text:
April 23

Pre-1600

 * 215 BC – A temple is built on the Capitoline Hill dedicated to Venus Erycina to commemorate the Roman defeat at Lake Trasimene.
 * 599 – Maya king Uneh Chan of Calakmul attacks rival city-state Palenque in southern Mexico, defeating queen Yohl Ik'nal and sacking the city.
 * 711 – Dagobert III succeeds his father King Childebert III as King of the Franks.
 * 1014 – Battle of Clontarf: High King of Ireland Brian Boru defeats Viking invaders, but is killed in battle.
 * 1016 – Edmund Ironside succeeds his father Æthelred the Unready as King of England.
 * 1343 – St. George's Night Uprising commences in the Duchy of Estonia.
 * 1348 – The founding of the Order of the Garter by King Edward III is announced on St. George's Day.
 * 1500 – Portuguese explorer Pedro Alvarez Cabral reaches new coastline (Brazil).
 * 1516 – The Munich Reinheitsgebot (regarding the ingredients of beer) takes effect in all of Bavaria.
 * 1521 – Battle of Villalar: King Charles I of Spain defeats the Comuneros.

1601–1900

 * 1635 – The first public school in the United States, the Boston Latin School, is founded.
 * 1655 – The Siege of Santo Domingo begins during the Anglo-Spanish War, and fails seven days later.
 * 1660 – Treaty of Oliva is established between Sweden and Poland.
 * 1661 – King Charles II of England, Scotland and Ireland is crowned in Westminster Abbey.
 * 1724 – Johann Sebastian Bach leads the first performance of his cantata Du Hirte Israel, höre, BWV 104, illustrating the topic of the Good Shepherd in pastoral music.
 * 1815 – The Second Serbian Uprising: A second phase of the national revolution of the Serbs against the Ottoman Empire, erupts shortly after the annexation of the country to the Ottoman Empire.
 * 1879 – Fire burns down the second main building and dome of the University of Notre Dame, which prompts the construction of the third, and current, Main Building with its golden dome.
 * 1891 – Chilean Civil War: The ironclad Blanco Encalada is sunk at Caldera Bay by torpedo boats.

1901–present

 * 1918 – World War I: The British Royal Navy makes a raid in an attempt to neutralise the Belgian port of Bruges-Zeebrugge.
 * 1919 – The Estonian Constituent Assembly is held in Estonia, which marks the birth of the Estonian Parliament, the Riigikogu.
 * 1920 – The Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM) is founded in Ankara. The assembly denounces the government of Sultan Mehmed VI and announces the preparation of a temporary constitution.
 * 1927 – Cardiff City defeat Arsenal in the FA Cup Final, the only time it has been won by a team not based in England.
 * 1935 – The Polish Constitution of 1935 is adopted.
 * 1940 – The Rhythm Club fire at a dance hall in Natchez, Mississippi, kills 198 people.
 * 1941 – World War II: The Greek government and King George II evacuate Athens before the invading Wehrmacht.
 * 1942 – World War II: Baedeker Blitz: German bombers hit Exeter, Bath and York in retaliation for the British raid on Lübeck.
 * 1945 – World War II: Adolf Hitler's designated successor, Hermann Göring, sends him a telegram asking permission to take leadership of Nazi Germany. Martin Bormann and Joseph Goebbels advise Göring that the telegram is treasonous.
 * 1946 – Manuel Roxas is elected the last President of the Commonwealth of the Philippines.
 * 1949 – Chinese Civil War: Establishment of the People's Liberation Army Navy.
 * 1951 – Cold War: American journalist William N. Oatis is arrested for espionage by the Communist government of Czechoslovakia.
 * 1961 – Algiers putsch by French generals.
 * 1966 – Aeroflot Flight 2723 crashes into the Caspian Sea off the Absheron Peninsula, killing 33 people.
 * 1967 – Soviet space program: Soyuz 1 (Russian: Союз 1, Union 1) a crewed spaceflight carrying cosmonaut Colonel Vladimir Komarov is launched into orbit.
 * 1968 – Vietnam War: Student protesters at Columbia University in New York City take over administration buildings and shut down the university.
 * 1971 – Bangladesh Liberation War: The Pakistan Army and Razakars massacre approximately 3,000 Hindu emigrants in the Jathibhanga area of East Pakistan (now Bangladesh).
 * 1979 – SAETA Flight 011 crashes in Pastaza Province, Ecuador, killing all 57 people on board. The wreckage was not discovered until 1984.
 * 1979 – Blair Peach, a British activist, was fatally injured after being knocked unconscious during an Anti-Nazi League demonstration against a National Front election meeting in Southall, London.
 * 1985 – Coca-Cola changes its formula and releases New Coke. The response is overwhelmingly negative, and the original formula is back on the market in less than three months.
 * 1990 – Namibia becomes the 160th member of the United Nations and the 50th member of the Commonwealth of Nations.
 * 1993 – Eritreans vote overwhelmingly for independence from Ethiopia in a United Nations-monitored referendum.
 * 1993  – Sri Lankan politician Lalith Athulathmudali is assassinated while addressing a gathering, approximately four weeks ahead of the Provincial Council elections for the Western Province.
 * 1999 – NATO bombs the headquarters of Radio Television of Serbia, as part of their aerial campaign against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.
 * 2005 – The first YouTube video, titled "Me at the zoo", was published by co-founder Jawed Karim.
 * 2013 – At least 111 people are killed and 233 injured as violence breaks out in Hawija, Iraq.
 * 2018 – A vehicle-ramming attack kills 11 people and injures 15 in Toronto. A 25-year-old suspect, Alek Minassian, is arrested.
 * 2019 – The April 2019 Hpakant jade mine collapse in Myanmar kills four miners and two rescuers, with at least 50 others missing and presumed dead.
 * 2024 – The 2024 Lumut mid-air collision in Malaysia kills 10 people while rehearsing for the 90th anniversary of the Royal Malaysian Navy.

Pre-1600

 * 1141 (probable) – Malcolm IV of Scotland (d. 1165)
 * 1185 – Afonso II of Portugal (d. 1223)
 * 1408 – John de Vere, 12th Earl of Oxford (d. 1462)
 * 1420 – George of Poděbrady, King of Bohemia (d. 1471)
 * 1464 – Joan of France, Duchess of Berry (d. 1505)
 * 1464  – Robert Fayrfax, English Renaissance composer (d. 1521)
 * 1484 – Julius Caesar Scaliger, Italian physician and scholar (d. 1558)
 * 1500 – Alexander Ales, Scottish theologian and academic (d. 1565)
 * 1500  – Johann Stumpf, Swiss writer (d. 1576)
 * 1512 – Henry FitzAlan, 19th Earl of Arundel, Chancellor of the University of Oxford (d. 1580)
 * 1516 – Georg Fabricius, German poet, historian, and archaeologist (d. 1571)
 * 1564 – William Shakespeare, English playwright and poet (d. 1616)
 * 1598 – Maarten Tromp, Dutch admiral (d. 1653)

1601–1900

 * 1621 – William Penn, English admiral and politician (d. 1670)
 * 1628 – Johannes Hudde, Dutch mathematician and politician (d. 1704)
 * 1661 – Issachar Berend Lehmann, German-Jewish banker, merchant and diplomat (d. 1730)
 * 1715 – Johann Friedrich Doles, German composer and conductor (d. 1797)
 * 1720 – Vilna Gaon, Lithuanian rabbi and author (d. 1797)
 * 1744 – Princess Charlotte Amalie Wilhelmine of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Plön (d. 1770)
 * 1748 – Félix Vicq-d'Azyr, French physician and anatomist (d. 1794)
 * 1791 – James Buchanan, American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 15th President of the United States (d. 1868)
 * 1792 – Thomas Romney Robinson, Irish astronomer and physicist (d. 1882)
 * 1794 – Wei Yuan, Chinese scholar and author (d. 1856)
 * 1805 – Johann Karl Friedrich Rosenkranz, German philosopher and academic (d. 1879)
 * 1812 – Frederick Whitaker, English-New Zealand lawyer and politician, 5th Prime Minister of New Zealand (d. 1891)
 * 1813 – Stephen A. Douglas, American educator and politician, 7th Illinois Secretary of State (d. 1861)
 * 1813  – Frédéric Ozanam, Italian-French historian and scholar (d. 1853)
 * 1818 – James Anthony Froude, English historian, novelist, biographer and editor (d. 1894)
 * 1819 – Edward Stafford, Scottish-New Zealand educator and politician, 3rd Prime Minister of New Zealand (d. 1901)
 * 1853 – Winthrop M. Crane, American businessman and politician, 40th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1920)
 * 1856 – Granville Woods, American inventor and engineer (d. 1910)
 * 1857 – Ruggero Leoncavallo, Italian composer (d. 1919)
 * 1858 – Max Planck, German physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1947)
 * 1860 – Justinian Oxenham, Australian public servant (d. 1932)
 * 1861 – Edmund Allenby, 1st Viscount Allenby, English field marshal and diplomat, British High Commissioner in Egypt (d. 1936)
 * 1861  – John Peltz, American baseball player and manager (d. 1906)
 * 1865 – Ali-Agha Shikhlinski, Russian-Azerbaijani general (d. 1943)
 * 1867 – Johannes Fibiger, Danish physician and pathologist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1928)
 * 1876 – Arthur Moeller van den Bruck, German historian and author (d. 1925)
 * 1880 – Michel Fokine, Russian dancer and choreographer (d. 1942)
 * 1882 – Albert Coates, English composer and conductor (d. 1953)
 * 1888 – Georges Vanier, Canadian general and politician, 19th Governor General of Canada (d. 1967)
 * 1889 – Karel Doorman, Dutch admiral (d. 1942)
 * 1893 – Frank Borzage, American actor and director (d. 1952)
 * 1895 – Ngaio Marsh, New Zealand author and director (d. 1982)
 * 1897 – Folke Jansson, Swedish athlete (d. 1965)
 * 1897  – Lester B. Pearson, Canadian historian and politician, 14th Prime Minister of Canada, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1972)
 * 1898 – Lucius D. Clay, American general (d. 1978)
 * 1899 – Bertil Ohlin, Swedish economist and politician, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1979)
 * 1899  – Minoru Shirota, Japanese physician and microbiologist, invented Yakult (d. 1982)
 * 1900 – Jim Bottomley, American baseball player and sportscaster (d. 1959)
 * 1900  – Joseph Green, Polish-American actor and director (d. 1996)

