Napoleon
Born
Kumaresan Duraisamy

(1963-12-02) 2 December 1963
CitizenshipUSA
EducationSt. Joseph's College, Trichy
OccupationFilm actor
Politician
Entrepreneur
Years active1991–present
Spouse
Jayasudha
(m. 1993)
Children2
Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Government of India
In office
13 June 2009  20 March 2013
Preceded byManmohan Singh
Succeeded bySelja Kumari
Personal details
Political partyDravida Munnetra Kazhagam (1980-2014)
Websiteactornepoleon.com

Kumaresan Duraisamy (born 2 December 1963), known professionally by his stage name Napoleon, is an Indian actor, politician and entrepreneur.[1] He was the Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment in Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's cabinet. He has acted in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada and English movies.[2]

Early life

He graduated from St. Joseph's College, Trichy. [3]

Career

Politics

Napoleon became enthused by the ideologies of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) party. He joined the party in which his uncle K. N. Nehru was already a member and at that time the Public Welfare Minister of the state government.[4]

Nepoleon Election campaigning 2009
2009 Indian general election campaign

Napoleon contested the State Assembly elections of 2001, winning the Villivakkam constituency contest and thereby becoming a Member of the Legislative Assembly of Tamil Nadu.[5] He lost his membership in the 2006 elections, when he contested from the Mylapore constituency and was defeated by actor S. Ve. Shekhar. Subsequently, Napoleon nurtured the Perambalur constituency in the hope of becoming a member of parliament for the DMK and succeeded in the 2009 Lok Sabha election. He was then appointed Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment in Union government. Seen as a loyalist of Azhagiri, he was sidelined by DMK after the expulsion of the latter from the party in 2014. He joined the BJP in the presence of party President Amit Shah on 21 December 2014. He was made the party's state vice-president on 26 November 2015.[6]

Films

When aged 27, he watched the film Udhayam, the dubbed version of the Telugu film Siva, and was inspired to take up acting. He entered the Tamil film industry in 1991 with Bharathiraja's rural film Pudhu Nellu Pudhu Naathu, playing the antagonist role. After the stupendous success of Ejamaan (1993), Napoleon went on to play the villain to great effect in Malayalam and Telugu cinema too. He is praised for good best performance and acting in his Malayalam movie called Devasuram (1993). Napoleon turned hero on-screen too with Kizhakku Cheemayile (1993) in which he played an anti-hero. After that film, Pratap Pothen gave Seevalaperi Pandi (1994). That film turned out to be a mega hit.[7] He was awarded Tamil Nadu State Film Award Special Prize for his performance in Ettupatti Rasa (1997).

In 1998, he was awarded the Kalaimamani and MGR Award. From 2000 to 2006, he was appointed as the vice-president of the South Indian Film Artistes Association.

Later after years into film industry, he also got the chance to work in stone blockbuster movies such as Pokkiri (2007) and Dasavathaaram (2008).[8]

Though he settled in Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America, at the insistence of the industry stalwarts, he made his acting comeback with Kidaari (2016). He then went on to portray Gautham Karthik's father in Muthuramalingam (2017) replacing Karthik.[9][10]

After making his Hollywood debut in the supernatural thriller, Devil's Night: Dawn of the Nain Rouge (2019), he is seen in another American independent film titled Christmas Coupon (2019). Napoleon also proudly announced that he is the only Tamil actor, who had acted in a Hollywood film, which was completely shot in the US.[11]

Entrepreneurship

Jeevan Technologies 2008  IIIrd ODC at DLF IT Park
Jeevan Technologies 2008

Nepoleon Duraisamy forayed into IT Entrepreneurship and kick started "Jeevan Technologies" IT operations in Chennai, India in the year 2000. Jeevan is a trusted technology transformation partner of enterprises across the globe under his able mentorship.[12]

Social entrepreneurship

In 2010, Napoleon established Myopathy Unit of Jeevan Foundation, the Institute for Muscular Dystrophy & Research Center. It is a non-profit organization registered under the Tamil Nadu Trust Act.[13][14]

Achievements and awards

Napoleon presenting the National Trust Annual Award to Shri Ashwin Karthik from Bangalore, at the National Trust Annual Awards Function, in New Delhi on September 10, 2010.

