Dilip Kumar
TrendingAlso known as: Muhammad Yusuf Khan, Mohammed Yusuf Khan
Quick Facts
- Full Name
- Dilip Kumar
- Born
- December 11, 1922
- Birthplace
- Peshawar
- Age
- Died aged 98
- Zodiac Sign
- Capricorn
- Height
- —
- Weight
- —
- Nationality
- 🇮🇳 India
- Religion
- Islam
- Ethnicity
- Pashtuns
- Eye Color
- —
- Hair Color
- —
- Profession
- Actor, Director
- Net Worth
- —
- Education
- —
- Spouse
- Saira BanuAsma Rehman
- Children
- —
Last reviewed: Aug 5, 2026 · How we verify facts
Biography
Dilip Kumar is 103 years old, an actor, from India.
Muhammad Yusuf Khan, known professionally as Dilip Kumar, was an Indian actor, writer and film producer best known for his work in Hindi cinema. Credited with pioneering method acting in cinema, he dominated Hindi cinema from the 1950s throughout the 1960s and is widely regarded as one of the greatest actors in the history of Indian Cinema.
Dilip Kumar was born Muhammad Yusuf Khan on 11 December 1922, in the Qissa Khawani Bazaar neighbourhood of Peshawar , a city in the North-West Frontier Province of British India . He was one of the twelve children of Lala Ghulam Sarwar Ali Khan (1890–1950) and his wife Ayesha Begum (1897–1948). His father was a fruit merchant. Khan studied at the Barnes School in Deolali (now in Maharashtra ), where his father owned orchards.
He grew up in the same neighbourhood in Peshawar as Raj Kapoor , his childhood friend, and later his colleague in the film industry . In 1940, he moved to Pune and set up a dry fruit supply shop and a canteen. Despite hailing from Peshawar, Khan's family decided to remain in Bombay following the Partition of India in 1947. Khan never acted under his birth name, debuting in Jwar Bhata in 1944 under the stage name Dilip Kumar.
In his autobiography, Dilip Kumar: The Substance and the Shadow , he wrote that the name was a suggestion from Devika Rani , who was one of the producers on Jwar Bhata . In an interview in 1970, he said that he adopted this name out of fear of his father, who never approved of his acting career because of the general poor image of cinema back then.
Career & Filmography
Movies(63)
| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 1994 | Chinna Madam |
| 1992 | Abhirami |
| 1991 | Saudagar |
| 1990 | Izzatdaar |
| 1989 | Kanoon Apna Apna |
| 1986 | Dharm Adhikari |
| 1986 | Karma |
| 1984 | Mashaal |
| 1984 | Duniya |
| 1983 | Mazdoor |
Family
Relationships
Romantic History
| Person | Status |
|---|---|
| Saira Banu | Married |
| Asma Rehman | Married |
Family
Awards & Nominations
| Year | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Padma Vibhushan | Won |
| 1997 | Grand Cross of the Order of Excellence | Won |
| 1994 | Dadasaheb Phalke Award | Won |
| 1991 | Padma Bhushan | Won |
Then vs. Now
Film Debut: Jwar Bhata
Dilip Kumar made their film debut with Jwar Bhata (1944).
77
yrs
Career Timeline
Dilip Kumar won the Padma Vibhushan.
Dilip Kumar won the Grand Cross of the Order of Excellence.
Dilip Kumar won the Dadasaheb Phalke Award.
Dilip Kumar won the Padma Bhushan.
Dilip Kumar made their film debut with Jwar Bhata (1944).
Dilip Kumar's debut was Jwar Bhata (1944).
11 December 1922
Dilip Kumar was born on 1922-12-11 in Peshawar.
Interesting Facts
- Muhammad Yusuf Khan (11 December 1922 – 7 July 2021), known professionally as Dilip Kumar (Hindustani: [d̪ɪliːp kʊmɑːɾ]), was an Indian actor, writer and film producer best known for his work in Hindi cinema.
- He debuted as an actor in the film Jwar Bhata (1944), produced by Bombay Talkies.
- first box office hit in Jugnu (1947).
- only one major success, Gopi (1970).
- Kumar and Madhubala were drawn to each other during the shooting of Tarana (1951).
- They were in a relationship for seven years until the Naya Daur court case, during which Kumar testified against Madhubala and her father, ending their relationship.
- They never worked together again after Mughal-e-Azam (1960).
- Kumar later expressed in his autobiography, "Was I in love with Madhubala as the newspapers and magazines reported at that time?
- As an answer to this oft-repeated question straight from the horse's mouth, I must admit that I was attracted to her both as a fine co-star and as a person who had some of the attributes I hoped to find in a woman at that age and time...She, as I said earlier, was very sprightly and vivacious and, as such, she could draw me out of my shyness and reticence effortlessly." However, Kumar shared in his biography that contrary to popular notion, Madhubala's father Ataullah Khan wasn't opposed to their match but instead, wanted to turn this marriage into a business venture which did not land well with him.
- In 1966, Kumar married actress Saira Banu, who was 22 years younger than him.
- He later married Hyderabad socialite Asma Rahman, taking her as a second wife in 1981.
- In his autobiography, Dilip Kumar: The Substance and the Shadow, he revealed that Banu had conceived in 1972, but developed complications in the pregnancy, leading to a miscarriage.
- Following this, they did not try to have children again, believing it to be God's will.
- Kumar was fluent in his native Hindko, in his later years aiming to establish a Hindko Academy in Peshawar in order to safeguard the language, as well as Urdu, Hindi, English, Punjabi, Marathi, Pashto and Farsi.
- He was also a great music enthusiast and also learnt how to play the sitar for a film.
- He led a cricket team against Raj Kapoor in a friendly cricket match held for charity.
- Both growing up in Peshawar and in Bombay, Dilip Kumar and his family had a close relationship with the Kapoor family.
- His younger brother Nasir Khan (1924–1974) was also a noted film actor.
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Filmography
63 works
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