67-year old Tom Alter lost his battle with cancer today. Padma Shri awardee and veteran film Tom Alter was a noted television and theatre actor, writer and director. Tom Alter passed away after battling with stage four skin cancer. Tom Alter rose to fame after essaying the character Keshav Kalsi in the hit soap opera ‘Junoon’. Gangster Keshav Kalsi’s character earned Tom Alter recognition and appreciation. The serial ‘Junoon’ in which Tom Alter played Keshav Kalsi ran for a record five years during the 1990s. Tom Alter’s sudden death has come as a huge shock to the Indian film fraternity.
Tom Alter loses battle with Cancer, Dies at 67
A native of Mussoorie, Uttarakhand, Tom Alter was bestowed with Padma Shri in 2008 for his service to the field of cinema and arts. Tom Alter has not only acted in over 300 movies and numerous TV shows, but Tom Alter was the first person to interview the god of Cricket – Sachin Tendulkar for TV. Tom Alter interviewed the legendary little master Sachin Tendulkar when he was yet to debut for India.
Immortal Characters essayed by Tom Alter
Tom Alter was a gold medallist in acting from FTII (Film and Television Institute of India). It was reported that on stage, Tom Alter aced the screen with his indomitable spirit. Tom Alter’s first release was Ramanand Sagar’s Charas in 1976 after which there was no looking back for Tom Alter. Alter’s notable roles were in Shyam Benegal’s Junoon, Satyajit Ray’s Shatranj Ke Khiladi, Raj Kapoor’s Ram Teri Ganga Maili, Manoj Kumar’s Kranti, and Mahesh Bhatt’s Aashiqui. In addition to his Bollywood journey, Tom Alter also acted in several foreign films such as Richard Attenborough’s Gandhi and Michael O. Sajbel’s One Night with the King.
Tom Alter a multi-faceted personality
Born in 1950 Tom Alter was the son of American missionaries and was born in Mussoorie. After his initial education at Woodstock School in Mussoorie, Alter later joined Pune’s Film and Television Institute of India. Tom Alter’s TV journey also included one of the acclaimed serials on television such as Bharat Ek Khoj and Shaktimaan. Tom also explored the regional cinema with his small stint in Assamese, Bengali and Telugu cinema. As a cricket enthusiast himself, Tom Alter used to write columns for newspapers as well journals. He majorly contributed for sporting journals for over a decade.
Tom Alter was last seen in Vijay Verma and Imran Khan’s ‘Sargoshiyan’ that was released on May 26 this year. Tom Alter shared the screen for the last time with noted actors Alok Nath and Farida Jalal.
Source: NDTV
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