1901–present

 * 1901 – E. B. Ford, English biologist and geneticist (d. 1988)
 * 1902 – Halldór Laxness, Icelandic author and poet, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1998)
 * 1903 – Guy Simonds, English-Canadian general (d. 1974)
 * 1904 – Clifford Bricker, Canadian long-distance runner (d. 1980)
 * 1904  – Louis Muhlstock, Polish-Canadian painter (d. 2001)
 * 1904  – Duncan Renaldo, American actor (d. 1985)
 * 1907 – Lee Miller, American model and photographer (d. 1977)
 * 1907  – Fritz Wotruba, Austrian sculptor, designed the Wotruba Church (d. 1975)
 * 1908 – Myron Waldman, American animator and director (d. 2006)
 * 1910 – Sheila Scott Macintyre, Scottish mathematician (d. 1960)
 * 1910  – Simone Simon, French actress (d. 2005)
 * 1911 – Ronald Neame, English-American director, cinematographer, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2010)
 * 1913 – Diosa Costello, Puerto Rican-American entertainer, producer, and club owner (d. 2013)
 * 1915 – Arnold Alexander Hall, English engineer, academic, and businessman (d. 2000)
 * 1916 – Ivo Lola Ribar, Yugoslav communist politician, military leader, and People's Hero of Yugoslavia (d. 1943)
 * 1916 – Yiannis Moralis, Greek painter and educator (d. 2009)
 * 1916  – Sinah Estelle Kelley, American chemist (d. 1982)
 * 1917 – Dorian Leigh, American model (d. 2008)
 * 1917  – Tony Lupien, American baseball player and coach (d. 2004)
 * 1918 – Maurice Druon, French author and screenwriter (d. 2009)
 * 1919 – Oleg Penkovsky, Russian colonel (d. 1963)
 * 1920 – Eric Grant Yarrow, 3rd Baronet, English businessman (d. 2018)
 * 1921 – Judy Agnew, Second Lady of the United States (d. 2012)
 * 1921  – Cleto Bellucci, Italian archbishop (d. 2013)
 * 1921  – Janet Blair, American actress and singer (d. 2007)
 * 1921  – Warren Spahn, American baseball player and coach (d. 2003)
 * 1923 – Dolph Briscoe, American lieutenant and politician, 41st Governor of Texas (d. 2010)
 * 1923  – Avram Davidson, American soldier and author (d. 1993)
 * 1924 – Chuck Harmon, American baseball player and scout (d. 2019)
 * 1924  – Bobby Rosengarden, American drummer and bandleader (d. 2007)
 * 1926 – J.P. Donleavy, American-Irish novelist and playwright (d. 2017)
 * 1926  – Rifaat el-Mahgoub, Egyptian politician (d. 1990)
 * 1928 – Shirley Temple, American actress, singer, dancer, and diplomat (d. 2014)
 * 1929 – George Steiner, French-American philosopher, author, and critic (d. 2020)
 * 1932 – Halston, American fashion designer (d. 1990)
 * 1932  – Jim Fixx, American runner and author (d. 1984)
 * 1933 – Annie Easley, American computer scientist, mathematician, and engineer (d. 2011)
 * 1934 – George Canseco, Filipino composer and producer (d. 2004)
 * 1936 – Roy Orbison, American singer-songwriter (d. 1988)
 * 1937 – Victoria Glendinning, English author and critic
 * 1937  – David Mills, English cricketer (d. 2013)
 * 1937  – Barry Shepherd, Australian cricketer (d. 2001)
 * 1939 – Jorge Fons, Mexican director and screenwriter (d. 2022)
 * 1939  – Bill Hagerty, English journalist
 * 1939  – Lee Majors, American actor
 * 1939  – Ray Peterson, American pop singer (d. 2005)
 * 1940 – Michael Copps, American academic and politician
 * 1940  – Dale Houston, American singer-songwriter (d. 2007)
 * 1940  – Michael Kadosh, Israeli footballer and manager (d. 2014)
 * 1941 – Jacqueline Boyer, French singer and actress
 * 1941  – Arie den Hartog, Dutch road bicycle racer (d. 2018)
 * 1941  – Paavo Lipponen, Finnish journalist and politician, 38th Prime Minister of Finland
 * 1941  – Michael Lynne, American film producer, co-founded New Line Cinema (d. 2019)
 * 1941  – Ed Stewart, English radio and television host (d. 2016)
 * 1941  – Ray Tomlinson, American computer programmer and engineer (d. 2016)
 * 1942 – Sandra Dee, American model and actress (d. 2005)
 * 1943 – Gail Goodrich, American basketball player and coach
 * 1943  – Tony Esposito, Canadian-American ice hockey player, coach, and manager (d. 2021)
 * 1943  – Frans Koppelaar, Dutch painter
 * 1943  – Hervé Villechaize, French actor (d. 1993)
 * 1944 – Jean-François Stévenin, French actor and director (d. 2021)
 * 1946 – Blair Brown, American actress
 * 1946  – Carlton Sherwood, American soldier and journalist (d. 2014)
 * 1947 – Robert Burgess, English sociologist and academic (d. 2022)
 * 1947  – Glenn Cornick, English bass player (d. 2014)
 * 1947  – Bernadette Devlin McAliskey, Irish civil rights leader and politician
 * 1948 – Pascal Quignard, French author and screenwriter
 * 1948  – Serge Thériault, Canadian actor
 * 1949 – Paul Collier, English economist and academic
 * 1949  – David Cross, English violinist
 * 1949  – John Miles, British rock singer, songwriter, and guitarist (d. 2021)
 * 1950 – Rowley Leigh, English chef and journalist
 * 1950  – Barbara McIlvaine Smith, Sac and Fox Nation Native American politician
 * 1951 – Martin Bayerle, American treasure hunter
 * 1952 – Narada Michael Walden, American singer-songwriter, drummer, and producer
 * 1953 – James Russo, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
 * 1954 – Stephen Dalton, English air marshal
 * 1954  – Michael Moore, American director, producer, and activist
 * 1955 – Judy Davis, Australian actress
 * 1955  – Tony Miles, English chess player (d. 2001)
 * 1955  – Urmas Ott, Estonian journalist and author (d. 2008)
 * 1957 – Neville Brody, English graphic designer, typographer, and art director
 * 1957  – Jan Hooks, American actress and comedian (d. 2014)
 * 1958 – Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson, Icelandic composer and producer
 * 1958  – Ryan Walter, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
 * 1959 – Unity Dow, Botswanan judge, author, and rights activist
 * 1960 – Valerie Bertinelli, American actress
 * 1960  – Steve Clark, English guitarist and songwriter (d. 1991)
 * 1960  – Barry Douglas, Irish pianist and conductor
 * 1960  – Léo Jaime, Brazilian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor
 * 1960  – Claude Julien, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
 * 1961 – George Lopez, American comedian, actor, and talk show host
 * 1961  – Pierluigi Martini, Italian race car driver
 * 1962 – John Hannah, Scottish actor and producer
 * 1962  – Shaun Spiers, English businessman and politician
 * 1963 – Paul Belmondo, French race car driver
 * 1963  – Robby Naish, American windsurfer
 * 1964 – Gianandrea Noseda, Italian pianist and conductor
 * 1965 – Leni Robredo, Filipina human rights lawyer, 14th Vice President of the Philippines
 * 1966 – Jörg Deisinger, German bass player
 * 1966  – Matt Freeman, American bass player
 * 1966  – Lembit Oll, Estonian chess Grandmaster (d. 1999)
 * 1967 – Rhéal Cormier, Canadian baseball player (d. 2021)
 * 1967  – Melina Kanakaredes, American actress
 * 1968 – Bas Haring, Dutch philosopher, writer, television presenter and professor.
 * 1968  – Ken McRae, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
 * 1968  – Timothy McVeigh, American terrorist, Oklahoma City bombing co-perpetrator (d. 2001)
 * 1969 – Martín López-Zubero, American-Spanish swimmer and coach
 * 1969  – Yelena Shushunova, Russian gymnast (d. 2018)
 * 1970 – Egemen Bağış, Turkish politician, 1st Minister of European Union Affairs
 * 1970  – Dennis Culp, American singer-songwriter and trombonist
 * 1970  – Andrew Gee, Australian rugby league player and manager
 * 1970  – Hans Välimäki, Finnish chef and author
 * 1970  – Tayfur Havutçu, Turkish international footballer and manager
 * 1971 – Uli Herzner, German-American fashion designer
 * 1972 – Pierre Labrie, Canadian poet and playwright
 * 1972  – Peter Dench, English photographer and journalist
 * 1972  – Amira Medunjanin, Bosnian singer
 * 1973 – Patrick Poulin, Canadian ice hockey player
 * 1974 – Carlos Dengler, American bass player
 * 1974  – Michael Kerr, New Zealand-German rugby player
 * 1975 – Bobby Shaw, American football player
 * 1976 – Gabriel Damon, American actor
 * 1976  – Aaron Dessner, American guitarist, songwriter, and producer
 * 1977 – John Cena, American professional wrestler and actor
 * 1977  – Andruw Jones, Curaçaoan baseball player
 * 1977  – David Kidwell, New Zealand rugby league player and coach
 * 1977  – Willie Mitchell, Canadian ice hockey player
 * 1977  – John Oliver, English comedian, actor, producer, and screenwriter
 * 1977  – Kal Penn, Indian-American actor
 * 1977  – Bram Schmitz, Dutch cyclist
 * 1977  – Lee Young-pyo, South Korean international footballer
 * 1978 – Gezahegne Abera, Ethiopian runner
 * 1979 – Barry Hawkins, English snooker player
 * 1979  – Jaime King, American actress and model
 * 1979  – Joanna Krupa, Polish-American model and television personality
 * 1979  – Samppa Lajunen, Finnish skier
 * 1980 – Nicole den Dulk, Dutch Paralympic equestrian
 * 1982 – Kyle Beckerman, American footballer
 * 1982  – Tony Sunshine, American singer-songwriter
 * 1983 – Leon Andreasen, Danish international footballer
 * 1983  – Daniela Hantuchová, Slovak tennis player
 * 1983  – Ian Henderson, English rugby league player
 * 1984 – Alexandra Kosteniuk, Russian chess player
 * 1984  – Moose, American professional wrestler and football player
 * 1984  – Jesse Lee Soffer, American actor
 * 1985 – Angel Locsin, Filipino actress, producer, and fashion designer
 * 1986 – Sven Kramer, Dutch speed skater
 * 1986  – Alysia Montaño, American runner
 * 1986  – Rafael Fernandes, Brazilian baseball player
 * 1987 – Michael Arroyo, Ecuadorian footballer
 * 1987  – John Boye, Ghanaian footballer
 * 1987  – Emily Fox, American basketball player
 * 1988 – Victor Anichebe, Nigerian footballer
 * 1988  – Sandra Borch, Norwegian politician
 * 1988  – Alistair Brownlee, English triathlete
 * 1988  – Signe Ronka, Canadian figure skater
 * 1988  – Lenka Wienerová, Slovak tennis player
 * 1989 – Nicole Vaidišová, Czech tennis player
 * 1990 – Rui Fonte, Portuguese footballer
 * 1990  – Dev Patel, English actor
 * 1991 – Britt Baker, American professional wrestler
 * 1991  – Nathan Baker, English footballer
 * 1991  – Caleb Johnson, American singer-songwriter
 * 1991  – Paul Vaughan, Australian-Italian rugby league player
 * 1994 – Patrick Olsen, Danish footballer
 * 1994  – Song Kang, South Korean actor
 * 1995 – Gigi Hadid, American fashion model and television personality
 * 1995  – Jamie Hayter, English professional wrestler
 * 1996 – Carolina Alves, Brazilian tennis player
 * 1997 – Zach Apple, American swimmer
 * 1999 – Son Chaeyoung, South Korean rapper and singer-songwriter
 * 2000 – Chloe Kim, American snowboarder
 * 2000 – Lee Jeno, South Korean rapper, vocalist and dancer
 * 2018 – Prince Louis of Wales

