Kamal Haasan (born 7 November 1954) is an Indian actor, filmmaker and politician who predominantly works in Tamil cinema, and currently serving as a Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha for Tamil Nadu. Regarded as one of the greatest and most versatile actors of all time, Haasan is renowned for portraying diverse and complex roles, across multiple genres, often involving physical transformations. He is also known for pushing creative boundaries and pioneering many new technologies in Indian cinema. Filmmakers have described Haasan as "cinema encyclopedia" for his immense knowledge and mastery of various aspects of filmmaking as an actor, director, producer, screenwriter, singer, lyricist, and dancer. He has also worked as an assistant director, choreographer, editor, make-up artist, narrator, television host, and a distributor of films. In his cinematic career spanning more than 65 years, he has made over 250 films in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Hindi, Kannada and Bengali languages. Haasan has won numerous accolades, including five National Film Awards, twenty Filmfare Awards, eleven Tamil Nadu State Film Awards, and four Nandi Awards. He was honoured with the Kalaimamani in 1978, the Padma Shri in 1990, the Padma Bhushan in 2014, and the Order of Arts and Letters (Chevalier) in 2016. He was invited by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 2025 to become a member of its Actors Branch, for being an "exceptionally talented individual having made indelible contributions to global filmmaking community."

Haasan started his career as a child artist at the age of 5 in the 1960 Tamil film Kalathur Kannamma, which earned him the National Award for Best Child Artist. After playing a few supporting roles, he progressed to lead role in the 1974 Malayalam film Kanyakumari, for which he won his first Filmfare Award for Best Actor. He then earned three National Awards for Best Actor for Moondram Pirai (1982), Nayakan (1987) and Indian (1996). Haasan has won 20 Filmfare Awards in total, the most for any actor. He holds the record for the most Filmfare Awards for Best Actor, with a total of 18 wins – eleven in Tamil, three in Telugu, two in Malayalam, one in Hindi, and one in Kannada. He has been nominated for 63 Filmfare Awards, the most for any actor. He also holds the record for the most Filmfare Award nominations for acting, with 50 nominations. He is the only actor who has won Filmfare Awards across five different languages. Besides several acting awards for his acclaimed performances, he has won many other cinematic awards for producing, directing, screenwriting, singing, lyric writing, choreographing and dancing. Haasan is also distinguished for starring in the highest number of films submitted by India for Best International Feature Film at the Academy Awards, with seven films – Saagar (1985), Swathi Muthyam (1986), Nayakan (1987), Thevar Magan (1992), Kuruthipunal (1995), Indian (1996), and Hey Ram (2000) which he directed. He has won many awards at various international film festivals, including the inaugural PiFan Best Asian Film Award for his directorial Virumaandi (2004). His production company Raaj Kamal Films International has produced many of his films, including Thevar Magan (1992) which won him the National Award for Best Tamil Film.

"The inimitable Kamal Haasan, regarded by many as the best actor India has ever produced"

Haasan's portrayal of an innocent man, scammed and imprisoned, in Mahanadhi (1994), was selected by Forbes India as one of the 25 greatest acting performances of Indian cinema. Hindustan Times hailed him as "A polymath in the truest sense, Kamal has given silver jubilee films in five languages. If there's one Indian actor who is a one-man industry in himself, it's Kamal Haasan." He received the first Golden Beaver Award at the 2025 Indian Film Festival of Alberta, Canada, for "transforming cinema — bridging cultures, breaking barriers, and inspiring audiences worldwide." He was awarded the "Original Pan-India Superstar" Award at the 2022 South Indian International Movie Awards. The Directorate of Film Festivals organised a three-day "Kamal Haasan Film Festival" from 2 to 4 July 2010, and showcased seven of his best films – Sagara Sangamam (1983), Nayakan (1987), Thevar Magan (1992), Hey Ram (2000), Anbe Sivam (2003), Virumaandi (2004), and Dasavathaaram (2008) in which he played ten distinct roles. Nayakan (1987), starring Haasan, was chosen as one of the 100 greatest films of all time by the American magazine TIME. On October 16, 1997, Queen Elizabeth II publicly launched Haasan's unfinished historical film Marudhanayagam.

"Kamal Haasan falls under a special category, as his cinema broke barriers of language and region. He has been honoured with several awards. In fact, he may be the most awarded person in the country."

Haasan received the CNN-IBN Indian of the Year Special Award, from the Prime Minister of India, Manmohan Singh, for completing 50 years in cinema in 2009. He was named as one of the 50 most powerful Indians by India Today in 2017. He was conferred two Honorary Doctorates, one by Sathyabama University in 2005, one by Centurion University in 2019. He received the first A. T. Kovoor National Award for the Secular Artist in 2005, in acknowledgment of his humanist and philanthropic activities. He was the first Tamil actor to convert his fan clubs into welfare associations, and has been consistently involved in many social services, including donating food and medicines to the needy, helping with children's education, and promoting blood and organ donation. He was appointed an ambassador by the United Nations in 2007, for its joint campaign with the Tamil Nadu State AIDS Control Society to protect the rights of people living with HIV. On 21 February 2018, Haasan formally launched a political party, Makkal Needhi Maiam (lit. People's Justice Centre).

Kamal Haasan was born on 7 November 1954, in a Tamil brahmin Iyengar family, to D. Srinivasan, who was a lawyer and freedom fighter, and Rajalakshmi, who was a housewife. His native place is Paramakudi. He was initially named after the Parthasaraty deity at the Pallava-era temple in Chennai. His father later changed the name to Kamal Haasan. His brothers, Charuhasan (born 1931) and Chandrahasan (1937–2017), have also been actors. Haasan's sister, Nalini (born 1946), is a classical dancer. He received his primary education in Paramakudi before moving to Madras (now Chennai) as his brothers pursued their higher education. Haasan continued his education in Santhome, Madras, and was attracted towards film and fine arts as encouraged by his father.

When a physician friend of his mother visited A. V. Meiyappan (AVM) to treat his wife, she brought Haasan with her. Apparently impressed by his demeanor AVM's son, M. Saravanan, recommended him for their production Kalathur Kannamma. Haasan won the Rashtrapati Award (President's gold medal) for his performance in Kalathur Kannamma at age six and starred in five more films as a child. He debuted in the Malayalam film industry with Kannum Karalum (1962). Upon his father's encouragement, he joined a repertory company (T. K. S. Nataka Sabha) headed by T. K. Shanmugam. In the meanwhile, he continued his education at the Hindu Higher Secondary School in Triplicane. His time with the theatre company shaped Haasan's craft and kindled his interest in makeup.