anglo-Satsuma War begins between the Satsuma Domain of Japan and the United Kingdom (Traditional Japanese date: July 2, 1863).

1869 – The Meiji government in Japan establishes six new ministries, including one for Shinto.

1907 – Ordination in Constantinople of Fr. Raphael Morgan, first African-American Orthodox priest, "Priest-Apostolic" to America and the West Indies.

1914 – A male servant of American architect Frank Lloyd Wright sets fire to the living quarters of the architect's Wisconsin home, Taliesin, murders seven people and burns the living quarters to the ground.

1914 – The Panama Canal opens to traffic with the transit of the cargo ship .

1914 – The First Russian Army, led by Pavel Rennenkampf, enters Eastern Prussia.

1935 – Will Rogers and Wiley Post are killed after their aircraft develops engine problems during takeoff in Barrow, Alaska.

1939 – 13 Stukas dive into the ground during a disastrous air-practice at Neuhammer. There are no survivors.

1940 – An Italian submarine torpedoes and sinks the Greek cruiser ''Elli'' at Tinos harbour during peacetime, marking the most serious Italian provocation prior to the outbreak of the Greco-Italian War in October.

1941 – Corporal Josef Jakobs is executed by firing squad at the Tower of London at 7:12am, making him the last person to be executed at the Tower for treason.

1942 – World War II: Operation Pedestal – The reaches the island of Malta barely afloat carrying vital fuel supplies for the island's defenses.

1944 – World War II: Operation Dragoon – Allied forces land in southern France.

1945 – World War II: Japan surrenders to end the war.

1947 – India gains Independence from the British Indian Empire and joins the Commonwealth of Nations.

1947 – Founder of Pakistan, Muhammad Ali Jinnah is sworn in as first Governor General of Pakistan in Karachi.

1948 – The Republic of Korea is established south of the 38th parallel north.

1952 – A flash flood drenches the town of Lynmouth, England, killing 34 people.

1954 – Alfredo Stroessner begins his dictatorship in Paraguay.

1960 – Republic of the Congo (Brazzaville) becomes independent from France.

1961 – Conrad Schumann flees from East Germany while on duty guarding the construction of the Berlin Wall.

1962 – James Joseph Dresnok defects to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea after running across the Korean DMZ. Dresnok still resides in the capital, Pyongyang.

1963 – Execution of Henry John Burnett, the last man to be hanged in Scotland.

1963 – President Fulbert Youlou is overthrown in the Republic of Congo, after a three-day uprising in the capital.

1965 – The Beatles play to nearly 60,000 fans at Shea Stadium in New York City, in an event later seen as marking the birth of stadium rock.

1969 – The Woodstock Music and Art Festival opens.

1971 – President Richard Nixon completes the break from the gold standard by ending convertibility of the United States dollar into gold by foreign investors.

1971 – Bahrain gains independence from the United Kingdom.

1973 – Vietnam War: The United States bombing of Cambodia ends.

1974 – Yuk Young-soo, First Lady of South Korea, is killed during an apparent assassination attempt upon President of South Korea, Park Chung-hee.

1975 – Bangladesh's founder Sheikh Mujibur Rahman is killed along with most members of his family during a military coup.

1975 – Miki Takeo makes the first official pilgrimage to Yasukuni Shrine by an incumbent prime minister on the anniversary of the end of World War II.

1977 – The Big Ear, a radio telescope operated by Ohio State University as part of the SETI project, receives a radio signal from deep space; the event is named the "Wow! signal" from the notation made by a volunteer on the project.

1984 – The PKK in Turkey starts a campaign of armed attacks upon the Turkish military

1995 – In South Carolina, Shannon Faulkner becomes the first female cadet matriculated at The Citadel (she drops out less than a week later).

1998 – Omagh bomb in Northern Ireland, the worst terrorist incident of The Troubles

1999 – Beni Ounif massacre in Algeria; some 29 people are killed at a false roadblock near the Moroccan border, leading to temporary tensions with Morocco.

2005 – Israel's unilateral disengagement plan to evict all Israelis from the Gaza Strip and from four settlements in the northern West Bank begins.

2007 – An 8.0-magnitude earthquake off the Pacific coast devastates Ica and various regions of Peru killing 514 and injuring 1,090.

Births

1171 – King Alfonso IX of Leon (d. 1230)

1195 – Anthony of Padua, Portuguese saint (d. 1231)

1432 – Luigi Pulci, Italian poet (d. 1484)

1575 – Bartol Kašić, Croatian writer and linguist (d. 1650)

1613 – Gilles Ménage, French scholar (d. 1692)

1717 – Blind Jack, English roadbuilder (d. 1810)

1740 – Matthias Claudius, German poet (d. 1815)

1769 – Napoleon Bonaparte, Corsican-born French military officer and Emperor of France (d. 1821)

1771 – Sir Walter Scott, Scottish novelist and poet (d. 1832)

1785 – Thomas De Quincey, English author (d. 1859)

1813 – Jules Grévy, French statesman (d. 1891)

1844 – Thomas-Alfred Bernier, Canadian journalist and politician (d. 1908)

1856 – Ivan Franko, Ukrainian writer (d. 1916)

1857 – Albert Ballin, German shipping tycoon (d. 1918)

1858 – E. Nesbit, English author (d. 1924)

1859 – Charles Comiskey, American baseball owner (d. 1931)

