Uttam Kumar (born as Arun Kumar Chatterjee; 3 September 1926 - 24 July 1980) was an Indian film actor, director, producer, singer, and music composer, who predominantly worked in Indian Cinema. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest actors in the history of Indian cinema. Kumar began his acting career in the theater and made his film debut in 1949 with Drishtidan. He went on to become one of the most popular and influential actors in Bengali cinema, with a career spanning over three decades.
Kumar was born in Kolkata, West Bengal, India to Mahamaya and Chuni Lal Chatterjee. His father was a lawyer and his mother was a housewife. He was the eldest of three children. He was a student of the Scottish Church College and later studied at the University of Calcutta.