Date of birth: 1950-09-18
Place of birth: Mysore, Karnataka, India
Known for: Acting
Also known as: Sampath Kumar, Vishnuvardhan

Sampath Kumar (18 September 1950 – 30 December 2009), known by his stage name Vishnuvardhan, was an Indian actor who worked predominantly in Kannada cinema besides also having sporadically appeared in Tamil, Hindi, Telugu and Malayalam language films. Vishnuvardhan has a prolific career spanning over four decades, during which he has acted in more than 220 films. A popular cultural icon of Karnataka, and holds the status of a matinée idol among the Kannada diaspora. He is popularly called as Sahasa Simha, Dada and The Angry Young Man of Kannada Cinema. Vishnuvardhan's contributions to Kannada cinema have been praised by his contemporaries in the Indian film industry. The Government of Karnataka honoured him with the highest civilian awards of Karnataka State, the Karnataka Ratna Award in 2025, Rajyothsava Prashasthi in 1990 and the Dr. Rajkumar Lifetime Achievement Award in 2007 for his contributions to Kannada cinema. He was called The Phoenix of Indian Cinema. In 2008, a poll conducted by CNN-IBN listed Vishnuvardhan as the most popular star in the Kannada film industry.

1984-01-01
Friends Vishnu and Shankar, who are fascinated by the same girl, try to outsmart each other. They tu

1988-01-01
Vijay provides shelter to Hema, who has a dark past and pretends to be speech impaired, and her brot

2002-06-07
Narasimhe Gowda (Vishnuvardhan), head of 48 villages has high regards for his sincerity and wisdom i

1990-08-22
Mutthina Haara - A Necklace of Pearls - tells the tale of an Indian (Coorg) soldier, Achchappa and a

1980-03-11
Prabhakar, a cop, is murdered. A clue left by him leads his father to his lookalike Ranga. Ranga the

1990-01-01
Ganesha lives happily in a complex owned by Ramanamurthy. Things take a turn when he falls in love w

1993-01-01
Identical twins Revathy and Aswathy are married to Balu and Gopi respectively. Their happy lives are

2004-09-24
Sahukara is a 2004 Indian Kannada-language film directed by Om Prakash Rao and produced by K. Manju.

2000-01-01
Okkadu Chaalu is a 2005 Indian Telugu film, directed by Ravi Raja Pinisetty and Produced by Maganti

1982-01-01
Motion Picture starring Vishnuvardhan, Udaya Kumar and Rajyalakshmi

1996-01-04
A man who is dating a beautiful woman goes to great lengths by eliminating all the hurdles in his pa

1992-02-11
Antony, a convict, wants revenge against Haridas, a police officer, for killing his family and arres

2010-02-18
The story starts off with an ancient painting of Nagavalli (Vimala Raman), distributed as a prize to

1974-03-07
Following the death of his ruthless landlord father, Ayyu earns the wrath of his villagers. But his

1984-01-01
A doctor (Vishnuvardhan) falls in love with his student (Suhasini) but fails to tell her about his f

2001-01-26
A rich landlord and his servant bond well irrespective of their status. When the landlord wife is mu

2007-08-24
How a villager Hoovaiah, takes on an MNC and corrupt politicians who try to misguide villagers to ac

2004-02-27
Shiva, a florist's son, grows up to become a gangster. After his father is murdered, he sets out to

1999-04-16
Ram falls in love with Seetha, who refuses to marry him owing to a dark family secret. Ram's brother

1989-01-01
Deva, a villager, helps support his two brothers' education and upbringing. However, he sets out to

1978-01-27
Dr Roopa and Dr Nataraj get married and being both egoistic, and little arrogant, differences come u

2005-12-22
Vishnu Sena movie is the based on Finding the corruption.Vishnuvardhan is the professor in College.H

2004-08-27
Apthamitra movie is based on Nagavalli (Dancer). Ramesh, an engineer buys the palace. Everyone belie

2007-03-16
Ekadhantha revolves around a couple and they don't have child.

2005-04-22
Varsha is a 2005 Kannada film directed by S. Narayan and produced by Rockline Venkatesh. The film st

2000-11-30
Nan Hendthi Chennagiddale is a 2000 Kannada film directed by Dinesh Baboo. The film stars Vishnuvard

1998-04-22
When Kamli loses her bag at a railway station, Surya finds it and sends it to her house with a note.