1860 – Henrietta Vinton Davis, American elocutionist (d. 1941)

1860 – Florence Harding, American First Lady (d. 1924)

1863 – Alexei Krylov, Russian engineer and mathematician (d. 1945)

1865 – Usui Mikao, Japanese spiritual figure (d. 1926)

1872 – Sri Aurobindo, Indian writer and philosopher (d. 1950)

1875 – Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, English composer (d. 1912)

1876 – Stylianos Gonatas, Greek military officer and politician (d. 1966)

1877 – Tachiyama Mineemon, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 22^nd Yokozuna (d. 1941)

1878 – Pyotr Nikolayevich Wrangel, Russian counter-revolutionary (d. 1928)

1879 – Ethel Barrymore, American actress (d. 1959)

1881 – Alfred Wagenknecht, German-born American activist (d. 1956)

1883 – Ivan Meštrović, Croatian sculptor (d. 1962)

1885 – Edna Ferber, American novelist (d. 1968)

1886 – Bill Whitty, Australian cricketer (d. 1974)

1890 – Elizabeth Bolden, American Supercentenarian (d. 2006)

1890 – Jacques Ibert, French composer (d. 1962)

1892 – Louis, 7th duc de Broglie, French physicist, Nobel Prize Laureate (d. 1987)

1893 – Leslie Comrie, New Zealand astronomer and mechanical computation designer (d. 1950)

1896 – Gerty Cori, Austrian biochemist, Nobel Prize Laureate (d. 1957)

1896 – Catherine Doherty, Russian-born Canadian activist (d. 1985)

1896 – Paul Outerbridge, American photographer (d. 1958)

1896 – Leon Theremin, Russian inventor (d. 1993)

1898 – Jan Brzechwa, Polish poet (d. 1966)

1900 – Estelle Brody, American actress (d. 1995)

1901 – Pyotr Novikov, Russian mathematician (d. 1975)

1904 – George Klein, Canadian inventor (d. 1992)

1905 – Emile St. Godard, Canadian dog sled racer (d. 1948)

1909 – Hugo Winterhalter, American composer and bandleader (d. 1973)

1910 – Signe Hasso, Swedish actress (d. 2002)

1912 – Julia Child, American cook and TV personality (d. 2004)

1912 – Dame Wendy Hiller, English actress (d. 2003)

1914 – Paul Rand, American graphic designer (d. 1996)

1916 – Aleks Çaçi, Albanian writer (d. 1989)

1917 – Jack Lynch, Irish politician (d. 1999)

1917 – Óscar Romero, El Salvadorian Roman Catholic priest (d. 1980)

1919 – Huntz Hall, American actor (d. 1999)

1919 – Benedict Kiely, Irish author (d. 2007)

1922 – Lukas Foss, German-born composer (d. 2009)

1922 – Leonard Baskin, American sculptor and graphic artist (d. 2000)

1922 – Giorgos Mouzakis, Greek songwriter and musician (d. 2005)

1923 – Rose Marie, American actress

1924 – Robert Bolt, English playwright and screenwriter (d. 1995)

1924 – Werner Abrolat, German actor (d. 1997)

1925 – Mike Connors, American actor

1925 – Oscar Peterson, Canadian jazz pianist (d. 2007)

1925 – Bill Pinkney, American baritone singer (d. 2007)

1926 – Sami Michael, Iraqi-born Israeli author

1926 – Costis Stephanopoulos, Greek politician

1927 – Eddie Leadbeater, England cricketer (d. 2011)

1928 – Nicolas Roeg, English film director

1929 – Georgios Roubanis, Greek athlete

1930 – Ageeda Paavel, Estonian freedom fighter

1933 – Bobby Helms, American pop singer (d. 1997)

1933 – Jim Lange, American game show host

1934 – Bobby Byrd, American soul/funk singer (d. 2007)

1934 – Nino Ferrer, French-Italian singer (d. 1998)

1934 – Reginald Scarlett, West Indian cricketer

1935 – Jim Dale, English actor

1935 – Vernon Jordan Jr., American presidential advisor

1935 – Lionel Taylor, American football player

1938 – Maxine Waters, American politician

1938 – Janusz A. Zajdel, Polish writer

1940 – Gudrun Ensslin, German terrorist (d. 1977)

1940 – Rita Shane, American soprano

1941 – Manolis Mavrommatis, Greek politician

1942 – Larry Hartsell, American martial arts instructor (d. 2007)

1943 – María Rojo, Mexican actress and politician

1944 – Linda Ellerbee, American journalist

1944 – Tom Murphy, American politician

1944 – Dimitris Sioufas, Greek lawyer and politician

1944 – Sylvie Vartan, Bulgarian-French pop singer

1945 – Gene Upshaw, American football player (d. 2008)

1945 – Begum Khaleda Zia, Bangladeshi politician

1946 – Tony Robinson, English actor and television presenter

1946 – Jimmy Webb, American musician and composer

1947 – Raakhee Gulzar, Indian actress

1947 – Jenny Hanley, British TV presenter

1948 – Uschi Digard, American pornographic actress and model

1948 – Patsy Gallant, Canadian pop singer

1948 – George Ryton, British engineer

1949 – Beverly Lynn Burns, American pilot

1949 – Richard Deacon, Welsh sculptor

1949 – Garry Disher, Australian author

1949 – Mark B. Rosenberg, American educator

1950 – Tommy Aldridge, American musician

1950 – Anne, Princess Royal of the United Kingdom

1950 – Tom Kelly, American baseball manager

1951 – Ann Biderman, American film and television writer

1951 – Bobby Caldwell, American singer and musician

1951 – John Childs, England cricketer

1951 – Daba Diawara, Malian politician

1951 – Ranjan Gunatilleke, Sri Lankan cricketer

1954 – Stieg Larsson, Swedish writer (d. 2004)

