Naseeruddin Shah

He worked in a Bollywood adaption of Shakespeare's Macbeth, titled Maqbool. He and actress Angelina Jolie famously wore vials of each others' blood around their necks while married to each other. He also played Captain Nemo in the 2003 film The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. Among these is a phobia for antique furniture (something shared by the Dwight Yoakam character in the Thornton-penned Sling Blade). Shah was recently seen in Teen Diwarein and Mira Nair's Monsoon Wedding. Thornton is known for various idiosyncratic behaviors, well-documented in interviews with the actor. He was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 2003. Thornton has also begun an ancillary career as a recording artist, in a rock & roll style known as "Americana." He has released two CD's: Private Rodeo and The Edge of the World.

With his wife Ratna Pathak, Naseeruddin Shah continues to act regularly in plays, often at Shashi Kapoor's Prithvi Theatre. Even his role as the legendary Davy Crockett in 2004's The Alamo made an effort to demythologize the character and bring out his human foibles. Naseeruddin Shah has also played and directed English and Hindi plays. His southern, small-town persona has led him to be cast in a number of down-to-earth, "regular guy" parts. However, directors also utilize his great acting talent when a character role has to be played. Thornton is a rare celebrity in that he has A-list status, but plays both leading-man roles and character roles. He has also not shied away from accepting roles in mainstream Hindi movies where he has played a variety of characters, though his slight frame has ensured that he is most often cast in a comic role. Sling Blade garnered international acclaim, won Thornton an Academy Award for his screenplay (as well as a nomination for his performance), and made him a star.

His roles in Ketan Mehta's films and also in films like Mandi, Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron, and Mohan Joshi Hazir Ho! (1983), have endeared him to the Indian public. It is the story of Karl Childers, a mentally disadvantaged man. Besides these serious roles, he has a penchant for comedy. In 1996, he wrote, directed, and starred in an independent film titled Sling Blade, an expansion of a short film titled Some Folks Call It a Sling Blade. Naseeruddin Shah has also acted for other New Indian Cinema directors including Mrinal Sen (Khandan, 1983) and Sai Paranjpye (Sparsh, 1979). He also had small roles in films like Indecent Proposal, On Deadly Ground, and Tombstone. The film is set in a Catholic setting, primarily because Mirza did not have the courage to tackle Muslim issues. His role as the villain in One False Move brought him to the attention of critics.

In the movie, he plays a garage mechanic from Goa who dreams of the expensive cars that he repairs but that are far beyond his reach. He first came to semi-prominence as a cast member on the NBC sitcom Hearts Afire with John Ritter and Markie Post. One of his most intense performances was given in Saeed Mirza's Albert Pinto Ko Gussa Kyon Aata Hai (What makes Albert Pinto angry?, 1980). He has married five times and his most recent ex-wife is actress Angelina Jolie. He acted in Benegal's Nishant (1975), Manthan and Bhumika (1976). Billy Bob Thornton (born August 4, 1955, in Hot Springs, Arkansas) is an American actor. Like many of the other actors of his genre, Naseeruddin Shah was first noticed by Shyam Benegal. Indecent Proposal (1993).

Shah was born in Delhi and educated at the National School of Drama in Delhi. Tombstone (1993). Naseeruddin Shah (born July 20, 1950) is one of the icons of New Indian Cinema along with Smita Patil, Shabana Azmi and Om Puri. On Deadly Ground (1994). Hyderabad: Orient Longman, 1988. Sling Blade (1996). The Moving Image. U-Turn (1997).

Kishore, Valicha. Princess Mononoke (voice) (1997). London: British Film Institute; New Delhi: Oxford University Press, 1994. Primary Colors (1998). Encyclopedia of Indian Cinema. Armageddon (1998). Rajadhyaksha, Ashish; Willemen, Paul. A Simple Plan (1998).

New Delhi: Macmillan, 1986. Pushing Tin (1999). The New Indian Cinema. Monster's Ball (2001). Vasudev, Aruna. The Man Who Wasn't There (2001). Ijazaat. Levity (2003).

The Great New Wonderful. Intolerable Cruelty (2003). Maqbool. Love Actually (2003). Gaja Gamini. Bad Santa (2003). Yeh woh manzil to nahin. The Alamo (2004).

Aghaat. Friday Night Lights (2004). Trikal. Bhavni Bhavai. Aakrosh.

Albert Pinto Ko Gussa Kyon Aata Hai. Chakra. Bhumika. Manthan.

Nishant. Holi. Mohan Joshi Haazir Ho. Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron.

Ardh Satya. Mandi. Junoon. Bhopal Express.

Pestonjee. Katha. Electric Moon. Mane.

Ahmed. Mr. Bombay Boys. Genesis (1988).