1986-09-10
Film from India starring Kim and Vishnuvardhan

1977-09-16
Two brothers get separated when they are young but dislike each other after reuniting as adults. Tho

1980-05-09
The love story of the hero, taking care of his now-orphaned brother's children and the heroine, taki

2009-10-09
Naga lives with his stepfather, Vishwanath Gowda, and his half-siblings. His life takes a turn when

2004-01-16
Rajashekar overhears his police officer father's conversation with his abductor, Sharat Chandra, to

1993-09-20
An ardent devotee of Lord Shabarimale Swamy Ayyappa narrates tales of various miracles performed by

1994-01-01
A couple has to deal with the fact that they are not rich anymore and have to find inner strength to

1993-05-19
Krishna and Radha fall in love and soon, get married to each other. However, things take a turn when

1972-12-29
Although Ramachari falls madly in love with Alamelu, her parents forbid their marriage and force her

2006-07-08
Santhosh comes from England to India with his mother to attend a wedding. However, he meets a villag
1971-04-01
Through the story of a young widow who is devoted to her father-in-law but also desires to remarry t

1982-01-01
Mohan, a factory worker, tries to give his brother good education with his minimal wages. When he is

1999-09-01
An aristocratic patriarch realizes the worth of his most caring son he despised because of his illit

1994-07-22
Kotreshi is an intelligent boy from a lower caste who comes first in the seventh standard and brings

2001-11-16
A humble auto driver leads a happy and content life with his ambitious siblings. However, his siblin

1973-01-01
Alaigal (The Waves) is a 1973 Tamil film produced and directed by C. V. Sridhar. The film stars Vish

2004-12-17
Jyeshta is a 2004 Indian Kannada language drama film starring Vishnuvardhan, Ashima Bhalla and Devar
1978-03-03
A 1978 Kannada movie.

2000-12-01
Shankar sacrifices his own interests and refuses to marry in order to support and educate his younge

2007-12-21
Remake of Hindi film Bhagban(2003), which itself is an unofficial adaptation of Make Way for Tomorr

1977-12-16
Kittu Puttu is a 1977 Indian Kannada-language comedy drama film directed by C. V. Rajendran and prod

1973-09-21
When forest officer Kumar protects natural resources from poachers, their boss, Anand, becomes his m

2016-10-16
Naganika's family is in charge of an ancient monument that Kapali has his eyes set on. When Kapali k

1985-08-30
After Vanavarayan's son Sathyam and his friends rape Velan's fiancee Valli, he vows to murder them.

1985-09-01
The story of the great Indian saint Raghavendra Swami. Born as Venkatanatha, he proved to be a very

1986-04-11
Raja, a thief, and Amar, a goonda, plot to settle in London with the money earned from a robbery. Bu

1994-12-09
Judge Somnath lives with his wife, three sons, and a daughter. Two of his sons, Vikram and Mohan are

1993-11-26
Ashaant is a story about effort made by the whole Police Force of the country, especially two police

1992-08-27

1990-03-28
Shankar earns a living by running a poultry farm. He earns the wrath of a notorious criminal when he

1993-01-01
A daylight bank robbery alarms the police in Bangalore. The robber holds the bank staff and customer


1979-03-16
Aruna, a bride, finds her wedding to Vishwa interrupted by Ashok, a man who claims to be her husband

1975-06-28
Kalla Kulla is a 1975 Indian Kannada-language comedy drama film, directed by K. S. R. Das and produc

1976-08-21
Bangarada Gudi is a 1976 Indian Kannada film, directed by K. S. R. Das and produced by C. H. Prakash

1978-04-21
Muyyige Muyyi is a 1978 Indian Kannada-language film, directed by Y. R. Swamy and produced by P. Kri

1978-10-06
Vasantha Lakshmi is a 1978 Indian Kannada-language film, directed by A. V. Seshagiri Rao and produce

1978-10-27
Amarnath is a 1978 Indian Kannada film, directed by K. Mani Murugan and produced by N. K. Narayan, V

1978-12-27
Shivaraj abandons his pregnant wife and flies to Singapore after entering into a partnership with Ju

1978-09-15
Jaggu and George, two petty thieves, mend their ways to make George's lover, Jenny, and her father h

1990-09-20
Sangeeta, who loves singer Anand, is forced to marry Kumar, her father's business partner. Post marr

1985-06-19
A couple get married to each other despite the initial disapproval of her parents. However, the woma

1981-01-01
Mane Mane Kathe is a 1981 Indian Kannada film, directed by Rajachandra and produced by B S Dwarakish

Rayaru Bandaru Mavana Manege is a 1993 Indian Kannada-language romantic drama film directed by Dwara

1998-03-10
Major Vishwanath is a dog lover who lives peacefully with his brother, Vijay. His life takes a drast

1981-09-23
Prasad and Raja, two best friends who get separated in a fire, grow up in two different communities.