1954 – Mary Jo Salter, American poet

1956 – Lorraine Desmarais, French-Canadian jazz pianist and composer

1957 – Željko Ivanek, Slovenian-American actor

1958 – Simon Baron-Cohen, British psychiatrist and author

1958 – Craig MacTavish, Canadian ice hockey player/coach

1958 – Victor Shenderovich, Russian satirist

1958 – Rondell Sheridan, American actor and comedian

1958 – Laurie Bembenek, American convicted murderer and fugitive (d. 2010)

1961 – Ed Gillespie, American White House counsel to George W. Bush

1961 – Gary Kubiak, American football coach

1962 – Tom Colicchio, American chef

1963 – Alejandro González Iñárritu, Mexican film director

1963 – Jack Russell, England cricketer

1963 – Valery Levaneuski, entrepreneur, politician, former political prisoner

1964 – Melinda French Gates, American wife of Bill Gates

1965 – Rob Thomas, American writer

1966 – Scott Brosius, American baseball player

1966 – Shirley Kwan, Hong Kong singer

1966 – Dimitris Papadopoulos, Greek basketball player

1967 – Peter Hermann American actor

1968 – Debra Messing, American actress

1969 – Kevin Cheng, Hong Kong actor and singer

1969 – Cris Judd, American actor/choreographer

1969 – Bernard Fanning, Australian singer/songwriter (Powderfinger)

1970 – Anthony Anderson, American comedian and actor

1970 – Maddie Corman, American actress

1970 – Ben Silverman, American TV executive

1972 – Ben Affleck, American actor

1972 – Chris Morrissey, American film director/actor

1972 – Matthew Wood, American actor and sound editor

1972 – Jennifer Alexander, Canadian ballet dancer (d. 2007)

1973 – Adnan Sami, British-born Pakastani music composer and singer

1973 – Adam Willard, American musician (The Offspring)

1974 – Natasha Henstridge, Canadian actress

1974 – Tomasz Suwary, Polish footballer

1975 – Bertrand Berry, American football player

1975 – Vijay Bharadwaj, Indian cricketer

1975 – Brendan Morrison, Canadian hockey player

1975 – Kara Wolters, American basketball player

1976 – Boudewijn Zenden, Dutch football player

1977 – Martin Biron, Canadian ice hockey goaltender

1977 – Igor Cassina, Italian gymnast

1977 – Nicole Paggi, American actress

1978 – Tim Foreman, American bassist (Switchfoot)

1978 – Lilia Podkopayeva, Ukrainian gymnast

1978 – Stavros Tziortziopoulos, Greek footballer

1978 – Kerri Walsh, American beach volleyball player

1979 – Carl Edwards, American NASCAR driver

1980 – Nathalie Press, English actress

1980 – Brandon Harrod, American songwriter

1981 – Brendan Hansen, American swimmer

1981 – Song Ji-hyo, South Korean actress

1981 – Oliver Perez, American baseball player

1982 – Casey Burgener, American weightlifter

1988 – Tiffanie Anderson, American performer (Girlicious)

1989 – Belinda, Mexican singer

1989 – Joe Jonas, American actor and singer

1989 – Carlos Pena Jr., American actor and singer (Big Time Rush)

1990 – Jennifer Lawrence, American actress

Deaths

423 – Flavius Honorius, Roman Emperor (b. 384)

778 – Roland, Frankish commander

1038 – King Stephen I of Hungary

1057 – Macbeth, King of Scotland

1118 – Alexius I Comnenus, Byzantine Emperor (b. 1048)

1196 – Conrad II, Duke of Swabia (b. 1173)

1274 – Robert de Sorbon, French theologian and educator (b. 1201)

1369 – Philippa of Hainault, Queen consort of Edward III of England

1528 – Odet de Foix, Vicomte de Lautrec, French military leader (b. 1485)

1552 – Hermann of Wied, German Catholic archbishop (b. 1477)

1621 – John Barclay, Scottish writer (b. 1582)

1666 – Johann Adam Schall von Bell, German Jesuit missionary (b. 1591)

1714 – Constantin Brâncoveanu, Prince of Wallachia (b. 1654)

1728 – Marin Marais, French composer and viol player (b. 1656)

1758 – Pierre Bouguer, French mathematician (b. 1698)

1799 – Giuseppe Parini, Italian poet (b. 1729)

1852 – Johan Gadolin, Finnish scientist (b. 1760)

1859 – Nathaniel Claiborne, American politician (b. 1777)

1880 – Adelaide Neilson, English actress (b. 1848)

1907 – Joseph Joachim, Austrian violinist (b. 1831)

1909 – Euclides da Cunha, Brazilian writer and sociologist (b. 1866)

1917 – Thomas J. Higgins, American Union Army soldier (b. 1831)

1925 – Konrad Mägi, Estonian artist (b. 1878)