Pre-1600

 * AD 303 – Saint George, Roman soldier and martyr
 * 711 – Childebert III, Frankish king (b. 670)
 * 725 – Wihtred of Kent
 * 871 – Æthelred of Wessex (b. 837)
 * 915 – Yang Shihou, Chinese general
 * 944 – Wichmann the Elder, Saxon nobleman
 * 990 – Ekkehard II, Swiss monk and abbot
 * 997 – Adalbert of Prague, Czech bishop, missionary, and saint (b. 956)
 * 1014 – Brian Boru, Irish king (b. 941)
 * 1014 – Domnall mac Eimín, Mormaer of Mar
 * 1016 – Æthelred the Unready, English son of Edgar the Peaceful (b. 968)
 * 1124 – Alexander I of Scotland (b. 1078)
 * 1151 – Adeliza of Louvain (b. 1103)
 * 1170 – Minamoto no Tametomo, Japanese samurai (b. 1139)
 * 1196 – Béla III of Hungary (b. c. 1148)
 * 1200 – Zhu Xi, Chinese philosopher (b. 1130)
 * 1217 – Inge II of Norway (b. 1185)
 * 1262 – Aegidius of Assisi, companion of Saint Francis of Assisi
 * 1307 – Joan of Acre (b. 1272)
 * 1400 – Aubrey de Vere, 10th Earl of Oxford, English politician and nobleman (b. c. 1338)
 * 1407 – Olivier de Clisson, French soldier (b. 1326)
 * 1501 – Domenico della Rovere, Catholic cardinal (b. 1442)
 * 1554 – Gaspara Stampa, Italian poet (b. 1523)

1601–1900

 * 1605 – Boris Godunov, Russian ruler (b. 1551)
 * 1616 – William Shakespeare, English playwright and poet (b. 1564)
 * 1616 – Inca Garcilaso de la Vega, Spanish writer and historian (b. 1539)

 * 1625 – Maurice, Prince of Orange (b. 1567)
 * 1695 – Henry Vaughan, Welsh poet and author (b. 1621)
 * 1702 – Margaret Fell, English religious leader, founded the Religious Society of Friends (b. 1614)
 * 1781 – James Abercrombie, Scottish general and politician (b. 1706)
 * 1784 – Solomon I of Imereti (b. 1735)
 * 1792 – Karl Friedrich Bahrdt, German theologian and author (b. 1741)
 * 1794 – Guillaume-Chrétien de Lamoignon de Malesherbes, French lawyer and politician (b. 1721)
 * 1827 – Georgios Karaiskakis, Greek general (b. 1780)
 * 1839 – Jacques Félix Emmanuel Hamelin, French admiral and explorer (b. 1768)
 * 1850 – William Wordsworth, English poet and author (b. 1770)
 * 1865 – Silas Soule, American soldier and whistleblower of the Sand Creek Massacre (b. 1838)
 * 1889 – Jules Amédée Barbey d'Aurevilly, French author and critic (b. 1808)
 * 1895 – Carl Ludwig, German physician and physiologist (b. 1815)

1901–present

 * 1905 – Gédéon Ouimet, Canadian politician, 2nd Premier of Quebec (b. 1823)
 * 1907 – Alferd Packer, American prospector (b. 1842)
 * 1915 – Rupert Brooke, English poet (b. 1887)
 * 1936 – Teresa de la Parra, French-Venezuelan author (b. 1889)
 * 1951 – Jules Berry, French actor and director (b. 1883)
 * 1951  – Charles G. Dawes, American banker and politician, 30th Vice President of the United States, Nobel Peace Prize laureate (b. 1865)
 * 1959 – Bak Jungyang, Korean politician (b. 1872)
 * 1965 – George Adamski, Polish-American ufologist and author (b. 1891)
 * 1966 – George Ohsawa, Japanese founder of the Macrobiotic diet (b. 1893)
 * 1981 – Josep Pla, Catalan journalist and author (b. 1897)
 * 1983 – Buster Crabbe, American swimmer and actor (b. 1908)
 * 1984 – Red Garland, American pianist (b. 1923)
 * 1985 – Sam Ervin, American lawyer and politician (b. 1896)
 * 1985  – Frank Farrell, Australian rugby league player and policeman (b. 1916)
 * 1986 – Harold Arlen, American composer (b. 1905)
 * 1986  – Jim Laker, English international cricketer and sportscaster; holder of world record for most wickets taken in a match (b. 1922)
 * 1986  – Otto Preminger, Ukrainian-American actor, director, and producer (b. 1906)
 * 1990 – Paulette Goddard, American actress (b. 1910)
 * 1991 – Johnny Thunders, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1952)
 * 1992 – Satyajit Ray, Indian director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1921)
 * 1992  – Tanka Prasad Acharya, Nepalese politician, 27th Prime Minister of Nepal (b. 1912)
 * 1993 – Cesar Chavez, American activist, co-founded the United Farm Workers (b. 1927)
 * 1995 – Douglas Lloyd Campbell, Canadian farmer and politician, 13th Premier of Manitoba (b. 1895)
 * 1995  – Howard Cosell, American lawyer and journalist (b. 1918)
 * 1995  – Riho Lahi, Estonian journalist (b. 1904)
 * 1995  – John C. Stennis, American lawyer and politician (b. 1904)
 * 1996 – Jean Victor Allard, Canadian general (b. 1913)
 * 1996  – P. L. Travers, Australian-English author and actress (b. 1899)
 * 1997 – Denis Compton, English cricketer and footballer (b. 1918)
 * 1998 – Konstantinos Karamanlis, Greek lawyer and politician, 172nd Prime Minister of Greece (b. 1907)
 * 1998  – James Earl Ray, American assassin of Martin Luther King Jr. (b. 1928)
 * 1998  – Thanassis Skordalos, Greek singer-songwriter and lyra player (b. 1920)
 * 2003 – Fernand Fonssagrives, French-American photographer (b. 1910)
 * 2004 – Herman Veenstra, Dutch water polo player (b. 1911)
 * 2005 – Joh Bjelke-Petersen, New Zealand-Australian politician, 31st Premier of Queensland (b. 1911)
 * 2005  – Robert Farnon, Canadian-English trumpet player, composer and conductor (b. 1917)
 * 2005  – Al Grassby, Australian journalist and politician (b. 1928)
 * 2005  – John Mills, English actor (b. 1908)
 * 2005  – Romano Scarpa, Italian author and illustrator (b. 1927)
 * 2005  – Earl Wilson, American baseball player, coach and educator (b. 1934)
 * 2006  – Phil Walden, American record producer and manager, co-founder of Capricorn Records (b. 1940)
 * 2007 – Paul Erdman, Canadian-American economist and author (b. 1932)
 * 2007  – David Halberstam, American journalist, historian and author (b. 1934)
 * 2007  – Peter Randall, English sergeant (b. 1930)
 * 2007  – Boris Yeltsin, Russian politician, 1st President of Russia (b. 1931)
 * 2010 – Peter Porter, Australian-born British poet (b. 1929)
 * 2011 – James Casey, English comedian, radio scriptwriter and producer (b. 1922)
 * 2011  – Tom King, American guitarist and songwriter (b. 1943)
 * 2011  – Geoffrey Russell, 4th Baron Ampthill, English businessman and politician (b. 1921)
 * 2011  – Max van der Stoel, Dutch politician and Minister of State (b. 1924)
 * 2011  – John Sullivan, English screenwriter and producer (b. 1946)
 * 2012 – Lillemor Arvidsson, Swedish trade union leader and politician, 34th Governor of Gotland (b. 1943)
 * 2012  – Billy Bryans, Canadian drummer, songwriter and producer (b. 1947)
 * 2012  – Chris Ethridge, American bass player and songwriter (b. 1947)
 * 2012  – Raymond Thorsteinsson, Canadian geologist and paleontologist (b. 1921)
 * 2012  – LeRoy T. Walker, American football player and coach (b. 1918)
 * 2013 – Bob Brozman, American guitarist (b. 1954)
 * 2013  – Robert W. Edgar, American educator and politician (b. 1943)
 * 2013  – Tony Grealish, English footballer (b. 1956)
 * 2013  – Antonio Maccanico, Italian banker and politician (b. 1924)
 * 2013  – Frank W. J. Olver, English-American mathematician and academic (b. 1924)
 * 2013  – Kathryn Wasserman Davis, American philanthropist and scholar (b. 1907)
 * 2014 – Benjamín Brea, Spanish-Venezuelan saxophonist, clarinet player, and conductor (b. 1946)
 * 2014  – Michael Glawogger, Austrian director, screenwriter, and cinematographer (b. 1959)
 * 2014  – Jaap Havekotte, Dutch speed skater and producer of ice skates (b. 1912)
 * 2014  – Connie Marrero, Cuban baseball player and coach (b. 1911)
 * 2014  – F. Michael Rogers, American general (b. 1921)
 * 2014  – Mark Shand, English conservationist and author (b. 1951)
 * 2014  – Patric Standford, English composer and educator (b. 1939)
 * 2015 – Richard Corliss, American journalist and critic (b. 1944)
 * 2015  – Ray Jackson, Australian activist (b. 1941)
 * 2015  – Pierre Claude Nolin, Canadian lawyer and politician, Speaker of the Canadian Senate (b. 1950)
 * 2015  – Jim Steffen, American football player (b. 1936)
 * 2015  – Francis Tsai, American author and illustrator (b. 1967)
 * 2016 – Inge King, German-born Australian sculptor (b. 1915)
 * 2016  – Banharn Silpa-archa, Thai politician, Prime Minister from 1995 to 1996 (b. 1932)
 * 2019 – Charity Sunshine Tillemann-Dick, American soprano singer and presenter (b. 1983)
 * 2019  – Jean, Grand Duke of Luxembourg (b. 1921)
 * 2021 – Dan Kaminsky, American internet security researcher (b. 1979)
 * 2022 – Orrin Hatch, American politician, President pro tempore of the United States Senate (b. 1934)
 * 2024 – Frank Field, British politician (b. 1942)
 * 2024 – Helen Vendler, American Literary Critic (b. 1933)