1983-03-09
Onde Guri is a 1983 Indian Kannada film, directed by H. R. Bhargava and produced by M P Shankar. The

1996-01-04
Rekha, who witnesses Sakthi killing her father, lies to the police to save him from getting arrested

1988-11-07
A landlord kills Ganga's father for disobeying him, which compels Ganga to kill him in revenge. He l

2000-03-27
When a woman from a neighbouring village falsely accuses the village head of harassing her, tension

1983-12-27
Jaysimha, a lawyer, is in love with Radha, the daughter of a corrupt policeman. The policeman asks J

1988-08-31
Krishna, a travel guide, falls in love with Rukmini, a dancer. However, things take a turn when her

1982-09-20
After losing her parents in an accident at a young age, Sudha is adopted by her father's friend. She

1989-02-09
After being found guilty of murder, Ashok, a man with a cognitive disability, is sent to a mental as

1991-11-12
Pratap, a car mechanic, and his sub-inspector brother get together and gather forces to defeat a cor

1975-08-11
Based on a novel by Mangala Satyan, this movie is a mirror to society's take on the caste system.

1981-02-24
A doctor's wife accidentally shoots a man who keeps stalking her. Assuming he is dead, she throws hi

1984-07-20
When a tribal lady gives birth to a baby boy after her lover abandons her, her family throws the bab

1991-04-16
A man is on the hunt for a bride he is compatible with. However, he goes through various hilarious h

1984-05-29
Surya and Madhu love each other but their relationship is unacceptable to Madhu's rich father. He re

1980-10-07
A young man sets out on a treasure hunt to capture a golden deer with magical powers. However, he so

1999-01-01
Veerappa is a strong proponent of Gandhian principles based on non-violence. However, his preaching

1979-09-06
Kaveri gets raped by Vikram who impregnates her and then refuses to marry her. When their son, Vijay

1987-05-21
Jayasimha, a forest officer, endeavours to stop animal poaching in a village he is transferred to. H

1986-01-10
Karna, an unemployed graduate, is always at fault for everything he does. Karna tries to win his fat

1988-04-19
A corrupt politician's plan of constructing a chemical factory is foiled by Raja. Things take a turn

1984-12-28
Ganesh arranges his sister Gauri's marriage but faces humiliation by her in-laws. His misunderstandi

2006-09-28
Narayana Murthy wages a courageous battle to withstand all pressures and fight against corruption to

1996-05-13
Two despicable brothers cheat their employer, steal his wealth, kill him and throw his son into the

1995-03-03
Vijay and Vinod are two lookalikes who are unhappy with their routine lives. When they cross paths,

1991-01-14
A renowned and respected advocate joins forces with his son, an upright police officer, to investiga

1997-10-07
Krishna is a loving father who dotes on his daughter, Anju. Things take an ugly turn when Anju decid

1994-10-07
Hari and Krishna's uncle takes advantage of their innocence and tries to murder them for their wealt

1995-05-02
Movie starring Vsihnuvardhan, Shashikumar, Vinaya Prasad and is directed by S Umesh.

1994-03-08
Surya, an aid to the don, is feared by all the townspeople due to his association. He is assigned a

1994-05-04
When Kulkarni and Bandari plan to kill the CM, Samrat, an unemployed man, saves him. However, Samrat

1994-06-03
A young man, who is short-tempered, is sent to jail for committing a murder. However, his life takes

2002-01-18
Sagar, a singer-turned-alcoholic, decides to mend his ways and rekindle his passion after falling in

2002-04-03
The daughter of a rich businessman falls in love with a man she presumes is a landlord. Things chang

2003-03-21
Though Mahalakshmi is about to get engaged to an NRI, she falls in love with Raja Narasimha, and the

2003-10-02
Vishnu, a poor man, loves his sister and helps her become a doctor. However, Anu is suspicious about