1931 – Nigar Shikhlinskaya, Azerbaijani WWI nurse (b. ca. 1878)

1935 – Wiley Post, American pilot (b. 1898)

1935 – Will Rogers, American humorist and actor (b. 1879)

1935 – Paul Signac, French painter (b. 1863)

1936 – Grazia Deledda, Italian writer, Nobel Prize Laureate (b. 1871)

1942 – Mahadev Desai, personal secretary of Mahatma Gandhi (b.1892)

1945 – Korechika Anami, Japanese War Minister (b. 1887)

1951 – Artur Schnabel, Polish pianist (b. 1882)

1953 – Ludwig Prandtl, German physicist (b. 1875)

1962 – Lei Feng, Chinese revolutionary (b. 1940)

1967 – René Magritte, Belgian painter (b. 1898)

1971 – Paul Lukas, Hungarian-born actor (b. 1887)

1975 – Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Bangladeshi statesman (b. 1920)

1975 – Clay Shaw, American lawyer and John F. Kennedy assassination investigator (b. 1913)

1982 – Hugo Theorell, Swedish scientist, Nobel Prize Laureate (b. 1903)

1989 – Thrasyvoulos Tsakalotos, Greek Army officer (b. 1897)

1990 – Viktor Tsoi, Russian musician (b. 1962)

1995 – John Cameron Swayze, American journalist (b. 1906)

1999 – Sir Hugh Casson, British architect and artist (b. 1910)

2001 – Richard Chelimo, Kenyan athlete (b. 1972)

2003 – Gösta Sundqvist, Finnish songwriter and singer (heart attack) (b. 1957)

2004 – Sune Bergström, Swedish biochemist, Nobel Prize Laureate (b. 1916)

2004 – Semiha Berksoy, first Turkish opera singer (b. 1910)

2004 – Amarsinh Chaudhary, Indian politician (b. 1941)

2005 – Bendapudi Venkata Satyanarayana, Indian dermatologist (b. 1927)

2006 – Te Atairangikaahu, Māori queen (b. 1931)

2006 – Rick Bourke, Australian rugby league player (b. c. 1955)

2006 – Coenraad Bron, Dutch computer scientist (b. 1937)

2006 – Faas Wilkes, Dutch international footballer (b. 1923)

2007 – Richard Bradshaw, British opera conductor, (b. 1944)

2007 – John Gofman, American Manhattan Project scientist and advocate (b. 1918)

2007 – Geoffrey Orbell, New Zealand bush walker (b. 1908)

2007 – Sam Pollock, Canadian sports executive (b. 1925)

2008 – Jerry Wexler, American music producer (b. 1917)

2008 – James Orthwein, American businessman (b. 1924)

2008 – Leroy Sievers, American journalist (b. 1955)

2008 – Vic Toweel, South African boxer (b. 1929)

2011 – Rick Rypien, Canadian hockey player (b. 1984)

Holidays and observances

Armed Forces Day (Poland)

Christian Feast Day:

*Feast day of the Assumption of Mary, one of the Catholic Holy Day of Obligation. (Christianity, a public holiday in Austria, Belgium, Benin, Bosnia, Burundi, Cameroon, Chile, Colombia, Côte d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cyprus, France, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Hungary, Italy, Lebanon, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Mauritius, Paraguay, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Senegal, Seychelles, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Togo, and Vanuatu), and its related observances:

**Feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos (Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Churches)

**Ferragosto (Italy)

**Mother's Day (Antwerp and Costa Rica)

**National Acadian Day (Acadians)

**Navy Day (Romania)

**Virgin of Candelaria, patron of the Canary Islands. (Tenerife, Spain)

*Stanislaus Kostka

*Tarcisius

*August 15 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

Constitution Day (Equatorial Guinea)

Earliest day on which Day of Hearts can fall, while August 21 is the latest; celebrated on the third Monday in August. (area around Haarlem and Amsterdam)

Founding of Asunción (Paraguay)

Independence Day, celebrates the independence of the Republic of the Congo from France in 1960.

Independence Day, celebrates the independence of India from the United Kingdom in 1947.

Liberation Day, celebrates the independence of Korea from Japan in 1945:

*Gwangbokjeol, "Liberation Day" (South Korea)

*Jogukhaebangui nal, "Fatherland Liberation Day" (North Korea)

The first day of Flooding of the Nile, or ''Wafaa El-Nil''.(Egypt and Coptic Church)

The main day of Bon Festival (Japan)

Victory over Japan Day (United States)

External links

BBC: On This Day

On This Day in Canada

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Category:Days of the year Category:August

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Coordinates	34°03′″N118°15′″N
name	Mammootty
native name	മമ്മൂട്ടി
native name lang	ml
birth name	Muhammadkutty Ismail Panaparambil
birth date	September 07, 1951
birth place	Chempu, Kottayam, India
residence	Kochi, India
nationality	Indian
other names	Mammookka, Mammoos
alma mater	Maharajas College, Cochin
occupation	Film actor, producer, film distributor, social worker
years active	1979–present
height
title	Padmasri (1998)
spouse	Sulfath (1981–present)
children	Surumi, Dulquar Salman
awards	National Best Actor (1989, 1993, 1998)State Best Actor (2009, 2004, 1993, 1989, 1984)
website
footnotes	}}

Mammootty (, born Muhammadkutty Ismail Panaparambil on 7 September 1951 and is only next to Prem Nazir in the number of lead roles in Indian films. He also appeared in the highest number of dual roles (nine) in Malayalam film.