Holidays and observances

 * Christian feast day:
 * Adalbert of Prague
 * Felix, Fortunatus, and Achilleus
 * Saint George
 * Blessed Giles of Assisi
 * Gerard of Toul
 * Ibar of Beggerin (Meath)
 * Toyohiko Kagawa (Episcopal and Lutheran Church)
 * St George's Day (England) and its related observances:
 * La Diada de Sant Jordi (Catalonia, Spain)
 * April 23 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
 * Canada Book Day (Canada)
 * Castile and León Day (Castile and León)
 * International Pixel-Stained Technopeasant Day
 * Khongjom Day (Manipur)
 * National Sovereignty and Children's Day (Turkey and Northern Cyprus)
 * Navy Day (China)
 * World Book Day
 * UN English Language Day (United Nations)
 * UN Spanish Language Day (United Nations)

title: April 23


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Amitabh Bachchan

Amitabh Bachchan (born Amitabh Srivastava; 11 October 1942 ) is an Indian actor who works in Hindi cinema. With a cinematic career spanning over five decades, he has played pivotal roles in over 200 films. Widely recognised as one of the greatest actors of all time, he is considered to be among the most accomplished and influential actors in the history of Indian cinema.*
 * Bachchan is often hailed as the Shahenshah of Bollywood, Sadi Ke Mahanayak (translated as "Greatest actor of the century" in Hindi), Star of the Millennium, or simply Big B. His dominance in the Indian film industry during the 1970s–80s led the French director François Truffaut to describe it as a "one-man industry". He is a recipient of several accolades including six National Film Awards and sixteen Filmfare Awards.
 * Bachchan is often hailed as the Shahenshah of Bollywood, Sadi Ke Mahanayak (translated as "Greatest actor of the century" in Hindi), Star of the Millennium, or simply Big B. His dominance in the Indian film industry during the 1970s–80s led the French director François Truffaut to describe it as a "one-man industry". He is a recipient of several accolades including six National Film Awards and sixteen Filmfare Awards.
 * Bachchan is often hailed as the Shahenshah of Bollywood, Sadi Ke Mahanayak (translated as "Greatest actor of the century" in Hindi), Star of the Millennium, or simply Big B. His dominance in the Indian film industry during the 1970s–80s led the French director François Truffaut to describe it as a "one-man industry". He is a recipient of several accolades including six National Film Awards and sixteen Filmfare Awards.
 * Bachchan is often hailed as the Shahenshah of Bollywood, Sadi Ke Mahanayak (translated as "Greatest actor of the century" in Hindi), Star of the Millennium, or simply Big B. His dominance in the Indian film industry during the 1970s–80s led the French director François Truffaut to describe it as a "one-man industry". He is a recipient of several accolades including six National Film Awards and sixteen Filmfare Awards.

Bachchan was born in 1942 in Allahabad (now Prayagraj) to the Hindi poet Harivansh Rai Bachchan and his wife, the social activist Teji Bachchan. He was educated at Sherwood College, Nainital, and Kirori Mal College, University of Delhi. His film career started in 1969 as a voice narrator in Mrinal Sen's film Bhuvan Shome. He first gained popularity in the early 1970s for films, such as Anand, Zanjeer, Roti Kapada Aur Makaan, and achieved greater stardom in later years, dubbed India's "angry young man" for several of his on-screen roles in Hindi films. He consistently starred in top grossing Indian films with critical acclaim since the mid 1970s to 1980s, such as Deewaar, Sholay, Kabhi Kabhie, Hera Pheri, Amar Akbar Anthony, Parvarish, Kasme Vaade, Trishul, Don, Muqaddar Ka Sikandar, Suhaag, Dostana, Naseeb, Laawaris, Namak Halaal, Coolie, Sharaabi and Mard, as well as some of his most acclaimed performances, include Namak Haraam, Abhimaan, Majboor, Mili, Chupke Chupke, Kaala Patthar, Shaan, Yaarana, Kaalia, Shakti, Aakhree Raasta, Shahenshah and Agneepath. After taking a break from acting in the 1990s, his resurgence was marked in 2000 with Mohabbatein. Since then he starred in several successful and acclaimed films like Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, Aankhen, Baghban, Khakee, Black, Bunty Aur Babli, Sarkar, Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna, Cheeni Kum, Shootout At Lokhandwala, Paa, Piku, Pink, Badla, Brahmāstra: Part One – Shiva and Kalki 2898 AD. For Piku, he won his fourth National Film Award for Best Actor, making him the only actor to do so. Bachchan also made an appearance in a Hollywood film, The Great Gatsby (2013), in which he played a non-Indian Jewish character.

He has won numerous accolades in his career, including record four National Film Awards in Best Actor category and many awards at international film festivals and award ceremonies. He has won sixteen Filmfare Awards and is the most nominated performer in any major acting category at Filmfare with 34 nominations in Best Actor and 42 nominations overall. The Government of India honoured him with the Padma Shri in 1984, the Padma Bhushan in 2001, the Padma Vibhushan in 2015, and India's highest award in the field of cinema, the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 2018 for his contributions to the arts. The Government of France honoured him with its highest civilian honour, Officer of the Legion of Honour, in 2007 for his exceptional career in the world of cinema and beyond.

In addition to acting, Bachchan has worked as a playback singer, film producer, and television presenter. He has hosted several seasons of the game show Kaun Banega Crorepati, India's version of the game show franchise, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?. He also entered politics for a time in the 1980s. Bachchan has also been involved in several humanitarian works and he is a leading brand endorser in India. Beyond the Indian subcontinent, he acquired a large overseas following of the South Asian diaspora, as well as others, in markets including Africa (South Africa, Eastern Africa, and Mauritius), the Middle East (especially UAE and Egypt), the United Kingdom, Russia, Central Asia, the Caribbean (Guyana, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago), Oceania (Fiji, Australia, and New Zealand), Canada and the United States. Bachchan was voted the "greatest star of stage or screen" by BBC Your Millennium online poll in 1999. In October 2003, TIME magazine dubbed Bachchan the "Star of the Millennium".

Early life and family
Bachchan was born on 11 October 1942 in Allahabad (now Prayagraj) to the Hindi poet Harivansh Rai Bachchan, and social activist Teji Bachchan. Harivansh Rai Bachchan was an Awadhi Hindu Kayastha, who was fluent in Awadhi, Hindi and Urdu. Harivansh's ancestors came from a village called Babupatti, in the Raniganj tehsil, in the Pratapgarh district, in the present-day state of Uttar Pradesh, in India. Teji Bachchan was a Punjabi Sikh Khatri from Lyallpur, Punjab, British India (present-day Faisalabad, Punjab, Pakistan). Bachchan has a younger brother, Ajitabh, who is five years younger than him.

Bachchan's parents were initially going to name him Inquilaab (Hindustani for "Revolution"), inspired by the phrase Inquilab Zindabad (which translates into English as "Long live the revolution") popularly used during the Indian independence struggle; the name Amitabh was suggested to his father by poet Sumitranandan Pant. Although his surname was Shrivastava, Amitabh's father, who opposed the caste system, had adopted the pen name Bachchan ("child-like" in colloquial Hindi), under which he published all of his works. When his father was looking to get him admitted to a school, he and Bachchan's mother decided the family's name should be Bachchan instead of Shrivastava. It is with this last name that Amitabh debuted in films and used for all other practical purposes, Bachchan has become the surname for all of his immediate family. Bachchan's father died in 2003, and his mother in 2007.

Bachchan's secondary education was at Boys' High School & College in Allahabad and Sherwood College in Nainital. He attended Kirori Mal College at the University of Delhi in Delhi. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree from Kirori Mal College in 1962. When Bachchan finished his studies, his father approached Prithviraj Kapoor, the founder of Prithvi Theatre and patriarch of the Kapoor acting family, to see if there was an opening for him, but Kapoor offered no encouragement. Bachchan was a friend of Rajiv Gandhi and Sanjay Gandhi, before he became an actor. He used to spend time with them when he was a resident in New Delhi. Bachchan's family were very close to the Nehru-Gandhi family of politicians. When Sonia Gandhi first came to India from Italy before her marriage, Bachchan had received her at the Palam International Airport on 13 January 1968. She spent 48 days at Bachchan's house with his parents before her wedding to Rajiv.

In late 1960s, Bachchan applied to be a newsreader for All India Radio, Delhi but "failed the audition". He became a business executive for Bird & Company in Kolkata (Calcutta), and worked in theatre before starting his film career. It is thought that his mother might have had some influence on his choice of career because she always insisted that he should "take centre stage".

Early career (1969–1972)
Bachchan made his film debut in 1969, as a voice narrator in Mrinal Sen's National Award-winning film Bhuvan Shome. His first acting role was as one of the seven protagonists in the film Saat Hindustani, directed by Khwaja Ahmad Abbas and featuring Utpal Dutt, Anwar Ali (brother of comedian Mehmood), Madhu and Jalal Agha.

