April 24, 2025

Leela Chitnis Biography, Age, Death, Husband, Children, Family, Caste, Wiki & More

Updated On : September 9, 2019

Short Biography

Leela Chitnis was born on 9th September 1909 in Dharwar, Karnataka, India. She was a well known Indian Actress, Director and Producer. She was best known for her movies like Guide, Dosti and Sadhna.

Leela Chitnis Complete Bio & Career

Leela Chitnis father was an English Literature Professor. She was among one of the first educated actresses of Hindi cinema. After completion of her graduation, she joined a theatre group, Natyamanwantar. The group’s works were heavily influenced by Shaw, Ibsen and Stanislavsky. In theatre, she played the lead role in several plays including tragedies and comedies. 
 
She started her acting career with the film Shri Satyanarayan in 1935. She acted in a considerable amount of films before her first hit film Kangan, which released in 1939. This film’s success made her leading lady of Bombay Talkies. She made a formidable pair with Veteran Ashok Kumar and together they gave hits like Bandhan, Azad, and Jhoola. In 1941, she was at the peak of her career and she created history by becoming the first Indian Actress to endorse prestigious brand Lux Soap, a feat which was consigned only to top actresses of Hollywood. 
 
Although she established herself as a lead actress in Hindi cinema she became famous by her portrayal of roles of upright and virtuous mother to lead actors. She played the role of Dev Anand's mother in the blockbuster film Guide and was highly appreciated for her performance. She was seen throughut the 1970s but brought an end to her career after appearing in Bollywoood film Dil Tujhko Diya in the year 1985. After that, she relocated to the United States to stay with her son Manvendra.

 

Health Issues, Illness and Death Info

She died on 14th July 1993 in Danbury, Connecticut, United States at the age of 93.

 

DEATHDAY 14 July,2003 (Monday)
DEATH PLACE Danbury, Connecticut
DEATH COUNTRY United States

Leela Chitnis Family, Relatives and Other Relations

Leela Chitnis married Dr. Gajanan at the age of 16 and with had four sons named Manvendra, Raj, Ajitkumar, and Vijaykumar with him. Their marriage ended in divorce.

Life's Important Dates Of Leela Chitnis

Body Measurements

Skin Colour Fair
Eye Colour Black
Hair Colour Salt & Pepper

Personal Info

Home Town Dharwad , Karnataka
Nationality Indian
Religion Hindu
Address Danbury, Connecticut
School N/A
College N/A
Qualification Graduate
Hobbies Listening Music, Travelling
Marital Status Married
Debut Film - Shri Satyanarayan (1935)
Best Movies Kangan (1939), Chhaya (1936) and Sadhna (1958), Guide (film) (1965), and Waqt (1965) among others
Net Worth N/A
Official Website N/A

Favourites

Favorite Color Black
Favorite Player Dhyan Chand
Favorite Sport Hockey
Favorite Actor Ashok Kumar
Favorite Place Religious Places

Shocking / Interesting Facts & Secrets About Leela Chitnis

  • She is remembered as the first Indian movie star to endorse Lux soap, in 1941.
  • Her husband Dr. Gajanan Yeshwant Chitnis was much elder than him.
  • She launched her son Ajit Chitnis in the film "Aaj Ki Baat" in 1955.

Leela Chitnis Age, Birthday Facts and Birthday Countdown

Leela Chitnis was 93 years 10 months & 5 days old age.