Robert John Christo, was an Australian-Indian civil engineer and actor in Hindi films. Starting with

Sanjay Khan Sanjay Khan (born Shah Abbas Ali Khan Tanoli, 3 January 1941) is an Indian actor, producer, and director known for his works in Hindi films and television. Sanjay Khan made his debut in Chetan Anand's 1964 film '' Haqeeqat'', followed by the R ...

's ''Abdullah'' (1980), he went on to act in over 200

Hindi film 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 ...

s in the 1980s and 1990s, including '' Qurbani'' (1980), ''

Kaalia ''Kaalia'' is a 1981 Indian Hindi-language action thriller film, written and directed by Tinnu Anand, and produced by Iqbal Singh. The film stars Amitabh Bachchan (in the title role), Parveen Babi, Asha Parekh, Kader Khan, Pran, Amjad Khan, ...

'' (1981), '' Nastik'' (1983), '' Mard'' (1985), '' Mr India'' (1987), ''

Roop Ki Rani Choron Ka Raja ''Roop ki Rani Choron Ka Raja'' () is a 1993 Indian Hindi-language action comedy film starring Sridevi, Anil Kapoor, Anupam Kher, Johnny Lever and Jackie Shroff in special extended role. It was the highest-budget Hindi film at that time. The ...

'' (1993) and '' Gumraah'' (1993), mostly playing roles as a non Indian henchman or Army General.

Career

Born in

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

, Christo was a qualified

Civil Engineer A civil engineer is a person who practices civil engineering – the application of planning, designing, constructing, maintaining, and operating infrastructure while protecting the public and environmental health, as well as improving existing ...

of Greek and German descent. He had two brothers, Helmut and Mike. Known for his brawny physique and bald-headed look, Bob arrived in

Bombay Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

whilst awaiting a work permit to

Muscat, Oman Muscat ( ar, مَسْقَط, ) is the Capital (political), capital and most populated city in Oman. It is the seat of the Muscat (governorate), Governorate of Muscat. According to the National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI), the t ...

. It was in Mumbai that he was introduced to Bollywood actress

Parveen Babi Parveen Babi (4 April 1954 – 20 January 2005) was an Indian actress and model. Recognized for her roles in Hindi films throughout the 1970s and early 1980s, Babi was known for her "glamorous" acting style, and was one of the highest-paid ...

, who helped him transition into

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 ...

. He received his first break when he constructed the jungle palace for

Francis Ford Coppola Francis Ford Coppola (; ; born April 7, 1939) is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. He is considered one of the major figures of the New Hollywood filmmaking movement of the 1960s and 1970s. Coppola is the recipient of five A ...

in "

Apocalypse Now ''Apocalypse Now'' is a 1979 American epic war film produced and directed by Francis Ford Coppola. The screenplay, co-written by Coppola, John Milius and Michael Herr, is loosely based on the 1899 novella ''Heart of Darkness'' by Joseph Conr ...

". And later as a villain in the

Hindi Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been de ...

movie ''Abdullah'' in 1980. Christo decided to stay in India and appeared in over 200 movies in

, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada, playing a recurring typecast villain. Sanjay Khan discovered him and gave him his first break in his movie ''Abdullah'' as the villain, and also after many years, Sanjay Khan gave him a break in his first ever television serial, ''The Great Maratha'', where he played the iconic character of Ahmed Shah Abdali. During the later stages of his life, he relocated to

Bangalore Bangalore (), officially Bengaluru (), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It has a population of more than and a metropolitan population of around , making it the third most populous city and fifth most ...

in early 2000, where he started working as a Yoga instructor and remained disconnected from the Hindi movie industry since 2003.

Death

The 72-year-old actor died of "rupture of left ventricle valve" in Bangalore on 20 March 2011. He is survived by his wife Nargis and two sons, Darius and Sunil. He has two daughters, Monique and Nicole from a previous marriage.

Filmography

Film

Television

Works

* ''Flashback: My Life and Times in Bollywood and Beyond'', by Bob Christo. Penguin India, 2011. .

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Christo, Bob 1938 births 20th-century Indian male actors 21st-century Indian male actors 2011 deaths Australian civil engineers Australian emigrants to India Australian expatriates in Germany Australian expatriates in Austria Australian male film actors Indian autobiographers Indian male film actors Indian people of German descent Indian people of Greek descent Male actors from Bangalore Male actors from Sydney Male actors in Hindi cinema Male actors in Hindi television Male actors in Kannada cinema Male actors in Malayalam cinema Male actors in Tamil cinema Male actors in Telugu cinema People who lost Australian citizenship People with acquired Indian citizenship Set designers