Anand (1971) followed, in which Bachchan starred alongside Rajesh Khanna. His role as a doctor with a cynical view of life garnered Bachchan his first Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor. He then played his first antagonist role as an infatuated lover-turned-murderer in Parwana (1971). Following Parwana were several films, including Reshma Aur Shera (1971). During this time, he made a guest appearance in the film Guddi which starred his future wife Jaya Bhaduri. He narrated part of the film Bawarchi. In 1972, he made an appearance in the road action comedy Bombay to Goa directed by S. Ramanathan which was moderately successful. Many of Bachchan's films during this early period did not do well. His only film with Mala Sinha, Sanjog (1972) was also a box office failure.

Rise to prominence (1973–1974)
Bachchan was struggling, seen as a "failed newcomer" who, by the age of 30, had twelve flops and only two successes (as a lead in Bombay to Goa and a supporting role in Anand). He was offered to play dual roles by director O.P Goyle and writer O.P Ralhan for the film Bandhe Haath in 1973. This was Bachchan's first movie where he had played a double role. Bachchan was then discovered by screenwriter duo Salim–Javed, consisting of Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar. Salim Khan wrote the story, screenplay and script of Zanjeer (1973), and conceived the "angry young man" persona of the lead role. Javed Akhtar came on board as co-writer, and Prakash Mehra, who saw the script as potentially groundbreaking, as the film's director. However, they were struggling to find an actor for the lead "angry young man" role; it was turned down by several actors, owing to it going against the "romantic hero" image dominant in the industry at the time. Salim-Javed "saw his talent, which most makers didn't. He was exceptional, a genius actor who was in films that weren't good." According to Salim Khan, they "strongly felt that Amitabh was the ideal casting for Zanjeer". Salim Khan introduced Bachchan to Prakash Mehra, and Salim-Javed insisted that Bachchan be cast for the role.

Zanjeer was a crime film with violent action, in sharp contrast to the romantically themed films that had generally preceded it, and it established Amitabh in a new persona—the "angry young man" of Bollywood. He earned his first Filmfare Award nomination for Best Actor, with Filmfare later considering this one of the most iconic performances in Bollywood history. The film was a huge success and one of the highest-grossing films of that year, breaking Bachchan's dry spell at the box office and making him a star. It was the first of many collaborations between Salim-Javed and Amitabh; the duo wrote many of their subsequent scripts with Bachchan in mind for the lead role, and insisted on him being cast for their later films, including blockbusters such as Deewaar (1975) and Sholay (1975). Salim Khan also introduced Bachchan to director Manmohan Desai with whom he formed a long and successful association, alongside Prakash Mehra and Yash Chopra.

Eventually, Bachchan became one of the most successful leading men of the film industry. His portrayal of the wronged hero fighting a crooked system and circumstances of deprivation in films like Zanjeer, Deewaar, Trishul, Kaala Patthar and Shakti resonated with the masses of the time, especially the youth who harboured a simmering discontent owing to social ills such as poverty, hunger, unemployment, corruption, social inequality and the brutal excesses of The Emergency. This led to Bachchan being dubbed as the "angry young man", a journalistic catchphrase that became a metaphor for the dormant rage, frustration, restlessness, sense of rebellion and anti-establishment disposition of an entire generation, prevalent in 1970s India.

The year 1973 was also when he married Jaya, and around this time they appeared in several films together: not only Zanjeer but also subsequent films such as Abhimaan, which was released only a month after their wedding and was also successful at the box office. Later, Bachchan played the role of Vikram, once again along with Rajesh Khanna, in the film Namak Haraam, a social drama directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee and scripted by Biresh Chatterjee addressing themes of friendship. His supporting role won him his second Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor.

The flow of successes continued for Bachchan in 1974. He began the year with a guest appearance in Dulal Guha's blockbuster social drama film Dost. After this, he starred in Aravind Sen's drama film Kasauti and Narendra Bedi's crime thriller Benaam, both of which ended up as moderate commercial successes. Bachchan's next release was Manoj Kumar's fourth directional venture Roti Kapada Aur Makaan. The film opened to excellent response all over the country, eventually taking top spot at the box office that year and emerging an All Time Blockbuster as well as Bachchan's biggest hit at that point of time. Before the end of year, he delivered a hit in Ravi Tandon's crime thriller Majboor. Written by Salim-Javed, it also had Pran and Parveen Babi in the lead.

Superstardom (1975–1988)
In 1975, he starred in a variety of film genres, from the comedy Chupke Chupke and the crime drama Faraar to the romantic drama Mili. This was also the year in which Bachchan starred in two films regarded as important in Hindi cinema history, both written by Salim-Javed, who again insisted on casting Bachchan. The first was Deewaar, directed by Yash Chopra, where he worked with Shashi Kapoor, Nirupa Roy, Parveen Babi, and Neetu Singh. The film emerged a huge blockbuster at the box office and earned him another Filmfare nomination for Best Actor. Indiatimes ranks Deewaar among the Top 25 Must See Bollywood Films. The other, released on 15 August 1975, was Sholay, which became the highest-grossing film ever in India at the time, in which Bachchan played the role of Jaidev. Deewaar and Sholay are often credited with exalting Bachchan to the heights of superstardom, two years after he became a star with Zanjeer, and consolidating his domination of the industry throughout the 1970s and 1980s. In 1999, BBC India declared Sholay the "Film of the Millennium" and, like Deewaar, it has been cited by Indiatimes Movies as among the Top 25 Must See Bollywood Films. In that same year, the judges of the 50th annual Filmfare Awards awarded it with the special distinction award called the Filmfare Best Film of 50 Years.

In 1976, he was cast by Yash Chopra in the romantic musical Kabhi Kabhie. Bachchan starred as a young poet, Amit Malhotra, who falls deeply in love with a beautiful young girl named Pooja (Rakhee Gulzar) who ends up marrying someone else (Shashi Kapoor). The film was notable for portraying Bachchan as a romantic hero, a far cry from his "angry young man" roles like Zanjeer and Deewaar. Despite its heavy theme, Kabhi Kabhie went on to become a blockbuster. Its soundtrack composed by Khayyam dominated the musical charts and was one of the best selling Hindi film albums of the 1970s. Bachchan was again nominated for the Filmfare Best Actor Award for his role in the film. That same year, he played a double role in the hit Adalat as father and son. In 1977, he won his first Filmfare Best Actor Award for his performance in Amar Akbar Anthony, in which he played the third lead opposite Vinod Khanna and Rishi Kapoor as Anthony Gonsalves. The film was the highest-grossing film of that year. His other major hits that year include Parvarish and Khoon Pasina.

He once again resumed double roles in films such as Kasme Vaade (1978) as Amit and Shankar and Don (1978) playing the characters of Don, a leader of an underworld gang and his look-alike Vijay. His performance won him his second Filmfare Best Actor Award. He also gave towering performances in Yash Chopra's  Trishul and Prakash Mehra's Muqaddar Ka Sikandar both of which earned him further Filmfare Best Actor nominations. 1978 is arguably considered his most successful year at the box office since all of his six releases in the same year, namely Muqaddar Ka Sikandar, Trishul, Don, Kasme Vaade, Ganga Ki Saugandh and Besharam were box office successes, with the former three being the consecutive highest-grossing films of the year, a rare feat in Hindi cinema.

In 1979, Bachchan starred in Suhaag which was the highest-earning film of that year. In the same year, he also enjoyed critical acclaim and commercial success with films like Mr. Natwarlal and Kaala Patthar. He was required to use his singing voice for the first time in a song from the film Mr. Natwarlal in which he starred with Rekha. Bachchan's performance in the film saw him nominated for both the Filmfare Award for Best Actor and the Filmfare Award for Best Male Playback Singer. He also received a Best Actor nomination for Kaala Patthar and then went on to be nominated again in 1980 for the Raj Khosla directed film Dostana, in which he starred opposite Shatrughan Sinha and Zeenat Aman. Dostana proved to be a superhit at the box office. In 1981, he starred in Yash Chopra's melodrama film Silsila, where he starred alongside his wife Jaya Bachchan and also Rekha. Other successful films of this period include Ram Balram (1980), Shaan (1980), Naseeb (1981), Lawaaris (1981), Kaalia (1981), Yaarana (1981), Barsaat Ki Ek Raat (1981) and Shakti (1982), also starring Dilip Kumar.

In 1982, he played double roles in the musical Satte Pe Satta and action drama Desh Premee which succeeded at the box office along with mega hits like action comedy Namak Halaal, action drama Khud-Daar and the critically acclaimed drama Bemisal. On 26 July 1982, while filming a fight scene with co-actor Puneet Issar for Coolie, Bachchan had a near-fatal intestinal injury. Bachchan was performing his stunts in the film and one scene required him to fall onto a table and then on the ground. However, as he jumped towards the table, the corner of the table struck his abdomen, resulting in a splenic rupture from which he lost a significant amount of blood. He required an emergency splenectomy and remained critically ill in the hospital for many months, at times close to death. There were long queues of well-wishing fans outside the hospital where he was recuperating; the public response included prayers in places of worship and offers to sacrifice limbs to save him. Nevertheless, he resumed filming later that year after a long period of recuperation. The director, Manmohan Desai, altered the ending of Coolie: Bachchan's character was originally intended to have been killed off; but, after the change of script, the character lived in the end. Desai felt it would have been inappropriate for the man who had just fended off death in real life to be killed on screen. The footage of the fight scene is frozen at the critical moment, and a caption appears onscreen marking it as the instant of the actor's injury. The film was released in 1983, and partly due to the huge publicity of Bachchan's accident, the film went on to become a huge blockbuster and top-grossing film of the year. He then played a triple role in Mahaan which underperformed at the box office. Other releases during that year included Nastik and Pukar which too didnt do that well, but Andhaa Kaanoon (in which he had an extended cameo appearance) was a blockbuster. During a stint in politics from 1984 to 1987, four of his completed films were released, out of which, Sharaabi (1984) and Mard (1985) emerged blockbusters while Geraftaar (1985) and Aakhree Raasta (1986) proved to be hits. After a three-year stint in politics from 1984 to 1987, Bachchan returned to films in 1988, playing the title role in Tinnu Anand's vigilante action film Shahenshah, which opened to bumper response all over the nation and was a box office hit.

