Popular Hollywood/British Film celebrities who were born in Karnataka
From popular British actor, Isla Blair to acclaimed director Lindsay Anderson, the land of Karnataka has served as the birth place to a number of well-known personalities from Hollywood and British Cinema. Let's take a quick look at this eclectic list and track down the vibrant histories of these talented individuals.
Image Courtesy: Facebook and Twitter
Lindsay Anderson
A key figure of the British socialist and new wave cinema movements of the '60s, Lindsay Anderson was born in Bengaluru in 1923, when his father was stationed in the city with the Royal Engineers. Lindsay would return to his home country of England soon after but the city of Bengaluru continued to feature prominently in his early life for myriad reasons. As a filmmaker, Lindsay Anderson stands tall today as one of the pivotal figures of both British and World Cinema, having directed acclaimed films like 'If...', 'Chariots of Fire', and many more.
Image Courtesy: Facebook
Isla Blair
Born to a Scottish tea planter in Bengaluru in the year 1944, popular British television and film actor Isla Blair is said to have grown fond of the show business during a boat ride back home from India! She would enroll herself to the revered Royal Academy of Dramatic Art a few years later and begin her long acting career with The Beatles' cult hit 'A Hard Day's Night' in 1964 (uncredited role). She would play an important role in Spielberg's 1989 film 'Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade'.
Image Courtesy: Facebook
Gwendolyn Logan
One of the earliest women writers in cinema, Gwendolyn Logan was born in the late eighteenth century in the town of Bellary, Karnataka. Gwendolyn would return to home shores soon after and take up acting and screenwriting as her two main vocations, with films like 'East is East' (co-wrote the 1916 silent film) and 'A Tokyo Siren' to her name. Post the silent era, Gwendolyn Logan featured in prominent roles in films 'We Live Again' and 'Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde' statting Spencer Tracy, Ingrid Bergman, and Lana Turner.
Image Courtesy: Facebook
Anna Carteret
Popular British TV, Film, and Voice actor Anna Carteret was given birth to in Bengaluru in the year 1942 to Peter John Wilkinson and Patricia Carteret. Anna would take up acting quite early on in her life and grow to become a very popular and well-regarded actor in both film and TV through the '70s and '80s with the hit TV police procedural TV drama 'Juliet Bravo' as one of the main highlights of her long career.
Image Courtesy: Facebook
Sabu Dastagir
The final name on the list is of an actor of Indian origin, Sabu Dastagir, who later attained US citizenship and resided there until his untimely passing in 1963. Born in Karanpur of Mysuru in the year 1924 to a professional elephant mahout, Sabu was first spotted by director Robert Flaherty in '37 to be later cast as an elephant rider in the British film 'Elephant Boy' (based on Kipling's short story Toomai of the Elephants). Thus a career in show business ensued for Sabu who is most well-known for his role as Abu in Michael Powell's fantasy-adventure 'Thief of Bhagdad', as Mowgli in Zoltan Korda's 1942 epic 'Jungle Book', along with a string of popular releases as the main lead. Sabu Dastagir would become an American citizen in 1944 and even serve in the US Army as a tail gunner during World War II and later resume his acting career from the new home. Interestingly, Sabu was considered to play the role of Birju in the 1957 landmark film 'Mother India' until the role was finally rendered by Sunil Dutt.
Image Courtesy: Facebook and Twitter
Start a Conversation
Post comment