HG Somashekar Rao is the elder brother of HG Dattatreya, two-time National Award-winning actor and one of the titans of Karnataka’s theatre scene. (Photo: Mayura News/YouTube)Theatre and film actor HG Somashekar Rao passed away on Tuesday in Bengaluru following a heart attack. He was 86.
According to reports, he complained of chest pain at his residence in Srinagar area. He was rushed to a private hospital, where he was declared brought dead.
A native of Chitradurga, HG Somashekar Rao discovered his passion for acting and theatre in the 1960s during his days as an employee of Canara Bank in Mysore. And he continued to pursue his passion even after moving to Bengaluru. He acted in over 300 plays.
Somashekar made his big screen debut with 1975 Kannada film Geejagana Goodu. Following which he appeared in more than 60 movies during his career spanning about five decades. He shared screen space with some of the biggest superstars of the Kannada film industry, including Rajkumar, Anant Nag and Vishnuvardhan. The actor was known for films like Kaamana Billu (1983), 27 Mavalli Circle (1986), Harakeya Kuri (1992), Mithileya Seeteyaru (1988), Minchina Ota (1981) and Accident (1984).
HG Somashekar Rao was also a published author. He wrote 25 books, including an autobiography.
The actor is survived by his wife and two sons.