Health issues
He was later diagnosed with Myasthenia gravis. His illness weakened him both mentally and physically. At this time he became pessimistic, expressing concern with how a new film would be received, and stating before every release, "Yeh film to flop hogi!" ("This film will flop"). He then decided to quit films and ventured into politics.

Career fluctuations, sabbatical, business ventures and acting comeback (1989–1999)
After the success of his comeback film however, Bachchan's star power began to wane as all of his subsequent films like Jaadugar, Toofan and Main Azaad Hoon (all released in 1989) failed at the box office. He gained success during this period with K.C. Bokadia and Mukul Anand's actioners Aaj Ka Arjun (1990) and Hum (1991), respectively, but this momentum was short-lived and his string of box office flops continued. Notably, despite a decline in number of hits, it was during this era that Bachchan won his first National Film Award for Best Actor for his performance as a Mafia don in the cult film Agneepath (1990). These years would see his last on-screen appearances for some time. After the release of the critically acclaimed epic Khuda Gawah in 1992, Bachchan went into semi-retirement for five years. Except for the much delayed Insaniyat (1994) alongside Sunny Deol, which was highly anticipated and received the biggest opening of the year but turned out to be a box office failure due to negative reception, Bachchan did not appear in any new releases for five years.

He turned producer during his temporary retirement period, setting up Amitabh Bachchan Corporation, Ltd. (ABCL) in 1996. ABCL's strategy was to introduce products and services covering an entire cross-section of India's entertainment industry. ABCL's operations were mainstream commercial film production and distribution, audio cassettes and video discs, production and marketing of television software, and celebrity and event management. Soon after the company was launched in 1996, the first film it produced was Tere Mere Sapne, which was a box office hit and launched the careers of actors like Arshad Warsi and southern film star Simran.

In 1997, Bachchan attempted to make his acting comeback with the film Mrityudata, produced by ABCL. Though Mrityudaata attempted to reprise Bachchan's earlier success as an action hero, the film was a failure both financially and critically. ABCL was the main sponsor of the 1996 Miss World beauty pageant, Bangalore, but lost millions. The fiasco and the consequent legal battles surrounding ABCL and various entities after the event, coupled with the fact that ABCL was reported to have overpaid most of its top-level managers, eventually led to its financial and operational collapse in 1997. The company went into administration and was later declared a failed company by the Indian Industries board. The Bombay High Court, in April 1999, restrained Bachchan from selling off his Bombay bungalow 'Prateeksha' and two flats until the pending loan recovery cases of Canara Bank were disposed of. Bachchan had, however, pleaded that he had mortgaged his bungalow to raise funds for his company.

Bachchan attempted to revive his acting career, and eventually had commercial success with Bade Miyan Chote Miyan (1998) and Major Saab (1998), and received positive reviews for Sooryavansham (1999), but other films such as Lal Baadshah (1999) and Kohram (1999) were box office failures.

Return to success (2000–present)
In 2000, Bachchan appeared in Aditya Chopra's romantic blockbuster Mohabbatein. He played a stern, elder figure who rivalled the character of Shahrukh Khan. His role won him his third Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor. Other hits followed, with Bachchan appearing as an older family patriarch in Ek Rishtaa: The Bond of Love (2001), Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham... (2001) and Baghban (2003). As an actor, he continued to perform in a range of characters, receiving critical praise for his performances in Aks (2001), Aankhen (2002), Kaante (2002), Khakee (2004), Dev (2004) and Veer-Zaara (2004). His performance in Aks won him his first Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actor.

One project that did particularly well for Bachchan was Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Black (2005). The film starred Bachchan as an ageing teacher of a deaf-blind girl and followed their relationship. His performance was unanimously praised by critics and audiences and won him his second National Film Award for Best Actor, his fourth Filmfare Best Actor Award, and his second Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actor. Taking advantage of this resurgence, Amitabh began endorsing a variety of products and services, appearing in many television and billboard advertisements. In 2005 and 2006, he starred with his son Abhishek in the films Bunty Aur Babli (2005), the Godfather adaptation Sarkar (2005), and Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna (2006). All of them were successful at the box office. His later releases in 2006 and early 2007 were Baabul (2006), Ekalavya (2007) and Nishabd (2007), which failed to do well at the box office but his performances in each of them were praised by critics.

In May 2007, two of his films, the romantic comedy Cheeni Kum and the multi-starrer action drama Shootout at Lokhandwala, were released. Shootout at Lokhandwala did well at the box office and was declared a hit in India, while Cheeni Kum picked up after a slow start and was declared a semi-hit by the end of its theatrical run. A remake of his biggest hit, Sholay (1975), entitled Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag, released in August of that same year and proved to be a major commercial failure in addition to its poor critical reception. The year also marked Bachchan's first appearance in an English-language film, Rituparno Ghosh's The Last Lear, co-starring Arjun Rampal and Preity Zinta. The film premiered at the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival on 9 September 2007. He received positive reviews from critics who hailed his performance as his best since Black. Bachchan was slated to play a supporting role in his first international film, Shantaram, directed by Mira Nair and starring Hollywood actor Johnny Depp in the lead. The film was due to begin filming in February 2008 but due to the writer's strike, was pushed to September 2008. The film is currently "shelved" indefinitely. Vivek Sharma's Bhoothnath, in which he plays the title role as a ghost, was released on 9 May 2008. Sarkar Raj, the sequel of the 2005 film Sarkar, released in June 2008 and received a positive response at the box office. Paa, which was released at the end of 2009 was a highly anticipated project as it saw him playing his own son Abhishek's Progeria-affected 13-year-old son, and it opened to favourable reviews, particularly towards Bachchan's performance and was one of the top-grossing films of 2009. It won him his third National Film Award for Best Actor and fifth Filmfare Best Actor Award. In 2010, he debuted in Malayalam film through Kandahar, directed by Major Ravi and co-starring Mohanlal. The film was based on the hijacking incident of the Indian Airlines Flight 814. Bachchan declined any remuneration for this film. In 2011 he played an aged retired former gangster in Bbuddah... Hoga Terra Baap who protects his son Sonu Sood who is an honest daring police officer from a notorious gangster Prakash Raj who unknowingly hired the latter to perform a contract killing not knowing that the police officer is the gangster's son. Despite huge expectations, it flopped at the box office. In 2013, he made his Hollywood debut in The Great Gatsby making a special appearance opposite Leonardo DiCaprio and Tobey Maguire. In 2014, he played the role of the friendly ghost in the sequel Bhoothnath Returns. The next year, he played the role of a grumpy father experiencing chronic constipation in the critically acclaimed Piku which was also one of the biggest hits of 2015. A review in Daily News and Analysis (DNA) summarised Bachchan's performance as "The heart and soul of Piku clearly belong to Amitabh Bachchan who is in his elements. His performance in Piku, without doubt, finds a place among the top 10 in his illustrious career." Rachel Saltz wrote for The New York Times, "Piku", an offbeat Hindi comedy, would have you contemplate the intestines and mortality of one Bhashkor Banerji and the actor who plays him, Amitabh Bachchan. Bhashkor's life and conversation may revolve around his constipation and fussy hypochondria, but there's no mistaking the scene-stealing energy that Mr. Bachchan, India's erstwhile Angry Young Man, musters for his new role of Cranky Old Man." Well known Indian critic Rajeev Masand wrote on his website, "Bachchan is pretty terrific as Bhashkor, who reminds you of that oddball uncle that you nevertheless have a soft spot for. He bickers with the maids, harrows his hapless helper, and expects Piku to stay unmarried so she can attend to him. At one point, to ward off a possible suitor, he casually mentions that his daughter isn't a virgin; that she's financially independent and sexually independent too. Bachchan embraces the character's many idiosyncrasies, never once slipping into caricature while all along delivering big laughs thanks to his spot-on comic timing." The Guardian summed up, "Bachchan seizes upon his cranky character part, making Bashkor as garrulously funny in his theories on caste and marriage as his system is backed-up." The performance won Bachchan his fourth National Film Award for Best Actor and his third Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actor.

In 2016, he appeared in the women-centric courtroom drama film Pink which was highly praised by critics and with an increasingly good word of mouth, was a resounding success at the domestic and overseas box office. Bachchan's performance in the film received acclaim. According to Raja Sen of Rediff.com, "Amitabh Bachchan, a retired lawyer with bipolar disorder, takes up cudgels on behalf of the girls, delivering courtroom blows with pugilistic grace. As we know from Prakash Mehra movies, in each life some Bachchan must fall. The girls hang on to him with incredulous desperation, and he bats for them with all he has. At one point Meenal hangs by Bachchan's elbow, words entirely unnecessary. Bachchan towers through Pink – the way he bellows "et cetera" is alone worth having the heavy-hitter at play—but there are softer moments like one where he appears to have dozed off in court, or where he lays his head by his convalescent wife's bedside and needs his hair ruffled and his conviction validated." Writing for Hindustan Times, noted film critic and author Anupama Chopra said of Bachchan's performance, "A special salute to Amitabh Bachchan, who imbues his character with a tragic majesty. Bachchan towers in every sense, but without a hint of showboating. Meena Iyer of The Times of India wrote, "The performances are pitch-perfect with Bachchan leading the way. Writing for NDTV, Troy Ribeiro of Indo-Asian News Service (IANS) stated, "Amitabh Bachchan as Deepak Sehgall, the aged defence lawyer, shines as always, in a restrained, but powerful performance. His histrionics come primarily in the form of his well-modulated baritone, conveying his emotions and of course, from the well-written lines." Mike McCahill of The Guardian remarked, "Among an electric ensemble, Taapsee Pannu, Kirti Kulhari and Andrea Tariang give unwavering voice to the girls' struggles; Amitabh Bachchan brings his moral authority to bear as their sole legal ally.

In 2017, he appeared in the third instalment of the Sarkar film series: Ram Gopal Varma's Sarkar 3. That year, he started filming for the swashbuckling action-adventure film Thugs of Hindostan with Aamir Khan, Katrina Kaif and Fatima Sana Shaikh which released in November 2018. He co-starred with Rishi Kapoor in 102 Not Out, a comedy drama film directed by Umesh Shukla based on a Gujarati play of the same name written by Saumya Joshi. This film released in May 2018 and reunited him with Kapoor onscreen after a gap of 27 years.

In 2019, Bachchan appeared in Sujoy Ghosh's mystery thriller Badla. The film did a lifetime business of inr 1380000000 worldwide to emerge a box office hit. The following year, he co-starred alongside Ayushmann Khurana in Shoojit Sircar's comedy drama Gulabo Sitabo, which opened to critical acclaim & won him Filmfare Award for Best Actor (Critics). He then collaborated with Emraan Hashmi for Chehre (2021), which was a critical and commercial failure.

