John Gardner (born 30 January 1969), known professionally as Akshay Anand is an Indian actor who appears mainly in

Hindi films Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood, is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (fo ...

and television.

Early life and career

Anand was born as John Gardner and he assumed the name Akshay inspired by his character in his television debut '' Indradhanush''. The name Anand had been given to him by his mentor, actor and director

Dev Anand Dharamdev Pishorimal Anand (26 September 1923 – 3 December 2011), better known as Dev Anand, was an Indian actor, writer, director and producer known for his work in Hindi cinema, through a career that spanned over six decades. He was ...

, during his association with Dev Anand while filming ''

Hum Naujawan ''Hum Naujawan'' () is a 1985 Indian drama film directed by Dev Anand. He himself played the central character in the film dedicated to young students. It marked the debut of Richa Sharma (actress), Richa Sharma, Tabu (actress), Tabu, Bunty Beh ...

''. He studied economics at

St. Xavier's College, Mumbai St. Xavier's College is a private, Catholic, autonomous higher education institution run by the Bombay Province of the Society of Jesus in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. It was founded by the Jesuits on January 2, 1869. The college is aff ...

before getting into acting. His television debut was made in 1989 with the 13-episode TV series '' Indradhanush'' which was based on time travel. He also mentors at his acting academy, Akshay Anand Acting Academy. He is also active as producer and director for various web series under the banner Akshay Anand Academy Production.

Filmography

Selected films

Television

References

External links

* Living people Male actors in Malayalam cinema Indian male film actors Male actors in Hindi cinema 20th-century Indian male actors 21st-century Indian male actors 1957 births Actors from Mumbai {{India-actor-stub