Gemini Ganesan, born on 17 November 1919, was an Indian film actor who worked mainly in Tamil cinema. He was nicknamed "Kadhal Mannan" (King of Romance) for the romantic roles he played in films. Ganesan was one of the "three biggest names of Tamil cinema", the other two being M. G. Ramachandran and Sivaji Ganesan. While Sivaji Ganesan excelled in films with drama, and MGR dominated films with fight sequences, Gemini Ganesan held his own with sensitive portrayals of the yearning lover. A recipient of the Padma Shri in 1971, he had also won several other awards including the "Kalaimamani", the "MGR Gold Medal" and the "Screen Lifetime Achievement Award". He came from an intercaste family, and was one of the few graduates to enter the film industry at that time.