The next year, Bachchan had five releases, out of which Ayan Mukerji's highly anticipated fantasy action-adventure film Brahmāstra: Part One – Shiva proved to be a hit as well as the highest-grossing Hindi film of 2022 while Jhund, Runway 34 and Uunchai didn't do well at ticket counters, but met with positive response from critics. In 2024, he played Ashwatthama in Nag Ashwin's Kalki 2898 AD, marking his Telugu debut.

Television appearances
In 2000, Bachchan hosted the first season of Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC), the Indian adaptation of the British television game show, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?. The show was well received. A second season followed in 2005 but its run was cut short by Star Plus when Bachchan fell ill in 2006. He then returned to host the fourth season, and has hosted the show since.

In 2009, Bachchan hosted the third season of the reality show Bigg Boss.

In 2010, Bachchan hosted the fourth season of KBC. The fifth season started on 15 August 2011 and ended on 17 November 2011. The show became a massive hit with audiences and broke many TRP Records. CNN IBN awarded Indian of the Year- Entertainment to Team KBC and Bachchan. The Show also grabbed all the major Awards for its category.

The sixth season was also hosted by Bachchan, commencing on 7 September 2012, broadcast on Sony TV and received the highest number of viewers thus far.

In 2014, he debuted in the fictional Sony Entertainment Television TV series titled Yudh playing the lead role of a businessman battling in both his personal and professional lives.

Voice acting
Bachchan is known for his deep, baritone voice. He has been a narrator, a playback singer, and a presenter for numerous programmes. Some prominent films featuring his narration are Satyajit Ray's 1977 film Shatranj Ke Khiladi and Ashutosh Gowarikar's 2001 film Lagaan.

He also has done voice-over work for the following movies:

 * Bhuvan Shome (1969)
 * Bawarchi (1972)
 * Balika Badhu (1975)
 * Tere Mere Sapne (1996)
 * Hello Brother (1999)
 * Lagaan (2001)
 * Fun2shh... Dudes in the 10th Century (2003)
 * Parineeta (2005)
 * March of the Penguins (2005), Indian version
 * Swami (2007)
 * Jodhaa Akbar (2008)
 * Zor Lagaa Ke...Haiya! (2009)
 * Ra.One (2011)
 * Kahaani (2012)
 * Krrish 3 (2013)
 * Mahabharat (2013)
 * Kochadaiiyaan (Hindi Version) (2014)
 * CBI documentary (2014) – sanctioned by Central Bureau of Investigation
 * The Ghazi Attack (2017)
 * Firangi (2017)

Business investments
Around 1994, Bachchan started Amitabh Bachchan Corporation Ltd (ABCL), an event management, production and distribution company. But the company fell into debt with a fiasco and went into bankruptcy, subsequently Bachchan became nearly bankrupt. The reasons for this debacle were flop films such as Mrityudata, Major Saab (produced by this organisation), and Miss World 1996 which was organised-managed by ABCL. Due to this he began work for TV, and asked for work to Yash Chopra. Once he said that 'it was the darkest time for him'.

He has invested in many upcoming business ventures. In 2013, he bought a 10% stake in Just Dial from which he made a gain of 4600 per cent. He holds a 3.4% equity in Stampede Capital, a financial technology firm specialising in cloud computing for financial markets. The Bachchan family also bought shares worth $252,000 in Meridian Tech, a consulting company in the U.S. Recently they made their first overseas investment in Ziddu.com, a cloud-based content distribution platform. Bachchan was named in the Panama Papers and Paradise Papers, leaked confidential documents relating to offshore investment.

Political career
In 1984, Bachchan took a break from acting and briefly entered politics in support of a long-time family friend, Rajiv Gandhi. He contested the Allahabad's (presently Prayagraj Lok Sabha constituency) seat for the 8th Lok Sabha against H. N. Bahuguna, former Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh. With 68.2% of the votes in his favour, he won by one of the highest victory margins ever in Indian elections. In 1987, Indian Express said his brother Ajitabh Bachchan owned an apartment in Switzerland, giving rise to speculations about his involvement in the "Bofors scandal", revealed in the year before. Bachchan resigned from his seat in July 1987. Ajitabh Bachchan sued Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter for linking him to Bofors payments in 1990 and won damages in the United Kingdom. Sten Lindstrom, the Swedish police chief who had investigated the case, said in 2012 that "Indian investigators planted the Bachchan angle on" Dagens Nyheter.

Bachchan's old friend, Amar Singh, helped him during the financial crisis caused by the failure of his company, ABCL. Thereafter Bachchan started supporting the Samajwadi Party, the political party to which Amar Singh belonged. Jaya Bachchan joined the Samajwadi Party and represented the party as an MP in the Rajya Sabha. Bachchan appeared in advertisements and political campaigns for the party. His claim that he too was a farmer in the advertisements was questioned in court.

Bachchan has claimed to have been banned by film press during the emergency years for his family's friendship with Indira Gandhi.

Bachchan has been accused of using the slogan "blood for blood" in the context of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. Bachchan has denied the allegation. In October 2014, Bachchan was summoned by a court in Los Angeles for "allegedly instigating violence against the Sikh community". Bachchan in an interview with journalist Arnab Goswami offered to fight the case in court and asked the accusers to file the same as also present proof. He was also one of the trustees of the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation.

Humanitarian and social causes
Bachchan has been involved with many social causes. For example, he donated ₹1.1 million to clear the debts of nearly 40 beleaguered farmers in Andhra Pradesh and ₹3 million to clear the debts of some 100 Vidarbha farmers. In 2010, he donated ₹1.1 million to Resul Pookutty's foundation for a medical centre at Kochi,  and he has given ₹250,000 (US$) to the family of Delhi policeman Subhash Chand Tomar who died after succumbing to injuries during a protest against gang-rape after the 2012 Delhi gang rape case. He founded the Harivansh Rai Bachchan Memorial Trust, named after his father, in 2013. This trust, in association with Urja Foundation, will be powering 3,000 homes in India with electricity through solar energy. In June 2019 he cleared debts of 2100 farmers from Bihar.

Bachchan was made a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador for the polio eradication campaign in India in 2002 and an international ambassador in 2005 and a WHO Goodwill Ambassador for awareness of hepatitis in 2017. In 2013, he and his family donated ₹2.5 million (US$) to a charitable trust, Plan India, that works for the betterment of young girls in India. He also donated ₹1.1 million (US$) to the Maharashtra Police Welfare Fund in 2013.

Bachchan was the face of the 'Save Our Tigers' campaign that promoted the importance of tiger conservation in India. He supported the campaign by PETA in India to free Sunder, a 14-year-old elephant who was chained and tortured in a temple in Kolhapur, Maharashtra.

In 2014, it was announced that he had recorded his voice and lent his image to the Hindi and English language versions of the TeachAids software, an international HIV/AIDS prevention education tool developed at Stanford University. He has been a vocal "brand ambassador" of the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) and featured in a few advertisements to promote the campaign.

In 2020, Bachchan was helping the Government of India promote its public health message concerning COVID-19 before he and some members of his family became infected. He was hospitalised with reported mild symptoms of the disease on 11 July. He was discharged from hospital on 2 August. During the pandemic he lent his support by donating oxygen concentrators and 250 million rupees in various forms.

Personal life
Bachchan has been married to veteran actress and politician Jaya Bhaduri since 3 June 1973, and together they have two children; Shweta, an author, journalist and former model and Abhishek, an actor and producer. Abhishek married actress Aishwarya Rai, and they have a daughter named Aaradhya.

Shweta is married to businessman Nikhil Nanda, a grandson of Raj Kapoor from the Kapoor family of actors. They have a daughter, Navya Naveli, and a son, Agastya.

Amitabh's family lives in Mumbai in Maharashtra. His younger brother Ajitabh Bachchan is a businessman. He did business and lived in London for a brief period before returning to live in India. He and his family choose to stay away from the limelight. His wife Ramola is a fashion designer and was active in business. Ajitabh has one son, Bhim, and three daughters Naina, Namrata, and Nilima. Naina is married to actor Kunal Kapoor and they have a son.

Bachchan is famously rumoured to have had an extramarital affair with actress Rekha from the mid-1970s to the early 1980s after they first acted together in Do Anjaane, and later in the successful films Khoon Pasina, Ganga Ki Saugandh, Muqaddar Ka Sikandar, Mr. Natwarlal, Suhaag, Ram Balram and ending in Silsila, though they have both denied it.

In 2006, Bachchan stated that he is a teetotaler and a non-smoker.

In November 2023, Bachchan gifted his bungalow Prateeksha, located in Juhu, to his daughter Shweta. The bungalow is worth ₹500 million.

Legacy
Bachchan is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential actors in the history of Indian cinema. He earned respect among critics for his memorable performances and charismatic screen presence, and is considered one of the most respected public figures of India. He is referred to as the "Shahenshah of Bollywood", "Star of the Millennium" or "Big B". He inspired many great and successful Indian cinema actors for many generations including Rajinikanth, Chiranjeevi, Pawan Kalyan, Prabhas, Akshay Kumar, Manoj Bajpayee, Ajay Devgn, Mohanlal, Ranveer Singh, Allu Arjun and Yash. French director François Truffaut called him a "one-man industry".

One of the most successful actors of 1970s and 1980s, Bachchan appeared in Box Office India's "Top Actors" list seventeen times from 1975 to 1991. He topped the list sixteen times (1976–1991).

In 1999, Bachchan was voted the "greatest star of stage or screen" in a BBC Your Millennium online poll. The organisation noted that "Many people in the western world will not have heard of [him] ... [but it] is a reflection of the huge popularity of Indian films." In October 2003, TIME magazine dubbed Bachchan as "the Undisputed Godfather of Bollywood". In April 2005, The Walter Reade Theater of Lincoln Center in New York honoured Bachchan with a special tribute, retrospective—titled "Amitabh Bachchan: The Biggest Film Star in the World".

In the early 80s, Bachchan authorised the use of his likeness for the comic book character Supremo in a series titled The Adventures of Amitabh Bachchan. In May 2014, La Trobe University in Australia named a Scholarship after Bachchan. In June 2000, he became the first living Asian to have been modelled in wax at London's Madame Tussauds Wax Museum. Another statue was installed in New York in 2009, Hong Kong in 2011, Bangkok in 2011, Washington, DC in 2012 and Delhi in 2017.

