Devaraj (actor)

Devaraj
Nationality	Indian
Other names	Devraj
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1986–present
Spouse(s)	Chandralekha
Children	Prajwal Devaraj Pranaam Devaraj

Devaraj (Kannada: ದೇವರಾಜ್) is an Indian actor and theatre actor who works in South Indian film industries. He has largely featured in Kannada films performing various roles as a lead character, supporting character and villainous character. He has also featured in Tamil and Telugu films.

Having worked for over 200 feature films, Devaraj is popularly referred to as a "Dynamic Hero" in the Kannada film industry. Prior to acting in films, Devaraj has performed for various stage plays under the guidance of Shankar Nag and B. Jayashree. Devaraj has won several awards and accolades including the Karnataka State Film Award for Best Actor for his portrayal as the protagonist in the film Veerappan in 1991.

Hailing from Lingarajpuram in North Bangalore, Devraj's sole passion was theatre. He was with B. Jayashree's theatre group Spandana and later with Shankar Nag's Sanket.

An employee of HMT for nine years, he entered films through 'Trishula' as a supporting actor in a negative role. He continued as a supporting actor to eventually star in leading roles.

Devaraj auditioned for Trishula with Avinash, both of who were part of a same theatre troupe. Both got through the auditions and the film was his debut as an actor. However, the film did not release. His first released film was 27 Mavalli Circle in 1986. After the success of 27 Mavalli Circle Devaraj acted in many more films mainly in supporting roles. His notable performances include: Aaganthuka, Navabharatha, Indrajith among others.

After the year 2000, Devaraj switched over to character roles and debuted in Tamil and Telugu film industries. He worked in highly acclaimed films such as Naan Kadavul, Malaikottai and Villu in Tamil and Yagnam, Sri in Telugu.

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