Om Puri, the prolific Bollywood actor who also starred in several British and Hollywood films, has died. He was 66.
Indian media reported Puri's close friend, filmmaker Ashok Pandit, confirming the actor had died from a heart attack. Pandit later took to Twitter to pass on his condolences.
Over a career that stretched almost half a century, Puri starred in over 100 films. His craggy features and penchant for taking unusual roles made Puri a critics' favorite, and he gave award-winning performances in the films Aakrosh (1980) and Arohan (1982).
As well as working in Bollywood and several of the regional Indian film industries, Puri starred in many British films later in his career, most notably 1997's My Son the Fanatic, the hit comedy East is East (1999) and the Steve Coogan comedy The Parole Officer (2001). Puri also had a cameo in the Oscar-winning film Gandhi and worked on television shows Jewel in the Crown and The Canterbury Tales. Though not a citizen, Puri was awarded an honorary OBE in 2004 for his services to British film.