In March 2010, Bachchan was named on CNN's list of the "top 25 Asian actors of all time". He was named "Hottest Vegetarian male" by PETA India in 2012. He also won the title of "Asia's Sexiest Vegetarian male" in a contest poll run by PETA Asia in 2008.

In Allahabad, the Amitabh Bachchan Sports Complex and Amitabh Bachchan Road are named after him. A government senior secondary school in Saifai, Etawah is called Amitabh Bachchan Government Inter College. There is a waterfall in Sikkim known as Amitabh Bachchan Falls.

In 2022, on the occasion of Bachchan's 80th birthday, a not-for-profit organisation Film Heritage Foundation announced a film festival as a part of his 11 films collection had been screened in 17 cities across the country shown in limited cinemas.

Biographies
Several books have been written about Bachchan. The following is the listing of books focused on his life career:

 * Amitabh Bachchan: the Legend was published in 1999,
 * To be or not to be: Amitabh Bachchan in 2004,
 * AB: The Legend (A Photographer's Tribute) in 2006,
 * Amitabh Bachchan: Ek Jeevit Kimvadanti in 2006,
 * Amitabh: The Making of a Superstar in 2006,
 * Looking for the Big B: Bollywood, Bachchan and Me in 2007 and
 * Bachchanalia in 2009.

Awards and honours
Apart from industry awards won for his performances throughout the years, Bachchan has received several honours for his achievements in the Indian film industry. In 1991, he became the first artist to receive the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award, which was established in the name of Raj Kapoor. Bachchan was crowned as Superstar of the Millennium in 2000 at the Filmfare Awards.

In 2001, he was honoured with the Actor of the Century award at the Alexandria International Film Festival in Egypt in recognition of his contribution to the world of cinema. Many other honours for his achievements were conferred upon him at several International Film Festivals, including the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2010 Asian Film Awards.

In 2003, he was conferred with the Honorary Citizenship of the French town of Deauville. The Government of India awarded him with the Padma Shri in 1984, the Padma Bhushan in 2001, the Padma Vibhushan in 2015 and Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 2019. The then-President of Afghanistan awarded him the Order of Afghanistan in 1991 following the shooting of Khuda Gawah there. The Government of Madhya Pradesh honoured him with Rashtriya Kishore Kumar Samman for 2002–2003.

France's highest civilian honour, the Officer of the Legion of Honour, was conferred upon him by the French Government in 2007 for his "exceptional career in the world of cinema and beyond". On 27 July 2012, at the age of 69, Bachchan carried the Olympic torch during the last leg of its relay in London's Southwark.

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Amitabh Bachchan


text:
Talk:Amitabh Bachchan

English Used
The English in both the main article and Talk is not too good. I intend editing the main article. Moitraanak (talk) 13:44, 27 August 2023 (UTC)

Names of places
Starting this because it's an interesting discussion. At least in the infobox, the template docs call out to use the name in effect at the relevant time Template:Infobox_person. For the article body, WP:MODERNPLACENAME talks context for the name, that in the present use the modern name but use an older name in appropriate contexts when modern sources do the same. So an interesting question, for sources published after Allahabad was renamed, what do they say?  Ravensfire  (talk) 17:53, 30 August 2023 (UTC)

 * There are several articles where besides the old name, the present name is given in brackets. Eg: Former PM Manmohan Singh's article. I had provided the same earlier. I think it is appropriate if we use the present-day name in brackets besides the older name, keeping both names. FlyJet777 (talk) 18:04, 30 August 2023 (UTC)
 * Template:Infobox_person is very specific "Use the name of the birthplace at the time of birth" and also "What the place may correspond to on a modern map is a matter for an article's main text." To use "Bachchan was born on 11 October 1942 in Prayagraj (formerly Allahabad)" makes it sound that it was called Prayagraj when he was born, and Allahabad was a name only used before 1942, which is historical nonsense - Allahabad (now Prayagraj) is historically accurate. There are other, similar, problems:-
 * "Bachchan's secondary education was at Boys' High School & College in Prayagraj" - not when he attended it wasn't
 * "He contested the Prayagraj's (formerly Allahabad Lok Sabha constituency)" - it was not the Prayagraj Lok Sabha constituency in 1984
 * We should not rewrite history - all events before October 2018 occurred in Allahabad, and only events after the renaming occurred in Prayagraj - Arjayay (talk) 19:16, 30 August 2023 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 6 September 2023
In Superstardom (1975–1988) / Coolie incident, change:

 * "the public response included prayers in temples and offers to"

to:

 * "the public response included prayers in temples, mosques and churches, and offers to"

(as per source )

--148.252.129.153 (talk) 15:21, 6 September 2023 (UTC) 148.252.129.153 (talk) 15:21, 6 September 2023 (UTC)
 * ✅ Tollens (talk) 06:10, 7 September 2023 (UTC)

Amitabh Bachchan's Height: A Tale of Inches and Impact
Explore Amitabh Bachchan's impressive height in feet, standing at approximately 6 feet 2 inches (1.88 meters). Discover the real dimensions behind his larger-than-life persona and how his towering presence has left an indelible mark on Bollywood. Unveil the truth about Amitabh Bachchan's height in feet and his enduring legacy in Indian cinema DilshadBhai239 (talk) 17:33, 16 September 2023 (UTC)

title: Talk:Amitabh Bachchan


text:
Allomorph

In linguistics, an allomorph is a variant phonetic form of a morpheme, or in other words, a unit of meaning that varies in sound and spelling without changing the meaning. The term allomorph describes the realization of phonological variations for a specific morpheme. The different allomorphs that a morpheme can become are governed by morphophonemic rules. These phonological rules determine what phonetic form, or specific pronunciation, a morpheme will take based on the phonological or morphological context in which it appears.

In English
English has several morphemes that vary in sound but not in meaning, such as past tense morphemes, plural morphemes, and negative morphemes.

Past tense allomorphs
For example, an English past tense morpheme is -ed, which occurs in several allomorphs depending on its phonological environment by assimilating the voicing of the previous segment or the insertion of a schwa after an alveolar stop:

 * as or  in verbs whose stem ends with the alveolar stops  or, such as 'hunted'  or 'banded'
 * as in verbs whose stem ends with voiceless phonemes other than, such as 'fished'
 * as in verbs whose stem ends with voiced phonemes other than, such as 'buzzed'

The "other than" restrictions above are typical for allomorphy. If the allomorphy conditions are ordered from most restrictive (in this case, after an alveolar stop) to least restrictive, the first matching case usually has precedence. Thus, the above conditions could be rewritten as follows:

 * as or  when the stem ends with the alveolar stops  or
 * as when the stem ends with voiceless phonemes
 * as elsewhere

The allomorph does not appear after stem-final  although the latter is voiceless, which is then explained by  appearing in that environment, together with the fact that the environments are ordered (that is, listed in order of priority). Likewise, the allomorph does not appear after stem-final  because the earlier clause for the  allomorph has priority. The allomorph does not appear after stem-final voiceless phoneme because the preceding clause for the  comes first.

Irregular past tense forms, such as "broke" or "was/were," can be seen as still more specific cases since they are confined to certain lexical items, such as the verb "break," which take priority over the general cases listed above.

Plural allomorphs
The plural morpheme for regular nouns in English is typically realized by adding an -s or -es to the end of the noun. However, the plural morpheme actually has three different allomorphs: [-s], [-z], and [-əz]. The specific pronunciation that a plural morpheme takes on is determined by the following morphological rules:

 * assume that the basic form of the plural morpheme, /-z/, is [-z] ("bags" /bægz/)
 * the morpheme /-z/ becomes [-əz] by inserting an [ə] before [-z] when a noun ends in a sibilant ("buses" /bʌsəz/)
 * change the morpheme /-z/ to a voiceless [-s] when a noun ends in a voiceless sound ("caps" /kæps/)

Negative allomorphs
In English, the negative prefix in- has three allomorphs: [ɪn-], [ɪŋ-], and [ɪm-]. The phonetic form that the negative morpheme /ɪn-/ uses is determined by the following morphological rules:

 * the negative morpheme /ɪn-/ becomes [ɪn-] when preceding an alveolar consonant ("intolerant"/ɪn'tɔlərənt/)
 * the morpheme /ɪn-/ becomes [ɪŋ-] before a velar consonant ("incongruous" /ɪŋ'kɔŋgruəs/)
 * the morpheme /ɪn-/ becomes [ɪm-] before a bilabial consonant ("improper" /ɪm'prɔpər/)

In Sami languages
The Sami languages have a trochaic pattern of alternating stressed and unstressed syllables. The vowels and consonants that are allowed in an unstressed syllable differ from those that are allowed in a stressed syllable. Consequently, every suffix and inflectional ending has two forms, and the form that is used depends on the stress pattern of the word to which it is attached. For example, Northern Sami has the causative verb suffix -hit/-ahttit in which -hit is selected when it would be the third syllable (and the preceding verb has two syllables), and -ahttit is selected when it would be the third and the fourth syllables (and the preceding verb has three syllables):
 * goar·rut has two syllables and so when suffixed, the result is goa·ru·hit.
 * na·nos·mit has three syllables and so when suffixed, the result is na·nos·mah·ttit.

The same applies to inflectional patterns in the Sami languages as well, which are divided into even stems and odd stems.

Stem allomorphy
Allomorphy can also exist in stems or roots, as in Classical Sanskrit:

There are three allomorphs of the stem,, , and , which are conditioned by the particular case-marking suffixes.

The form of the stem, found in the nominative singular and locative plural, is the etymological form of the morpheme. Pre-Indic palatalization of velars resulted in the variant form, which was initially phonologically conditioned. The conditioning can still be seen in the locative singular form, for which the is followed by the high front vowel.

However, the subsequent merging of and  into  made the alternation unpredictable on phonetic grounds in the genitive case (both singular and plural) as well as the nominative plural and the instrumental singular. Thus, allomorphy was no longer directly relatable to phonological processes.

Phonological conditioning also accounts for the form in the instrumental plural, in which the  assimilates in voicing to the following.

History
The term was originally used to describe variations in chemical structure. It was first applied to language (in writing) in 1948, by Fatih Şat and Sibel Merve in Language XXIV.

title: Allomorph