Cheyur Krishnarao Nageshwaran (27 September 1933 – 31 January 2009) popularly known as Nagesh was an Indian actor and comedian mostly remembered for his comic roles in Tamil films during the 1960s. Nagesh was born in Dharapuram. He acted in over 1,000 films from 1958 to 2008, performing in a variety of roles as comedian, lead roles, supporting actor and antagonist. He has also acted in Telugu, Malayalam, Hindi and Kannada films. Nagesh's style of comedy was largely inspired by Hollywood actor Jerry Lewis. Similarities between Nagesh and Lewis earned Nagesh the sobriquet the "Jerry Lewis of India". He was also nicknamed as the King of Comedy due to his impeccable comedy timing and body language. He featured regularly in the film projects of M. G. Ramachandran and Sivaji Ganesan even at a time when there was a massive rift between the two leading actors in Tamil cinema at that time.

He has a unique distinction of sharing screen with lead actors belonging to three generations of Tamil film industry, starring with MGR and Sivaji Ganesan in the 1960s; Kamal Haasan and Rajnikanth in the 1980s: Vijay and Ajith Kumar in the 1990s and 2000s before his death.

He was also a dancer. The song "Kanni Nathiyoram" in the movie Neerkumizhi shows some of his dance skills.

Nagesh was born as Cheyur Krishna Nageshwaran to Kannadiga Hindu parents. His parents were Krishnan Rao and Rukmani Ammal. Nagesh was born in Dharapuram. He completed his schooling in Dharapuram. He left Dharapuram at an early age and moved to Madras city in search of a career. His roommates, the writer Vaali and actor Srikanth, later established themselves as prominent personalities in the Tamil cinema field. He worked as a clerk in the Indian Railways.

Early in his life, he saw the Tamil play Kamba Ramayanam, enacted by his colleagues, and felt that he could do a good job. He persuaded the secretary of the railway's cultural association to give him the role of a man suffering from stomach pain. MGR, then chief guest, seeing this play, in his speech praised Nagesh for his performance. From then onwards, Nagesh played small roles in various drama troupes.

In 1958, producer Balaji spotted Nagesh and gave him his first break in a film called Manamulla Marudhaaram. The film did not do well at the box office. Moreover, Nagesh had only a small role to play in the movie.

Nagesh won critical acclaim for his performance in the 1961 movie Thayilla Pillai. But it was his 1962 hit Nenjil Or Aalayam which launched his career in the Tamil film industry. Nagesh was seen playing the lead role in Server Sundaram (1964), directed by Krishnan–Panju, adapted from a 1963 play of the same name written by the legend K. Balachander. The movie was a remarkable hit and proved to be a great turning point in his career. The song from this film "Avalukenna... Azhagiya Mugam...", written by Vaali was a big hit.

Server Sundaram marked Nagesh's rise to prominence. The film was about a restaurant waiter, "server" Sundaram, who struggles to make ends meet.