Dharmendra

Dharmendra (8 December 1935 – 24 November 2025)^[1] was an Indian movie actor and politician. His starring roles in action movies earned him nicknames such as "Action King" and "He-Man".^[2] One of his most known roles was in Sholay (1975).^[3]

Dharmendra
Dharmendra in 2012
Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha
In office 13 May 2004 – 16 May 2009
Preceded by	Rameshwar Lal Dudi
Succeeded by	Arjun Ram Meghwal
Constituency	Bikaner
Personal details
Born	Dharmendra Kewal Krishan Deol (1935-12-08)8 December 1935 Nasrali, Punjab, British India (present-day Punjab, India)
Died	24 November 2025(2025-11-24) (aged 89) Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Citizenship	British Indian (1935–1947) Indian (1947–2025)
Political party	Bharatiya Janata Party
Spouse(s)	Prakash Kaur ​ (m. 1954)​ Hema Malini ​ (m. 1980)​
Children	6; (including Sunny Deol, Bobby Deol and Esha Deol)
Relatives	See Deol family
Alma mater	Ramgarhia College, Phagwara Panjab University, Chandigarh
Occupation	Actor politician
Awards	Padma Bhushan (2012)
Signature
Nickname(s)	He-Man Garam Dharam

He was a member of the 14th Lok Sabha of India, representing Bikaner constituency in Rajasthan from Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He was a member of the Lok Sabha from 2004 through 2009.

In 2012, he was honored India's third highest civilian honour Padma Bhushan by the Government of India.^[4]

Dharmendra died at his home in Mumbai, India on 24 November 2025 from problems caused by heart disease at the age of 89.^[5][6] He was cremated as per Hindu rituals.^[7]