Mammootty was awarded the National Film Award for Best Actor three times . He also won seven Kerala State Film Awards, and eleven Filmfare Awards. He was the first (1998) Malayalam actor to be honoured with the state honour Padma Shri for contributions toward Indian cinema. He was honoured a Doctor of Letters by University of Kerala in Jan 2010 and by University of Calicut in Dec 2010. ''Vanitha'', a leading women's magazine in Malayalam, in 2004, chose Mammootty as the actor with the highest sex appeal in Kerala, following a survey among its readers.

Mammootty is Chairman of Malayalam Communications, which runs Malayalam TV channels Kairali TV, People TV, and WE TV. Mammootty has promoted humanitarian causes throughout Kerala and is the goodwill ambassador of the Akshaya project.

Family and early life

Mammootty was born and raised in Chempu near Vaikom in the Kottayam district of the state of Kerala, India in a middle class, Muslim family. He was the eldest son of the family. His father Ismail was a farmer and his mother Fatima was a housewife. He went to high school at Maharajas College, Kochi, and then studied law at Ernakulam Government Law College. He also practiced law for two years in Manjeri. He married Sulfath in 1980 and has a daughter, Surumi (b. 1982) and a son, Dulquar Salman (b. 1986). His only scene in the film was being one among a running crowd along with the lead actor Sathyan. Mammootty then was a student at the Maharajas College.

His second film was ''Kaalachakram'' (Malayalam: കാലചക്രം), a 1973 Malayalam film directed by K. Narayanan, and starring Prem Nazir and Jayabharathi. This was the first dialogued appearance of Mammootty, appearing only in one scene in the film. He acted under the screenname Sajin, but later dropped it.

His professional film career began in 1979, when he played his first lead role in ''Devalokam'', directed by veteran M. T. Vasudevan Nair. However, this film was never released.

His next film was the 1980 film, ''Vilkkanundu Swapnangal'' (Malayalam: വില്‍ക്കാനുണ്ട് സ്വപ്നങ്ങള്‍), directed by Azad, written by M. T. Vasudevan Nair, and starring Sukumaran in the lead role. The film featured Mammootty, as an antagonist in a supporting role. Voice for Mammootty in this film was dubbed by Sreenivasan.

Mammootty's first full length character was in the 1980 film ''Mela'' (Malayalam: മേള) which was written and directed by K. G. George and starring Raghu and Anjali Naidu as other lead actors. Mammootty played the antagonist in this film.

Establishing himself (1980–1983)

Mammootty began to establish himself as an actor and as a star through his film of the 1980s viz ''Sphodanam'' (directed by P. G. Viswambharan), ''Thrishna'' (directed by I.V. Sasi), etc. In 1981, he got his first state award in the Best Supporting Actor category for his performance in ''Ahimsa''. His performances in films like ''Aalkkoottathil Thaniye'' and ''Adiyozhukkukal'', scripted by M. T. Vasudevan Nair established him as an actor of substance.

The golden period (1984–1993)

In a period of five years from 1982 to 1986 Mammootty acted in more than 150 films in the lead role. In 1986 alone, he acted in about 35 films in the lead role.

The mid of 80s saw a period of tear busting stories in Malayalam film. Most of the films were tragedies. This period featured what later came to be referred to as the 'Mammootty-Kutty-Petty' films. These films had Mammootty as the protagonist, a husband and a father, with a 3–4 year old daughter, and employed in a top ranking post in a company.

His role as Karunan in ''Adiyozhukkukal'', directed by I. V. Sasi and written by M. T. Vasudevan Nair, earned him a State Award and a Filmfare Award in the Best Actor category. Mammootty won the State special jury award and Best Actor Filmfare Award for ''Yathra'' directed by Balu Mahendra, in which he played the role of a forest officer and in 1987 Thaniyavarthanam, an out standing Malayalam film written by A. K. Lohithadas and directed by Sibi Malayil and Mammootty in lead role as a master ,who lives in a village in Kerala. He has a wife (role handled by Saritha),with two children, a mother and a revolutionary brother — a typical joint family, of Kerala. In 1988 Mammootty appeared in ''Oru CBI Diary Kurippu'' which was followed by three more murder mystery sequels produced with the same cast of characters: ''Jagratha'' (1989), ''Sethurama Iyer CBI'' (2004) and ''Nerariyan CBI'' (2005). All the four films were directed by K. Madhu, penned by S. N. Swamy with Mammootty as Sethurama Iyer. Three of M. T. Vasudevan Nair’s films were acted in by Mammootty: ''Aksharangal'' (directed by I. V. Sasi), ''Sukrutham'' (directed by Harikumar), and ''Keralavarma Pazhassiraja'' (directed by Hariharan).

In 1987, he also acted in Adoor Gopalakrishnan's ''Anantaram'' which won the National Film Award for Best Director.

Mammootty appeared in the film ''Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha'', directed by Hariharan and penned by M. T. Vasudevan Nair. His depiction of a ''Chekavar'' (mercenary warrior) of distinguished valor but vilified by circumstances won him the National Film Award for Best Actor - Bharat Award. Mammootty's performance in ''Mathilukal'' directed by Adoor Gopalakrishnan was also considered for the award. His role as a hunter Varunni in ''Mrigaya'', directed by I. V. Sasi, and another film ''Mahayanam'', were also considered for the state award.