Filmography

As actor
YearFilmRoleLanguageNotes
1991Pudhu Nellu Pudhu NaathuShankaralingamTamil
MGR NagarilJohn PeterTamil
1992Chinna ThayeeChamundiTamil
BharathanC.I.D. JohnsonTamil
Nadodi ThendralSwamikannuTamil
Oor MariyadhaiVeerapandiTamil
Idhu Namma BhoomiMirasudarTamil
Mudhal SeethanamDevi Meenakshi's uncleTamil
ThalaivasalChandranTamil
PangaliTamil
AbhiramiMr. Dhilip KumarTamilGuest appearance
1993Captain MagalRobert RoyappaTamil
Pudhu PiraviTamil
YejamanVallavarayanTamil
Minmini PoochigalVictorTamil
DevasuramMundakal ShekaranMalayalam
MunarivippuRanjithTamil
Rajadhi Raja Raja Kulothunga Raja Marthanda Raja Gambeera Kathavaraya Krishna KamarajanGuru SubramaniamTamil
Nallathe NadakkumVikramanTamil
Dharma SeelanOmer SheriffTamil
MaravanShankarapandiyanTamil
PeriyammaTamil
Enga MuthalaliJayaramanTamil
Kizhakku CheemayileShivanadiTamil
Kunthi PuthruduSambasivuduTelugu
1994Hello BrotherMithraTelugu
Seevalaperi PandiPandiTamilDebut as Hero
GandheevamVincentMalayalam
MaindhanVelayudam PillaiTamil
Pudhupatti PonnuthayiTamil
Thozhar PandianThaamaraiselvanTamil
ThamaraiThamaraiTamil
Mani RathnamRathnamTamil
Vanaja GirijaAnandTamil
1995RajamuthiraiMarkandeyanTamil
Muthu KaalaiSakthivelTamil
Chinna ManiDuraisamy ThevarTamil25th Film
En Pondatti NallavaRajappaTamil
ThamizhachiRasayyaTamil
AsuranMatthaiyaTamil
Aakaya PookkalSuriyaTamil
Maa ManithanNaguTamil
1996ThayagamPilotTamil
MusthaffaaMusthaffaaTamil
Puthiya ParasakthiRajaduraiTamil
RajaliRajaliTamil
1997Ettupatti RasaSingarajTamilTamil Nadu State Film Award Special Prize,
Also singer for song "Ettupatti Rasa"
1998Kizhakkum MerkkumSuryamurthyTamil
Bhagavath SinghBhagavath SinghTamil50th Film
The Government DevaTamil, Telugu, Kannada
1999MayaPratap / SuriyaTamil, Telugu, Kannada
Billa RangaRangaKannada
Ethirum PudhirumArasappanTamil
SuyamvaramKrishnaTamil
PonvizhaBharathiTamil
Rowdy Brothers Kannada
SivanMuruganTamil
2000The Warrant Ravi RamakrishnanMalayalamDubbed into Tamil as The Warrant
The GangKevinMalayalam
Karisakattu PooveKottai SamiTamil
Rayalaseema Ramanna Chowdary Jadadhari SwamijiTelugu
Manu NeethiMuthazhaguTamil
2001MegasandesamFr. RossorriyaMalayalamDubbed into Tamil as Rosi
KalakalappuVeluthambiTamil
Ravana PrabhuMundakkal SekharanMalayalam
Veettoda MappillaiManikkamTamil
Mitta MiraasuSinga PerumalTamil
2002Kanal KireedamAlbinMalayalamDubbed into Tamil as Mary Albert
Thenkasi PattanamDassTamil
2004VirumaandiNallama NayakkarTamil
Adi ThadiSuryaTamil
RemoteDeenadayaluTamil
2005AyyaMadasamyTamil
VeerannaMariappan, VeerannaTamil75th Film
2006VattaramGurupadamTamil
2007PokkiriCommissioner Mohammed Mohideen Khan IPSTamil
2008KrishnarjunaNallama NayakkarTelugu
SandaiKamarajTamil
DasavathaaramKulothunga Chola IITamil
Aayutham SeivomACP ElumalaiTamil
2009Oy!Dr. Harish Chandra PrasadTelugu
Azhagar MalaiPandithuraiTamil
SaleemSingamanaiduTelugu
2011Ponnar ShankarThalaiyoor KaaliTamil
2016KidaariKottur DuraiTamil
2017MuthuramalingamMookiah ThevarTamil
Chennaiyil Oru Naal 2PrabakaranTamil
2018Ay.NaAynaMalayalam
Seema RajaAriya RajaTamil
SharabhaKartavaryuduTelugu
2019Devil's Night: Dawn of the Nain RougeDr. SudhirEnglishHollywood Movie
Christmas CouponAgent KumarEnglishHollywood Movie
2021SulthanSethupathiTamil
2022AnbarivuMuniyandiTamil
One More DreamSchool PrincipalEnglishHollywood Movie
Also executive producer
2023Vallavanukkum VallavanMinisterTamil
Trap CityNathanEnglishHollywood Movie
As singer
YearFilmSongNotes
1995En Pondatti Nallava"Ponnu Kulla"
1999Ettupatti Rasa"Ettupatti Rasa"
2005Veeranna"Veeranna"

References

  1. Manoj, CG (29 May 2009). "After MLA napoleon ready for real power". The Indian Express. Archived from the original on 27 May 2013. Retrieved 5 August 2012.
  2. "INTERVIEW | Actor Napoleon on his Hollywood debut film 'Devil's Night: Dawn of the Nain Rouge'". The New Indian Express. 7 July 2020. Archived from the original on 9 July 2021. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
  3. "Illustrious alumni/ae". St. Joseph's College, Trichy. Archived from the original on 3 February 2023. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
  4. "Napolean Calls Uncle the Reason Behind Quitting DMK". The New Indian Express. 28 December 2014. Archived from the original on 9 July 2021. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
  5. "DMK Leader and Former Union Minister Napoleon Joins BJP". NDTV. IANS. 21 December 2014. Archived from the original on 7 December 2021. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
  6. Siva, CG (26 November 2015). "தமிழக பாஜக துணைத் தலைவராக நடிகர் நெப்போலியன் நியமனம்". The Indian Express. Archived from the original on 27 November 2015. Retrieved 26 November 2015.
  7. Sekhar, Arunkumar (19 December 2017). "A villain is what I call an 'edhir naayagan': Napoleon, a veteran Tamil actor who almost quit acting". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 10 May 2023. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
  8. "Napoleon". Nettv4u. Archived from the original on 23 October 2020. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
  9. Suganth, M. (29 November 2016). "In the US, my son leads a normal life: Napoleon". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 11 September 2018. Retrieved 7 April 2020.
  10. Suganth, M. (7 September 2016). "How Napoleon became Gautham's father!". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 14 September 2019. Retrieved 7 April 2020.
  11. "Actor Napoleon plays a sports agent in his second Hollywood project, Christmas Coupon". Cinema Express. 3 July 2019. Archived from the original on 25 January 2021. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
  12. "Management Team". Archived from the original on 20 June 2021. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
  13. "Mayopathy". Jeevan Foundation. Archived from the original on 17 April 2021. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
  14. "Mayopathy". actornapoleon.com. Archived from the original on 18 April 2021. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
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