Do you know Manoj Kumar’s real name? Read more about the actor's life

Manoj Kumar is a legendary actor and will always be remembered for the great work he has done in the Indian movie industry. The actor-director had managed to create a huge fan-base for himself back in the day when he was working. Today, July 24, marks his 83rd birthday. But, many of his fans must be unaware of the fact that his real name is actually not Manoj Kumar but something else. Read ahead to know what his birth name is-

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Manoj Kumar’s real name and life story

The evergreen Bollywood actor, Manoj Kumar was actually born with the name Harikrishan Giri Goswami. But, as a youngster, he always admired the work of veteran actors like Dilip Kumar, Ashok Kumar, and Kamini Kaushal. Reportedly, he decided to name himself "Manoj Kumar" after getting inspired by Dilip Kumar’s character from Shabnam (1949).

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Early Life

Manoj Kumar was born on July 24, 1937, in Abbottabad, It is a town in the North-West Frontier Province of British India. Abbottabad is now in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. When he was 10 years old, he migrated from there to Delhi, due to the partition. Initially, he and his family lived as refugees in Vijay Nagar, Kingsway Camp and later moved to Old Rajendra Nagar area of New Delhi. It was only after finishing his education and graduating from the Hindu College, University of Delhi, that Manoj Kumar decided to enter the acting industry.

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Career

Manoj Kumar made his acting debut with Fashion (1957) and rose to fame with his first lead character played in Kaanch Ki Gudia (1960). He then did many movies with great moviemakers like Vijay Bhatt and Raj Khosla. He was considered to be one of the most versatile actors as he was a part of movies with many different genres. The mid-1970s saw the peak of his career, when the actor became a part of three superhit movies, Roti Kapda Aur Makaan (1974), Sanyasi (1975), and Dus Numbri (1976). By 1981, Manoj Kumar turned from acting to direction and went ahead to direct movies like Dilip Kumar starrer, Kranti (1981).

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Personal Life

Manoj Kumar got married to Shashi Goswami. The two became proud parents of two songs, Vishal Kumar and Kunal Kumar. Both of them tried to make careers in the singing and acting industry, respectively. But, unfortunately, could not gain much success.