Maruthur Gopalan Ramachandran (17 January 1917 – 24 December 1987), known by his initialism M.G.R. and as Makkal Thilagam/Puratchi Thalaivar, was an Indian actor, politician, and philanthropist who served as the chief minister of Tamil Nadu from 1977 until his death in 1987. He was the founder and former general secretary of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam. On 19 March 1988, M.G.R. was posthumously awarded the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honour. M.G.R. is regarded as one of the most influential politicians of post-independence India. Apart from politics, as a film personality, he won the National Film Award, three Tamil Nadu State Film Awards, and three Filmfare Awards South. In his youth, M.G.R. and his elder brother M. G. Chakrapani became members of a drama troupe to support their family. Influenced by Gandhian ideals, M.G.R. joined the Indian National Congress. After a few years of acting in plays, he made his film debut in the 1936 film Sathi Leelavathi in a supporting role. By the late 1940s, he had graduated to lead roles. M.G.R. was one of the "three biggest names of Tamil cinema", the other two being Sivaji Ganesan and Gemini Ganesan. While Sivaji Ganesan excelled in dramatic films, Gemini Ganesan was known for his romantic films, and M.G.R. was popular as an action hero. M.G.R. became a member of the C. N. Annadurai-led Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and rose through its ranks, using his popularity as a film star to build a political base. In 1972, three years after Annadurai's death, he left the DMK as its treasurer, then led by M. Karunanidhi who was made as chief minister by him, to form his own new party—the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK). Five years later, M.G.R. steered an AIADMK-led alliance to victory in the 1977 election, routing the DMK in the process. He became Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, the first film actor to become a chief minister in India. Except for a four-month interregnum in 1980, when his government was overthrown by the Indira Gandhi-led government of India, he remained as chief minister until his death in 1987, leading the AIADMK to two more electoral wins in the 1980 and 1984 elections. In October 1984, M.G.R. was diagnosed with kidney failure as a result of diabetes. He died on 24 December 1987 in his M.G.R. Thottam residence in Ramapuram after a prolonged illness. His autobiography, "Naan Yaen Piranthen? (Why Was I Born?)", was published in 2003. Source: Wikipedia (en)