Veteran Kannada actor MS Umesh passed away in Bengaluru on Sunday at the age of 80, Indian media reported.
The comedy star had been battling cancer and breathed his last at hospital. He was known for making people laugh with his natural comic timing.
Following the announcement of her demise, tributes poured in from across the fraternity. Artist, singer, and fans alike remembered him not only as a gifted performer but also as a kind, humble soul who brought joy to every set he worked on.
His career in the film industry spanned nearly six decades, where he acted in over 350 films.
Born on April 24, 1945, in Mysuru, Umesh started his career at the age of four when he played a role in 'Lanchavatara' fame Master K Hirannaiah's theatre group. Later, he joined Gubbi Veeranna's theatre troupe. Umesh got a major break in the film industry in 1960 when he played the lead role in the movie 'Makkala Rajya'.
After the debut, there was a lull in his film career, which was marked with struggle. He was forced to return to theatres. The actor got his next break in the film industry through 'Katha Sangama' in 1977. Since then, there has been no looking back for Umesh. He acted in movies as a comedian like 'Nagara Hole' (1978), 'Guru Shishyaru' (1981), 'Anupama' (1981), 'Kaamana Billu' (1983) and 'Venkata in Sankata' (2007).
The actor worked with all the leading Kannada actors of his time, right from Kannada matinee idol Rajkumar, Vishnu Vardhan, Ambareesh, Srinath, Shankar Nag, Ananth Nag, Arvind Ramesh, B Saroja Devi and Bharathi. He also acted with Tamil actors Sivaji Ganesan and Rajinikanth.
Umesh has written screenplays, dialogues and songs for multiple films. He had also written columns in many newspapers.
Umesh was a versatile actor. He got the Karnataka State Film Award in 1975 for best supporting actor in 'Katha Sangama' and the Karnataka Nataka Akademy Award in 2013 for his contribution to theatres.