Kongara Jaggayya was an Indian actor, littérateur, journalist, lyricist, dubbing artist and politician known for his works predominantly in Telugu cinema and Telugu theatre. He was known as Kanchu Kantam Jaggayya (Telugu) for his booming voice. In a film career spanning forty years as a matinee idol, he starred in eighty films, as a lead actor, and lead antagonist in a variety of genres. In 1967, he was elected as a member of the fourth Lok Sabha, from the constituency of Ongole, becoming the first Indian film actor to be elected as a member of the Parliament.
Kaikala Satyanarayana was an Indian actor, producer, director, and politician who predominantly worked in Telugu cinema. He appeared in more than 750 films over six decades. He was a recipient of the Raghupathi Venkaiah Award in 2011, and the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award in 2017. Renowned for his acting prowess across a range of roles and genres, he was given the epithet Navarasa Natana Sarvabhouma.
Vijaya Nirmala was an Indian actress, director, and producer known for her works predominantly in Telugu cinema along with a few Malayalam and Tamil films. In a career spanning over six decades, she acted in more than 200 films and directed 44 films. In 2002, she entered the Guinness Book of World Records as the female director who has directed the most number of films in the world. In 2008, she received the Raghupathi Venkaiah Award for lifetime achievement in Telugu cinema.
Sarada is an Indian actress and politician. Known for her work predominantly in Telugu films and Malayalam films, Sarada is the recipient of three National Awards. She has also appeared in few Tamil, Hindi as well as Kannada language films. She is also known as Urvasi Sarada – National Film Award for Best Actress was officially designated the Urvasi Award. She won three National Awards for her roles in Thulabharam (1968), Swayamvaram (1972), and Nimajjanam (1977). Sarada won the NTR National Award by the Government of Andhra Pradesh for her contributions to Indian cinema.
Mandadi Prabhakar Reddy (1935–1997) was an Indian film character actor known for his works in Telugu cinema. He acted in over 472 films over three decades. He wrote stories for several acclaimed films, including Karthika Deepam. The "Dr. M Prabhakara Reddy Chalana Chitra Karmika Chitrapuri" in Manikonda, Hyderabad is named in honor of him. He won four Nandi Awards.
Vuppaladadiyam Nagayya Sarma, popularly known as Chittoor Nagayya, was an Indian actor, singer, music composer, and director known for his works in Telugu cinema, Tamil cinema, and Telugu theatre. Nagayya was one of the first multilingual filmmakers in India. Indian film journalist Baburao Patel described Nagayya as "The Paul Muni of India". Nagayya was considered the best character actor in South Indian cinema during 1940s and 1950s. In 1965, he became the first South Indian actor to receive the Padma Shri in Arts from the Government of India for his contributions to Indian cinema.
Mannava Balayya was an Indian actor, writer, director, and producer known for his work in Telugu cinema. He appeared in 300 films during his career.
Anjali Devi was an Indian actress, model and producer in Telugu and Tamil films. She was well known for her role as the Devi Sita in Lava Kusa as well as for the title roles in movies like Chenchu Lakshmi, Suvarna Sundari and Anarkali.
Sathyam Babu Dixithulu, known by his stage name Sarath Babu, was an Indian actor who worked predominantly in Tamil and Telugu cinema. He appeared in more than 200 films, including in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and a few Malayalam and Hindi films. He has received eight state Nandi Awards.
Sankaramanchi Janaki, widely known as Sowcar Janaki, is an Indian actress known for her works in Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam and Kannada language films. Janaki has appeared in close to over 390, films, predominantly in Telugu. She also performed on stage in over 300 shows and was a radio artist during her earlier years. She is the recipient of two Nandi Awards, a Kalaimamani and India's fourth-highest civilian award Padma Shri. Her younger sister, Krishna Kumari, is also a noted actress.
Punyamurthula Appalaraju, better known by his stage name Raja Babu, was an Indian actor and comedian known for his works predominantly in Telugu cinema. He is noted as one of the finest Telugu comedians. A 9 ft bronze statue of Rajababu was unveiled in his birthplace of Rajahmundry, Andhra Pradesh in 2012.
Mucherla Aruna is an Indian actress who worked in Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam and Kannada films, mainly during the 1980s.
Basavaraju Venkata Padmanabha Rao, known mononymously as Padmanabham, was an Indian actor, comedian, producer, and director who predominantly worked in Telugu cinema and Telugu theatre. He is known for his comic expressions and dialogues. In a career spanning over six decades, he acted in more than 400 films.
Manjula Swarup is an Indian film producer, director and actress known for her work in Telugu Cinema. Born to prominent Telugu actor Krishna, she began her acting career by doing a cameo role in the 1999 film Rajasthan and went on to act as a supporting actor in the Malayalam film Summer in Bethlehem. She found fame by starring and producing in the 2002 film Show. The film won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Telugu and National Film Award for Best Screenplay for that year. She owns a film production company called Indira Productions, named after her mother.
Nirmalamma was an Indian actress in the Telugu cinema. She appeared in more than 1000 films and was well known for her grandmother roles in several films. She won two Nandi Awards.
C. Nagabushanam was an Indian actor known for his works in Telugu cinema and Telugu theatre. He acted in more than 350 films from the 1950s to the 1980s. He primarily acted in villain and character actor roles. Nagabushanam was a trendsetter in enacting comic villain characters. He was also known by the title “Natabhooshana”.
Vijayalalitha or Vijaya Lalitha was an Indian actress who appeared in Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada and Hindi films in the 1960s and 1970s. She is best known for her appearances in Rani Mera Naam (1972), Baazigar (1972) and Saakshi (1967). She is also the aunt of Vijayashanti, Telugu superstar actress turned politician.
Mikkilineni Radhakrishna Murthy was an Indian actor and thespian known for his works predominantly in Telugu cinema. He was the founder of the theater group Praja Natya Mandali. He has received the honorary Kalaprapoorna from Andhra University, for his contributions towards Telugu theater and cinema.
Raavi Kondala Rao was an Indian actor, screenwriter, playwright, and journalist who worked in Telugu cinema and Telugu theatre. He acted in over 400 films. He won Nandi Award for Best Story Writer for Pelli Pusthakam (1991) and won Nandi Award for Best Book on Telugu Cinema for Black and White.
Prabha is an Indian actress and Kuchipudi dancer from Andhra Pradesh. She has acted about 125 films in Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam and Kannada alongside popular Tollywood actors such as N. T. Rama Rao and Akkineni Nageswara Rao.She won two Nandi Awards.