1999-10-22
Bharath is about to marry Bhavana, a teacher, but things change when his former lover, who he believ

2000-05-08
The sudden death of a rich woman's son paves way for her relatives to exploit her. However, when a y

1997-04-29
When Surya accuses Vishwa Prasad, a politician, of acquiring his position through political influenc

1997-02-17
Yashwanth, a scientist, wants his inventions to contribute to the nation's growth. However, some not

1997-01-01
A woman marries Chandrakanth but soon divorces him and also persuades another woman, Sudha, to marry

1996-08-12
A woman witnesses the death of her 10-year-old son and ends up blaming herself for it. Soon, after s

1996-09-10
After several years of marriage, a couple becomes parents. However, after a childless couple finds t

1996-01-01
Prakash, a widower, is a government official responsible for confiscating lands acquired by criminal

1995-11-22
Sumithra's lover Aravind, a photographer, goes missing after he goes to Shimla for a project. Howeve

1995-09-28
Yashodha gets separated from her daughter, Krishnaveni, due to her mother-in-law's scheming and lose

1995-04-20
Nagraj, an orphan raised by a poor woman, grows up to become the protector of his village. Nagaraj's

1994-02-04
Movie starring by Vishnu Vardhan, Soumya Kulkarni, Puneet Issar and directed by Joe Simon.

1993-11-26
Police officers Vijay and Vishnu vow to maintain peace in the country; however, things change when t

1991-12-20
An inspector uses the lookalike of a police officer named Dhanush, who was brutally murdered, to cat

1991-12-20
Inspector Dhanush, an honest police officer, brings criminals to justice. When he stumbles upon a ca

Corrupt politicians and their deadly henchmen intimidate and exploit the poor through systemic abuse

1998-05-14
Movie starring Vishnuvardhan, Amulya, Charulatha and is directed by U Narayan Rao.

1998-09-15
Jayaram adopts a child and is excited to surprise his wife by revealing the truth later. However, pr

1992-06-04
Ravivarma is an artist with a special talent. His life turns upside down when he helps a police offi

1993-01-01
The film follows a young scientist's murder, witnessed by Sujata, who becomes involved with Mahesh,

1982-01-01
The heir to a huge estate has a cognitive disability and only has the support of a kind aunt. Meanwh

1984-01-18
King Pashupathy tries to fix his daughter's problem by making her talk. He meets a saint and a witch

1984-03-06
Papanna, a simpleton, is the only son of a sincere policeman. While on his deathbed, his father requ

1985-12-24
A young boy, who is never loved by his father, grows up to become a spoilt and alcoholic man. Howeve

1981-07-13
Natraj and his gang, who are involved in idol heists, get an assignment to steal a valuable idol of

1987-08-10
Radha, a village girl, comes to the city in search of her brother Venkatesh Murthy. Soon, she meets

1987-01-28
On Chandru's wedding day, he learns a shocking truth that Sowbhagya is not his biological mother. La

1973-07-25
When Shankar marries his lover Gauri, his rival cousin enlists a prostitute to ruin their marriage.

1975-08-07
Movie starring Vishnuvardhan, Bhavani and directed by S V Rajendra Singh Babu.

1988-05-17
Janardhan's father is murdered by a group of criminals when he tries to expose them. Enraged, Janard

2010-01-22
Jagannath is an admired teacher and a doting father to his daughter, Meghana. His life turns upside

2009-02-27
Urmila and Shashank are a happily married couple. But their relationship is tested when Alok, a sold

1980-08-03
Indian horror movie from 1980.

1980-12-08
Two close friends get into trouble when another friend intrudes into their lives with a personal mot

1978-07-28
Two vengeful men unknowingly become best friends only to realise that they want to seek revenge on e

1978-04-11
Movie starring Vishnuvardhan, Manjula Devi, K S Ashwath and is directed by T R Ramanna.

1977-03-18
Madhu, a schoolteacher, goes on a trip to Nagarhole National Park with her son Chandru. But things g

1975-07-30
A scheming young man hatches a sinister conspiracy to infiltrate his doppelganger's household and us

1976-01-01
Hosilu Mettida Hennu is a 1976 Indian Kannada-language film, directed by V. T. Thyagarajan and produ

1977-05-16
A young woman dies of complications after giving birth to her second child. When Manju longs for her