Happy Birthday He-Man

For his iconic role in Ramesh Sippy’s Sholay Dharmendra will always be remembered in Bollywood

The action king made his debut with Arjun Hingorani's Dil Bhi Tera Hum Bhi Tere in 1960

Phool Aur Paththar became the highest grossing film of 1966 and Dharmendra received his first Filmfare nomination for Best Actor.His performance in Anupama was critically acclaimed.

His most successful pairing was with Hema Malini, who went on to become his future wife. The couple played together in a many films including Raja Jani, Seeta Aur Geeta, Sharafat, Naya Zamana, Patthar Aur Payal, Tum Haseen Main Jawaan, Jugnu, Dost, Charas, Maa, Chacha Bhatija, Azaad, and Sholay.

In 2005, the judges of the 50th annual Filmfare Awards awarded Sholay the special distinction of Filmfare Best Film of 50 Years.

In 2011, Dharmendra replaced Sajid Khan as the male judge of the third series of popular reality show India's Got Talent

He was elected as a Member of the Parliament in the 2004 general elections, from Bikaner in Rajasthan, on a BJP ticket