Raavu Gopala Rao (14 January 1937 – 13 August 1994) was an Indian actor and producer known for his works in

Telugu cinema Telugu cinema, also known as Tollywood, is the segment of Indian cinema dedicated to the production of motion pictures in the Telugu language, widely spoken in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Telugu cinema is based in Film Nagar, ...

and Telugu theatre. In a film career spanning more than twenty five years, Rao starred in over four hundred feature films in a variety of characters. Rao was known for his gruesome portrayals of antagonist roles with a touch of humour. Rao was presented with Kala Prapoorna in 1990 by

Andhra University Andhra University ( IAST: ''Āndhra Vișvakalāpariṣhat'') is a public university located in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, India. It was established in 1926. History King Vikram Deo Verma, the Maharaja of Jeypore was one of the biggest ...

and was honored with "Natavirat" and "Chittoor Nagayya Award" in 1987. Rao was known for his villainous roles in works such as '' Mutyala Muggu'' (1975), ''

Bhakta Kannappa ''Bhakta Kannappa'' () is a 1976 Indian Telugu-language film directed by Bapu. The film is a remake of 1954 Kannada movie '' Bedara Kannappa'' starring Rajkumar which was based on the life of Shaiva devotee, Kannappa Nayanar. Credits Cast ...

'' (1976), ''

Gorantha Deepam ''Gorantha Deepam'' is a 1978 Telugu-language drama film from the writer-director duo of Ramana and Bapu. The film stars Sreedhar, Vanisri and Mohan Babu. Plot A young bride, Padmavathi (Vanisri) is sent to her new home with instructions of tre ...

'' (1978), ''

Manavoori Pandavulu ''Manavoori Pandavulu'' () is a 1978 Indian Telugu-language film directed by Bapu and written by Mullapudi Venkata Ramana, dealing with the struggle against the feudal system in their own unique way. The film is remake of Kannada movie ''Paduva ...

'' (1978), ''Kaliyuga Ravanasurudu'' (1980), '' Tyagayya'' (1981), ''

Ooruki Monagadu ''Ooruki Monagadu'' () is a 1981 Indian Telugu-language action comedy film directed by K. Raghavendra Rao. The film stars Krishna and Jaya Prada. It was remade in Hindi Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hin ...

'' (1981), ''

Gudachari No.1 ''Gudachari No.1'' is a 1983 Telugu-language spy film written and directed by Kodi Ramakrishna. Produced by T. Trivikrama Rao, the film stars Chiranjeevi and Radhika in pivotal roles. Plot The film deals with Vijay, a C.B.I-Agent on a special o ...

'' (1983), '' Abhilasha'' (1983), '' Khaidi'' (1983), ''

Challenge Challenge may refer to: * Voter challenging or caging, a method of challenging the registration status of voters * Euphemism for disability * Peremptory challenge, a dismissal of potential jurors from jury duty Places Geography *Challenge, C ...

'' (1984), ''Jaakii'' (1985), ''

Bullet A bullet is a kinetic projectile, a component of firearm ammunition that is shot from a gun barrel. Bullets are made of a variety of materials, such as copper, lead, steel, polymer, rubber and even wax. Bullets are made in various shapes and ...

'' (1985), ''

Athaku Yamudu Ammayiki Mogudu ''Attaku Yamudu Ammayiki Mogudu'' () is a 1989 Indian Telugu-language masala film co-written and directed by A. Kodandarami Reddy. Produced by Allu Aravind, the film stars Chiranjeevi, Vanisri, and Vijayashanti. The film marks Vanisri's comebac ...

'' (1989), ''

Lorry Driver A truck driver (commonly referred to as a trucker, teamster, or driver in the United States and Canada; a truckie in Australia and New Zealand; a HGV driver in the United Kingdom, Ireland and the European Union, a lorry driver, or driver in ...

'' (1990), ''

Kondaveeti Donga ''Kondaveeti Donga'' () is a 1990 Indian Telugu-language vigilante film directed by A. Kodandarami Reddy starring Chiranjeevi, Vijayashanti and Radha in main lead roles. Upon release on 9 April 1990, the film received positive reviews, and emerg ...

'' (1990), and ''

Gang Leader ''Gang Leader'' is a 1991 Indian Telugu-language action crime film written and directed by Vijaya Bapineedu, and produced by Maganti Ravindranath Chowdary. The film stars Chiranjeevi and Vijayashanti, while Rao Gopal Rao, Anandaraj, Mural ...

'' (1991).

Early life

He started his career in

theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perfor ...

, with his own company, Associated Amateur Drama Company and did many plays under the banner. S. V. Ranga Rao saw his plays and recommended him to

Gutta Ramineedu G. Ramineedu (Telugu: గుత్తా రామినీడు) (5 October 1927 – 29 April 2009) was an Indian film director who worked in Telugu cinema. He is known for films such as ''Maa Inti Mahalakshmi'' (1959), '' Chivaraku Migiledi' ...

, who was making ''Bhakta Potana'' (1966). He worked as an assistant director for this film. He served as an assistant director in other films, including ''Bangaru Sankellu'' and ''Mooga Prema''.

Politics

He was appointed to the

Andhra Pradesh Legislative Council The Andhra Pradesh Legislative Council or Andhra Pradesh Śāsana Manḍali is the upper house of the legislature of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh and the lower house being the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly It is situated in the s ...

in 1984-85 and

Indian Parliament The Parliament of India ( IAST: ) is the supreme legislative body of the Republic of India. It is a bicameral legislature composed of the president of India and two houses: the Rajya Sabha (Council of States) and the Lok Sabha (House of the ...

by N. T. Rama Rao, the then chief minister of

Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh (, abbr. AP) is a state in the south-eastern coastal region of India. It is the seventh-largest state by area covering an area of and tenth-most populous state with 49,386,799 inhabitants. It is bordered by Telangana to t ...

. He was a member of

Rajya Sabha The Rajya Sabha, wikisource:Constitution of India/Part V#Article 80, constitutionally the Council of States, is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of India. , it has a maximum membership of 245, of which 233 are elected by the legisl ...

from 3 April 1986 until 2 April 1992.

Death

He died on 13 August 1994, aged 57. The film ''Prema & Co'' was released after his death. His son,

Rao Ramesh Raavu Ramesh Rao (born 25 May 1968) is an Indian actor known for his works primarily in Telugu cinema, Telugu theatre, and television. He is the son of veteran actor Rao Gopal Rao. Rao Ramesh initially appeared in '' Seema Simham'' (2002), '' ...

, is a Telugu film actor.

Selected filmography

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rao, Rao Gopal 1937 births 1994 deaths Telugu male actors Telugu comedians Indian male stage actors Indian male film actors Telugu film producers Rajya Sabha members from Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh MLAs 1983–1985 Place of death missing People from Kakinada Male actors from Andhra Pradesh 20th-century Indian male actors Indian actor-politicians Telugu Desam Party politicians Telugu politicians Film producers from Andhra Pradesh 20th-century comedians