Tom Alter, veteran actor and Padma Shri awardee, dies at 67

Veteran actor and Padma Shri awardee Tom Alter, who was battling stage four skin cancer, took his last breath at the age of 67.

Alter, a gold medal diploma graduate in acting in 1974 from the prestigious Film and Television Institute of India in Pune, has worked in over 300 movies apart from numerous TV shows.

He is popularly known for playing the gangster Keshav Kalsi in the hit soap opera Junoon which ran for a record five years during the 1990s.

Adding up to his set of skills, Alter had also donned the role of a director and a sports journalist in the 80s and 90s. He was the first person who interviewed Sachin Tendulkar for TV much before cricketer's debut for India.

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In 2008, he was awarded Padma Shri by the Indian government for his services to the field of arts and cinema.

According to a Times of India report, a statement released on behalf of his family said: "It is with sadness we announce the death of Tom Alter, actor, writer, director, Padma Shri, and our dear husband and father. Tom passed away Friday night at home with his family and close family members in attendance. We ask for their privacy to be respected at this time."