Mammootty won the Filmfare Award for his performance in ''Amaram'', directed by Bharathan. Mammootty received his second national award for his performances in Adoor Gopalakrishnan's ''Vidheyan'' and TV Chandran's ''Ponthan Mada''. Mammootty played Bhaskara Pattelar in ''Vidheyan'', which was based on a real-life character of the same name. He co-starred with Nasiruddin Shah, another noted methodist actor, in ''Ponthan Mada''. He also received state award for his roles in both films.

In 1997, he won the Filmfare Award for Best Actor for the movie ''Bhoothakannadi'' directed by Lohithadas.

Mammootty acted in In 1999, Mammootty won his third national award for ''Dr. Baba Saheb Ambedkar'', an English language movie about the life of Ambedkar, directed by Jabbar Patel. The film was sponsored by the National Film Development Corporation of India and the Ministry of Social Justice.

1994 to 2000

By the end of 1990's he had films such as Priyadarshan's ''Megham'' and Fazil's ''Harikrishnans'' in which he co-starred with actor Mohanlal. Due to immense popularity of both the actors, Fazil was forced to use multiple climaxes for the first time in India in ''Harikrishnans''.

Mammootty started of the decade (2000) with Lohithadas's ''Arayannagalude Veedu''. A critical and commercial success, it earned the Filmfare Best Actor Award for Mammootty. He portrayed Arackal Madhavanunni in Shaji Kailas's action thriller ''Valliettan'', which was the highest grossing film of the year.

Setback (2001–2003)

The period 2001 – 2003 was of a big setback for Mammootty. In 2001 he acted only in two films one of which, the much hyped ''Dubai'' (one of the most expensive films ever made in Malayalam), was a boxoffice disaster. In 2002, he acted in only three films , none of which was successful. And in 2003 he got to appear only in two films, again without commercial success. But chronic bachelor received commercial success

Comeback (2004–2011)

The 2004 film, the third installment in the CBI series, Sethurama Iyer CBI marked his come back. In 2004, he won the state award for his portrayal of Operator Madhavan in Blessy's ''Kazhcha''. Ranjith's ''Black'' and V. M. Vinu's ''Vesham'' were also successful ventures.

Mammootty had six releases in 2005, including Anwar Rasheed's directorial debut ''Rajamanikyam''. He portrayed Bellary Raja, a Thiruvananthapuram based cattle dealer, in the film which was the highest grosser of the year.

In 2006, Mammootty won the Filmfare Best Actor Award for the movie ''Karutha Pakshikal'' directed by Kamal. He also did I. V. Sasi's ''Balram vs. Tharadas'', in which he reprised his roles Inspector Balram from the 1991 blockbuster ''Inspector Balram'' and Tharadas from the 1984 blockbuster ''Athirathram''. It was I. V. Sasi's 144th film, and a record 35th with Mammootty. In 2007, he had two high grossers, ''Mayavi'' and ''Big B'', as well as the critically acclaimed films, ''Kaiyoppu'' (directed by Ranjith) and ''Ore Kadal'' (directed by Shyamaprasad). He also won the Filmfare Legendary Actor Award in 2007.

In October 2009, ''Pazhassi Raja'', directed by Hariharan and written by M. T. Vasudevan Nair, was released. . He also acted in the short film ''Puramkazhchakal'' (directed by Lal Jose) from Malayalam's first Portmanteau film ''Kerala Cafe''. In 2009, he won his fifth state award for Best Actor for his performance in Ranjith's ''Paleri Manikyam''. Two films he acted in – ''Kutty Srank'' and ''Pazhassi Raja'' – bagged eight national awards. He was nominated for the National Award for Best Actor in 2009, but he lost the award in the final round of the competition to Amitabh Bachan. The jury's decision to give the award to Bachan was criticised by Shaji N Karun, director of ''Kutty Srank'' (the movie which won the award for best film of 2009) and Ranjith, director of ''Paleri Manikyam''.

Mammootty started of the decade (2010) with ''Pokkiri Raja'', ''Pranchiyettan and the Saint'', directed by Ranjith, and ''Best Actor''. ''Pokkiri Raja'' went on to become the highest grossing film of the year with the trade pundits declaring it as a blockbuster success. ''Pranchiyettan and the Saint'' which has been touted as the beginning of a renaissance in Malayalam cinema, became the longest running Malayalam film of the last five years.

Present

His latest releases are Sohan Seenulal's ''Doubles'' and Jayaraj's The Train (2011 film). He is currently working on films like, Abhay Sinha's Kannada film ''Shikari'', Babu Janardhanan's ''1993 Bombay, March 12'' and Shaji Kailas' The King and the Commissioner.

Films in other languages

Mammootty has acted in a few non-Malayalam movies and these include some Tamil, Telugu, Hindi, Kannada and English films. In 1989, he made his Tamil debut in ''Maunam Sammatham'', directed by K. Madhu. He has acted in Tamil films for directors including K. Balachander (''Azhagan''), Mani Ratnam (''Thalapathy''), and Rajiv Menon (''Kandukondain Kandukondain''). ''Kilippechu Kekkavaa'' (1993), directed by Fazil, had Mammootty as a romantic hero. He played the role of Anantha Sharma in K. Vishwanath's Telugu film ''Swathi Kiranam'' (1992).

