Akkineni Nageswara Rao (20 September 1923 – 22 January 2014), widely known as ANR, was an Indian film actor and producer, known for his work predominantly in Telugu cinema. He starred in many landmark films in his seventy five-year career, becoming one of the most prominent figures in the history of Indian cinema. He is considered one of the greatest and most successful actor of Indian cinema and one of the two pillars of Telugu Cinema, along with N. T. Rama Rao. Nageswara Rao received seven state Nandi Awards, and five Filmfare Awards South. He is a recipient of the Dada Saheb Phalke Award, the highest Indian award in the field of cinema. He was also honoured with the Padma Vibhushan, India's second highest civilian award, for his contribution to the film industry.