Profile of Kabir Bedi on Famous Like Me

Kabir Bedi (born January 16, 1946) is an Indian international film actor.

He was born in Lahore.

He was married to Odissi dancer Protima Bedi. Their daughter Pooja Bedi was an actress in Hindi films. He has also played Prince Omar Rashid of Morroco on the American soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful in 1994, 1995 & 2005. He is married to Nikki Bedi.

Kabir Bedi is one of the most famous international actors to have come out of India. In the James Bond film, “Octopussy” he played Gobinda, the villain who battled Roger Moore from start to finish. In Europe, his greatest success was the title role in “Sandokan”, a record-breaking Italian-German-French television series, the saga of a romantic Asian pirate and freedom fighter during British colonial times. Over a billion people in 149 countries saw Kabir as Prince Omar in “The Bold And The Beautiful”, one of the world’s most-watched television programmes, for over a year.

Kabir has just ended his starring role in the London West End musical adaptation of M.M. Kaye’s “The Far Pavilions”, directed by Gale Edwards, at the Shaftesbury Theatre in London. His earlier stage performances have included the “the mad king” in Girish Karnad’s historical “Tughlaq”, a self-destructive alcoholic in Vijay Tendulkar’s “The Vultures”, and an acclaimed portrayal of Shakespeare’s “Othello”, directed by Alyque Padamsee.

Kabir currently stars in Bollywood epic, Akbar Khan’s “The Taj Mahal”, as the embattled Emperor Shah Jahan, builder of the world’s greatest monument to love. Over the last three decades Kabir has acted in over 60 Bollywood films, with starring roles in Raj Khosla’s super hit “Kuchche Dhaage” and Mahesh Bhatt’s Manzilein Aur Bhi Hain”, Rakesh Roshan’s “Khoon Bhari Maang”. He also played a memorable Mafia Don in Feroz Khan’s “Yalgar”. More recently, Kabir had pivotal roles in the Sharukh Khan blockbuster “Main Hoon Na” and Dharmesh Darshan’s recent Bollywood hit, “Bewafa”.

Kabir also has the central role in a new Indo-British film, “Take 3 Girls”, directed by Baz Taylor, produced by Inspired Films, a human drama with humour, in the style of “Bend it like Beckham”, to be released later this year.

Last year Kabir had a leading role in an Italian film “Andata Ritorno”, directed by Marco Ponti, whose first film had won Italy’s most prestigious Donatello Award. Kabir has starred as Michael Caine’s tribal companion in “Ashanti”, as the flamboyant Prince in “The Thief Of Baghdad”, and in the swashbuckling title role of “The Black Pirate” (Il Corsaro Nero), an Italian film. He was seen as a comic South American revolutionary in Bud Spencer’s Italian TV Mini-Series “We Are Angels”, And Played An Important Role In “The Beast Of War”, a film on the Russian war in Afghanistan, directed by Kevin Reynolds for Colombia Pictures.

On American television, Kabir’s work includes “Dynasty”, “Murder She Wrote”, “Magnum P.I.”, “Hunter”, “Highlander”, “Stingray”, “Riptide”, “Knight Rider” and many key roles in highly-rated TV mini-series: Hallmark’s “Forbidden Territory: Stanley’s Search For Livingston”, Tom Clancy’s “Op Center”, both Ken Follett’s “On Wings Of Eagles” and “Red Eagle”. He also played Friar Sands, a lead in “The Lost Empire”, a major NBC mini-series.

Kabir is a voting member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (Oscars), the American Screen Actors Guild (Sag), the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (Aftra), the British Equity Actors Union (Equity) and the Cine Artists Association of India.

Kabir Bedi is based in London and Bombay.

Kabir shot onto the international stage in the role of Sandokan a Malaysian Robin-Hood-like pirate created by the Italian author Emilio Salgari. The Sergio Solima directed mini series was filmed in 1976 on location in South East Asia. When Sandokan premiered, it rocked Italy. He became so popular that he was often mobbed by fans. Once, in Spain, he ran over the tops of cars in a desperate attempt to escape the crowd. He was later summoned to the police station to pay for the damage caused to the vehicles. At airports throughout Europe, women would bare their thighs for his autograph. he later reprised the Sandokan role in two films shot in the 1990s.

Filmography

US & INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILMS: ANDATA RITORNO Director: Marco Ponti ASHANTI Director: Richard Fleischer THIEF OF BAGHDAD Director: Clive Donner THE BEAST OF WAR Director: Kevin Reynolds THE BLACK PIRATE Director: Sergio Sollima TERMINAL ENTRY Director: John Kincaid FORTY DAYS Director: Sarky Mouradian COUNTERFORCE Director: Jose Antonio De La Loma OCTOPUSSY (James Bond film) Director: John Glen

US TELEVISION SERIES: FORBIDDEN TERRITORY Director: Simon Langton THE LOST EMPIRE Director: Peter MacDonald Ken Follet’s RED EAGLE Director: Jim Goddard Tom Clancy’s OP CENTER Director: Lewis Teague Ken Follet’s ON WINGS OF EAGLES Director: Andrew McLaughlin WE ARE ANGELES Director: Ruggero Deodato BEYOND JUSTICE Director: Duccio Tessari FUGITIVE FROM THE EMPIRE Director: Nick Corea FIRST LADY OF THE WORLD Director: John Erman DAYS AND NIGHTS OF MOLLY DODD Director: Jay Tarses MAGNUM P.I Director: Burt Brinkerhof THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL Multiple Directors DYNASTY Multiple Directors HIGHLANDER Multiple Directors GENERAL HOSPITAL/ ONE LIFE TO LIVE Multiple Directors MURDER SHE WROTE Multiple Directors

ITALIAN TELEVISION SERIES: SANDOKAN (Title Role) Director: Sergio Sollima SANDOKAN ALLA RISCOSSA Director: Sergio Sollima THE RETURN OF SANDOKAN Director: Enzo Castellari THE MAHARAJA’S DAUGHTER Director: Burt Brinckerhoff MYSTERIES OF THE DARK JUNGLE Director: Kevin Connor

THEATRE: M.M. Kaye’s THE FAR PAVILIONS Director: Gale Edwards Shakespeare’s “OTHELLO” Director: Alyque Padamsee Girish Karnad’s “TUGHLAQ” Director: Alyque Padamsee Vijay Tendulkar’s “VULTURES” Director: Alyque Padamsee Peter Weiss’s MARAT/SADE Director: Alyque Padamsee Ann Jellicoe’s THE KNACK Director: Joy Michael

INDIAN FILMS: Over 50 Bollywood Films. Last two releases: Main Hoon Na and Bewafa. Next: TAJ MAHAL

FORTHCOMING FILMS: TAKE 3 GIRLS Director: Baz Taylor

Kabir Bedi is a member of: ACADEMY OF MOTION PICTURE ARTS AND SCIENCES BRITISH ACTORS EQUITY ASSOCIATION SCREEN ACTORS GUILD & AFTRA CINE ARTISTS ASSOCIATION OF INDIA

• Il Corsaro Nero (1976)
• Sandokan (1976), as Sandokan

• The Thief of Baghdad (1978)
• Ashanti (1979)
• The Archer (1981)
• Girl From India (1982)
• Demon Rage??? (1982)
• Octopussy (1983)
• Hostage Flight (1985)
• Forty Days of Musa Dagh (1986)
• Terminal Entry (1987)
• Counterforce (1987)
• The Beast (1988)
• Beyond Justice (1992)
• Lie Down with Lions (1994)
• Main Hoon Na (2004), as General Bakshi
• Talaash(?), as Chote Pathan

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