He acted in the Kannada film ''Love'' in 2005.

He made his debut into Hindi films through ''Thriyathri'' which was released in 1989, though his first film as a hero was ''Dhartiputra''. He starred in the biographical film ''Dr. Baba Saheb Ambedkar'' directed by Jabbar Patel which was in the English language. He also appeared in ''Sau Jhooth Ek Sach'' (2004).

During the 2006 IIFA Awards ceremony held at Dubai, he openly criticized the organizers of the IIFA Awards for completely ignoring South Indian film by stating that the Bollywood film industry should stand up to competition from the South Indian film industry before calling itself international.

Philanthropic work

Mammootty is involved in more than half a dozen philanthropic projects aimed at helping needy people.

Mammootty is the patron of the Pain and Palliative Care Society, a charitable organization in Kerala formed with the aim of improving the quality of life among patients with advanced cancer. He has been the fuel and the engine of the Pain and Palliative Care Centre situated in Kozhikode, India. Mammootty has now put forth a novel project to provide the pain and palliative care to those suffering from cancer throughout Kerala.

Mammootty is the ambassador of Jeevan Jothi, a social work project aimed at providing aid to people seeking treatment for any ophthalmic diseases, cardiac diseases, orthopedic diseases, liver diseases, renal dysfunctions, Haemophilia diseases, or ENT disorders.

Mammootty is the goodwill ambassador of a charity project "Street India Movement", which is aimed at the eradication of child begging and child labor. He has promoted the activities of the movement, which networks with orphanages and institutions looking after the children.

Kazhcha is a venture to extend free eye care and treatment organized by Mammootty Fans Welfare Association and Mammootty Times, in association with Little Flower Hospital and Research Centre and the Eye Bank Association of Kerala. One of the major activities related to this is distribution of free spectacles to children. A special fund received from the office of the President of India will be utilized for this purpose. Free eye camps will also be conducted at various places in connection to this project.

During Onam 2007, Mammootty donated food items among thousand families in Parathodu near Kanjirappally in Kottayam district, a Kerala village which was hit by Chikungunya. The village which was worst hit by the disease claimed the most lives in the state. In a press conference Mammootty explained his motives for doing this:

Akshaya, the information technology dissemination project of the Government of Kerala, has Mammootty as its Goodwill Ambassador. He formally took over the role on 26 February 2006 at a video networked programme which was linked to all the district headquarters of the state. Mammootty spearheaded the campaign by appearing in print and visual media advertisements and other publicity materials that sent the message of the Akshaya project to the grassroots. He explained:

Mammootty is a patron of "Share International Foundation", a charity organisation working towards removing the inequalities in society. The foundation has done many notable humanitarian works including the recent "Hridaya Sparsham project of the Care", to mobilise help for the heart surgery of children. Mammootty's plea over the social networking sites evoked aid worth about 1 crore within a day. He quoted:

Television career

As of 2010, Mammootty is the Chairman of Malayalam Communications, which runs some Malayalam TV channels such as Kairali TV, People TV and Channel We.

He is done much films in various languages and he formed a television production company, Megabytes, which has produced some television serials, the first being ''Jwalayay'' in the late 1990s, which was also his first project as a producer. ''Jwalayay'' created history in Malayalam television. He had started a distribution company named Mammootty Technotainment. It has distributed his Tamil film ''Karmegham'' in Kerala. It gets the first share from the distribution rights.

Other activities

Mammootty was appointed as the Global Brand ambassador of the Kerala-based South Indian Bank on 16 October 2006. He was also featured as the brand ambassador for Kerala Volleyball League.

Mammootty and Dubai-based businessman MA Yousuf Ali met with the officials of the Dubai Internet City (DIC) to lobby for the proposed Smart City project at Kochi.

Mammootty wrote his first book ''Kazhchapadu'' (roughly translated as "Perspective", a compilation of short essays he has written in various publications over the years).

Mammootty owns the distrubution company ''Playhouse Entertainments''. Some films distributed by the company are ''Chattambinadu'', ''Three Kings'', ''Living Together'', ''Neelathamara, ''Pranchiyettan & the Saint'', and ''The King and the Commissioner''.

Awards, honours and recognitions

Mammootty has won three National Film Awards, seven Kerala State Film Awards, eleven Filmfare Awards, eleven Kerala Film Critics Awards and five Asianet Film Awards (from fourteen nominations). In 1998, Government of India honored Mammootty, with its fourth highest civilian award, Padma Shri, awarded for his national service, including his contribution to the Indian film industry. He was conferred with Doctor of Letters degree by University of Calicut and University of Kerala in 2010.

