Acting
Vishnuvardhan
Tamil, Kannada, Telugu, Hindi cinema · 156 credits
Born
18 September 1950
Died
30 December 2009 (aged 59)
Birthplace
Mysore, Karnataka, India
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.
Known for
Filmography
Marudhanayagam
as Wajid Khan
Nagarahavu
as King Nagaraja (created with CGI)
Aptharakshaka
as Dr. Vijay
Maathaad Maathaadu Mallige
as Hoovaiah
Ee Bandhana
as Harish Raj
Sahukara
as Sahukara Raja Mahendra Varma
Malla
as Self - Narrator (voice)
Kadamba
as Madhukeshawara Kadamba
Simhadriya Simha
as Narasimha Gowda and Chikka
Diggajaru
as Wodeya
Kotigobba
as Nanjunda
Yajamana
as Shankar/Ganesha (Dual Role)
Soorappa
as Soorappa
Habba
as Vishnu
Suryavamsha
as Sathyamurthy/Kanakamurthy (Dual Role)
Nishyabdha
as Major Vishwanath
Zaalim
as Inspector Mohan
Ashaant
as Vishnu
Nishkarsha
as Ajay Kumar
Kauravar
as Haridas I.P.S.
Lion Jagapathi Rao
Actor, Screenplay
Shivashankar
as Shivu / Shankar
Suprabhatha
as Vijay Kumar
Daada
as Daada
Sowbhagya Lakshmi
as Shyam / Chandru
Viduthalai
as Amar
ಸತ್ಯಜ್ಯೋತಿ
1986
Sathya Jyothi
as Ravi Varma
Sri Raghavendrar
as Sri Yogenthra Tirtha
Bandhana
as Dr. Harish
Police Papanna
as Guest Appearance
Aaradhane
as Rajesh
Sahasa Simha
as Prathap
Kalinga
as Prabhakar/ Ranga
Asadhya Aliya
as Ashok
Hombisilu
as Dr. Nataraj
Muyyige Muyyi
as Sanjay
Vasantha Lakshmi
as Chandru
Amarnath
as Guest Appearance
Kiladi Jodi
as George
Vamsha Jyothi
as Mahesh
Kittu Puttu
as Kittu
ಗಲಾಟೆ ಸಂಸಾರ
1977
Galaate Samsaara
as Vasudev Rao
Bangarada Gudi
as Vijay
Kalla Kulla
as Mahesh'Kalla'
Alaigal
as Inspector Raju
Gandhada Gudi
as Anand
Naagarahaavu
as Ramachari
Vamsha Vriksha
as credited as "Kumar"