The veteran theatre, television and film actor Tom Alter best known for his performances in “Shatranj Ke Khilari”, “Junoon” and “Kranti”, passed away last night in Mumbai.
MUMBAI: The renowned actor and Padma Shri awardee Tom Alter who had been battling stage four skin cancer, died last night at his residence here. The actor was diagnosed with skin cancer last year and was treated for the same but earlier this month he suffered a relapse and was admitted in Saifee hospital.
“It is with sadness we announce the death of Tom Alter, actor, writer, director, Padma Shri, and our dear husband and father. Tom passed away Friday night at home with his family and close family members in attendance. We ask for their privacy to be respected at this time,” statement released on behalf of his family read.
An Indian actor of American descent, Alter, was born to American Christian missionary parents in Mussoorie in 1950. Alter was working as a teacher in a school in Jagadhri, Haryana, when he was bitten by the acting bug after watching Rajesh Khanna-Sharmila Tagore’s “Aradhana”.
He made his debut in regional cinema in 1977 with Kannada film “Kanneshwara Rama”. He also acted in Bengali, Assamese, Gujarati, Telegu, Tamil and Kumaoni films.Alter’s prominent stage works include the two-and-a-half-hour-long solo play in Urdu, “Maulana”, “Babur ke Aulaad”, “Lal Qile ka Aakhri Mushaira”, “Ghalib ke Khat”, .
Tom Alter, wo received the Padma Shri in 2008, authored several books and also wrote columns on cricket for several publications. He married Carol Evans in 1977 and is survived by his wife, son Jamie and daughter Afshaan.
The actor soon joined Film and Television Institute of India in Pune, where he studied acting from 1972 to 1974 and graduated with a gold medal.
His roles from the movies Charas, Des Pardes, Hum Kisise Kum Naheen, Parvarish, Kranti, Veer Zara, Aashiqui were extremely loved by the audience.This news itself had made the Bollywood stars sad then. After his death, many of them expressed their shock on the social media.
On television, Alter worked in popular shows like “Junoon”, “Zabaan Sambhalke”, “Bharat EK Khoj”, “Shaktimaan”, “Captain Vyom” and “Yahaan Ke Hum Sikandar”. He was last seen on TV in ongoing serial “Rishton Ka Chakravyuh”.
The veteran director Mahesh Bhatt, everyone recalled his best work and their memories of working with Tom.Filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt tweeted: “Goodbye to you my trusted friend!”