Irrfan Khan, a veteran Hollywood and Bollywood actor, has died at the age of 53, NBC Chicago reports.
Khan passed away on Wednesday after being admitted to Mumbai’s Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani hospital with a colon infection. He had been diagnosed with neuroendocrine cancer in 2018 but appeared to recover from it.
Khan was born on Jan. 7 1967, to Saeeda Begum and Yaseen Khan in Rajasthan, India, The New York Times reports. He was one of four children.
In the 1980s, Khan began his career playing small roles on Indian television, according to The New York Times. His film debut came in 1988 with a small role Salaam Bombay!, an Academy Award-nominated film, Rolling Stone reports. He would go on to star in dozens of Bollywood films. In
Khan would make his mark on American cinema in 2007, with his role in the English language Bollywood film The Namesake. In 2008, he played a police detective in Slumdog Millionaire. The film won the Academy Award for Best Picture. He would go on to star in films like Life of Pi, The Amazing Spiderman, Jurassic World and Inferno, the sequel to DaVinci Code.
Actors and world leaders have taken to social media to honor Khan’s life and work.
“Irrfan Khan’s demise is a loss to the world of cinema and theatre,” Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrote in a tweet. “He will be remembered for his versatile performances across different mediums. My thoughts are with his family, friends and admirers. May his soul rest in peace.”
Mindy Kaling, one of Hollywood’s most prolific Indian American entertainers, called Khan her “favorite actor” and praised the “subtlety and sensitivity” in his performances.
Actress Priyanka Chopra thanked Khan for paving the way for others.
Khan is survived by his wife Sutapa Sikdar and their two sons.
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