Actor, Supporting Cast
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Born 19581
Kollengode, Kerala, India
Died March 19, 2008(2008-03-19) (aged 49)1
Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
Occupation Film actor
Spouse Rohini (divorced)
Children 1 son

Raghuvaran (Malayalam: രഘുവരന്‍; Tamil: ; Kannada; Telugu: రఘువరన్) (1958 – 19 March 2008)1 was an Indian actor who predominantly acted in movies made in South India. He became famous for his portrayal of villain and character roles in Tamil films. He has acted in more than 150 Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Hindi films. According to the Hindustan Times, "the actor had carved a niche for himself with his special style and voice modulation.

He was noted for his role as the protagonist of a Tamil soap opera, Oru Manidhanin Kadhai, about a well-to-do man who becomes an alcoholic. He received critical acclaim for his role as Father Alphonse in the Malayalam movie Daivathinte Vikruthikal, directed by Lenin Rajendran and based on M. Mukundan's novel of the same name.

Personal life
He was born in 19581 at Kollengode in Palakkad district, Kerala.citation needed He was the grandson of Mr. N. Radha Krishna Menon and Satyavathy Amma and son of Mr. Velayudhan and Mrs. Kasturi.citation needed

He dropped out of his Bachelor of Arts from Coimbatore (Govt. Arts College) to pursue a career in acting. He initially tried to make a foray into the Malayalam film industry but was informed that it was not very profitable and one needed money to get there. He landed a minor role in the Kannada film Swapna Thingalgal, starring Kannada veteran Ambrareesh. He began acting in small minor roles in Telugu and Kannada films including a two-minute scene as a rapist in Udaya, starring Kannada actor Vishnuvardhan.

From 1979 to 1983, he was part of an acting drama troupe in Chennai, Chennai Kings, which also included the popular Kannada/Tamil supporting actor, Nassar. He was spotted and cast in a small role in Ezhavathu Manithan which was his biggest role to date. From then on he moved from success to success.

He was married to the Telugu actress Rohini (of malayalam movie Magalir Mattum fame) and has a son with her, Sai Rishivaran. The couple later separated and divorced.1

Raghuvaran’s substance addictions hampered his career and left him repeatedly visiting rehabilitation clinics.2

Following his beginnings on the stage, Raghuvaran turned to film with 1982's Tamil film Elavathu Manithan (Seventh Man).2 He received several state and Filmfare Awards for his outstanding performances in Tamil, Malayalam and Telugu films. He began his career as a supporting actor in a number of films in Tamil including Mani Rathnam's Anjali as the father of an autistic child, a role which was rated as one of his best performances as a supporting actor. However he later played subtle and sophisticated villains in memorable roles, such as in Baasha as Mark Anthony, Mudhalvan as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Shiva and Muthu as Rajnikanth's nephew Ilaimaran. He later returned to supporting roles - sometimes as a father or as a mentor in films such as Alai (Simbus' father), Yaaradi Nee Mohini (Dhanush's father), Tirumalai (Vijay's friend and mentor) and Bala (Shyam's mentor).

He has also acted in a number of Hindi movies, such as Lal Badshah.

Raghuvaran's voice is a unique one and is subject to numerous mimicries. He has won a number of State Awards.

Rajinikanth, who acted alongside Raghuvaran in many successful films, considered the actor something of a lucky charm. Rajnikanth claimed that the film Baba did not succeed because Raghuvaran was not in it. Later, for the movie Sivaji, Rajnikanth asked director S. Shankar to cast Raghuvaran in any role; that movie went on to become a huge success.

Raghuvaran died on 19 March 20081 in Chennai during a solar eclipse at 6:15 AM as a result of cardiac arrest. It is said that he had a history of liver disease due to excessive consumption of alcohol over a long period of time. He died in his sleep.

His death occurred during the filming stages of several films, notably the high-budget Tamil film, Kanthaswamy. Raghuvaran's performances were left unused and were replaced with Ashish Vidyarthi, which resulted in the film's delayed release. His death was a shock to the South Indian film industry.