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 Telugu theatre is Indian theatre in the Telugu language, based in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Gurajada Apparao wrote the play, ''Kanyasulkam'' in 1892, which is often considered the greatest play in the Telugu language.20th Cen ...

. 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 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 don ...

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 bigge ...

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'' (1978), '' Manavoori Pandavulu'' (1978), ''Kaliyuga Ravanasurudu'' (1980), ''

Tyagayya Thyagaraja ( Telugu: త్యాగరాజ) (4 May 1767 – 6 January 1847), also known as Thyāgayya and in full as Kakarla Thyagabrahmam, was a composer and vocalist of Carnatic music, a form of Indian classical music. Tyagaraja and his ...

'' (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 as '' Himmatwala'' (1983). It marked the third collaboration of actor Krish ...

'' (1981), '' Gudachari No.1'' (1983), '' Abhilasha'' (1983), '' Khaidi'' (1983), '' Challenge'' (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 co ...

'' (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 comeba ...

'' (1989), '' Lorry Driver'' (1990), '' Kondaveeti Donga'' (1990), and '' Gang Leader'' (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 Samarla Venkata Ranga Rao (3 July 1918 – 18 July 1974), popularly known as SVR, was an Indian actor, producer, and director known for his works majorly in Telugu and Tamil films. He is regarded as one of the finest actors in the history o ...

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 ...

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 t ...

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 the ...

. He was a member of

Rajya Sabha The Rajya Sabha, 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 legislatures of the states and union territories using si ...

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), '' O ...

, 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