M. K. Radha (20 November 1910 - 29 August 1985) was a Tamil cinema

Tamil cinema

Tamil cinema is the film industry based in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, dedicated to the production of films in the Tamil language. It is based in Chennai's Kodambakkam district, where several South Indian film production companies are headquartered...

 actor. He was born in Chennai

Chennai

Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...

 and took up acting in Tamil

Tamil cinema

Tamil cinema is the film industry based in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, dedicated to the production of films in the Tamil language. It is based in Chennai's Kodambakkam district, where several South Indian film production companies are headquartered...

 Stage at the early age of 7. He was tutored by his father Kandasamy Mudaliar a famous drama

Drama

Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...

 teacher at that time. His career spanned for almost 25 years in Tamil

Tamil cinema

Tamil cinema is the film industry based in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, dedicated to the production of films in the Tamil language. It is based in Chennai's Kodambakkam district, where several South Indian film production companies are headquartered...

 drama as a lead actor during India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

´s pre-independence days and he was a popular social hero in various patriotic dramas.

Filmography

• Sathi Leelavathi - 1936
• Maya Machindra
• Chandralekha
  Chandralekha (1948 film)
  Chandralekha is a 1948 Tamil epic film directed and produced by S. S. Vasan. It features an ensemble cast consisting of M.K.Radha, Ranjan, T. R. Rajakumari, N. S. Krishnan and T. A. Madhuram...
  
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• Apoorva Sagodharargal - 1949, an adaptation of Alexandre Dumas' Corsican brothers
• Paasavalai
• Ambikapathi
• Threesons

Awards and honours

In 1973, he received the Padma Shri

Padma Shri

Padma Shri is the fourth highest civilian award in the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan...

 Award for his contribution to performing arts from President V.V. Giri.

In July 2004, the Indian Postal Service

Indian Postal Service

The Department of Posts functioning under the brand name India Post , is a government operated postal system in India; it is generally referred to within India as "the post office"....

 special postal envelope in his memory.

A neighbourhood in Teynampet

Teynampet

Teynampet is one of the busiest commercial localities of the city of Chennai, India. Neighbouring localities include Alwarpet, T. Nagar, Nandanam, and Nungambakkam. Teynampet is along Anna Salai, the arterial road of Chennai...

, Chennai

Chennai

Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...

is named M.K. Radha Nagar in his honour.