Filmography

References

External links

Official website of Mammootty

Profile of Mammooty at mallumovies.org

Profile of Mammootty

Mammootty at MSI

Category:Filmfare Awards winners Category:Hindi film actors Category:Indian amateur radio operators Category:Indian humanitarians Category:Indian Muslims Category:Indian television producers Category:Kerala State Film Award winners Category:Living people Category:Malayali actors Category:National Film Award winners Category:People from Kerala Category:Recipients of the Padma Shri Category:1953 births Category:People from Kottayam Category:Mammootty Category:Tamil film actors Category:Telugu film actors

ml:മമ്മൂട്ടി hi:मामूट्टी ta:மம்முட்டி ar:مامووتي gu:મામૂટી kn:ಮಮ್ಮುಟ್ಟಿ te:మమ్ముట్టి

Coordinates	34°03′″N118°15′″N
name	Meghana Raj
birth name	Meghana Sunder Raj
birth date	May 03, 1990
birth place	Bangalore, Karnataka, India
othername	Meghna
occupation	Actress, model
yearsactive	2009-present
website	http://meghanaraj.com/ }}

Meghana Raj (; born on 3 May) is an Indian film actress, who works in the South Indian film industries. She made her acting debut in the 2009 Telugu film ''Bendu Apparao R.M.P''.

Early life

Meghana Raj was born in Bangalore, Karnataka as the only daughter to film actors Sundar Raj and Pramila Joshai. Her father Sundar Raj has acted in more than 180 films, predominantly in Kannada language, while her mother Pramila Joshai is a noted Kannada film actress and film producer. Because of her mixed background, Meghana is fluent in both Kannada and Tamil, speaking Kannada at home and Tamil at her grandparents' house. She is currently pursuing her Bachelor's degree in psychology at Christ College, Bangalore.

Career

Meghana Raj first debuted as a theater artist, when she was a child, acting alongside her father Sunder Raj in the play ''Jokumaraswamy''. During the audio launch function of the Tamil film ''Poi'' in February 2006, she was invited by its director K. Balachander to pursue an acting career, starring in one of his forthcoming films. Accepting his offer, she was given the lead female role in the Tamil film ''Krishnaleelai'', a Balachander production, directed by Selvan. However, despite continuing shooting throughout 2008, which was completed in early 2009, the film got stuck in production hell, and its release got delayed for various reasons.

Even before the release of that film, she commenced shooting for a Telugu film ''Bendu Apparao R.M.P'', which would eventually be her first feature film release. She played the character of a school teacher in the comedy entertainer, starring Allari Naresh and Kamna Jethmalani as well, which released in October 2009 and went on to become highly successful at the box office. She is now set to debut in the Kannada film industry as well, enacting the female lead role in the Kannada film ''Punda'', a remake of the 2007 Tamil film ''Polladhavan''. Meghana's next release was her debut Tamil film, the Boopathy Pandian-directed ''Kaadhal Solla Vandhen'', which was a commercial failure, while she also signed up her first Malayalam project, the horror film ''Yakshiyum Njanum'' under Vinayan's direction, which was released in August 2010. She is now working on two more Tamil projects, ''Nandha Nandhitha'', which is a remake of the 2008 Kannada film ''Nanda Loves Nanditha'' and ''Kalla Siripazhaga'', two Malayalam films, ''Achante Aanmakkal'' and ''Pachuvum Kovalanum'', and one Kannada film titled ''Mynaa''.

Filmography

Gayatri ''Punda'' Sandhya Panchacharam Aathira ''August 15 (2011 film) Rasiya Iyal Nandhitha

Year
2009	''Bendu Apparao R.M.P''	|	Telugu language>Telugu
rowspan="3">2010	|	Meghana	Kannada language>Kannada
''Kaadhal Solla Vandhen''	|	Tamil language>Tamil
''Yakshiyum Njanum ''	|	Malayalam language>Malayalam
rowspan="9"	2011	August 15'' ||		Malayalam film>Malayalam
''Raghuvinte Swantham Rasiya''	|	Malayalam
''Uyarthiru 420''	|	Tamil	Post-production
''Nandha Nandhitha''	|	Tamil	Filming
''Kalla Siripazhaga''	|	Tamil	Filming
''Krishnaleelai''	|	Tamil	Delayed
''Achante Aanmakkal''	|	Malayalam	Filming
''Pachuvum Kovalanum''	|	Malayalam	Filming
''Myna (film)	Myna''	|	Kannada	Filming

References

External links

Category:Indian actors Category:Indian film actors Category:Kannada film actors Category:Living people Category:Kannada people Category:People from Bangalore Category:Tamil film actors Category:1990 births

Coordinates	34°03′″N118°15′″N
fullname	Taarak Mehta

Taarak Mehta is an Indian columnist/journalist best known for the column ''Duniya Ne Undha Chasma'' in Gujarati Language. The humorous weekly column first appeared in Chitralekha in March 1971 and ever since has been looking at contemporary issues from a different perspective. In 2008 SAB TV, a popular entertainment channel in India, started a show Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah that is based on the column. Taarak Mehta is against translating his column for the English-speaking readers. “Idioms lose meaning. My columns can be adapted but not translated,” he said in an interview to The Statesman newspaper in India.

Bibliography

Duniya ne Oondha Chashmah

Aa Duniya Panjarapole

Action Reply ½

Albelun America Vanthelun America

Bagicha Ni Hadvi Havama

Bahero Hase Be Vay...!

Champaklal Tapuni Jugalbandhi

Betaj Batali Baj Popatlal Taraj

Taarak mehta ka oolta chashmah

References

http://www.thestatesman.net/page.arcview.php?clid=26&id;=245516&usrsess;=1 publisher= The Statesman | accessdate=2009-04-20

http://www.glamsham.com/dramas/features/tarak_mehta.pdf - contains a lot of information about Tarak Mehta

Category:Living people Category:Year of birth missing (living people)