Gummadi Venkateswara Rao  Gummadi Venkateswara Rao (9 July 1928 – 26 January 2010), widely known as Gummadi, was an Indian film actor and producer, known for his works predominantly in Telugu cinema and a few Tamil films. Known as one of the finest method actors, Gummadi starred in around five hundred feature films. He received critical recognition for his work in "Thodu Dongalu" (1954) and "Mahamantri Timmarusu" (1962), for which he has received the erstwhile Rashtrapati Award. Gummadi was an official member of the Indian delegation from South India to the "Tashkent Film Festival" in 1978 and 1982. Gummadi served as a jury member thrice for the 28th, 33rd and 39th National Film Awards. He served twice on the state Nandi Awards Committee. In 1977, he was awarded India's fourth-highest civilian honor Padma Shri for his contributions to Indian cinema. He is widely known for his roles in films such as "Maya Bazar" (1957), "Maa Inti Mahalakshmi" (1959), "Kula Daivam" (1960), "Kula Gothralu" (1962), "Jyothi" (1976), "Nelavanka" (1981), "Maro Malupu" (1982), "Ekalavya" (1982), "Ee Charitra Ye Siraatho?" (1982), "Gaaju Bommalu" (1983) and "Pelli Pustakam" (1991). In 2008 he starred in "Jagadguru Sree Kasi Nayana Charitra" which is his last film. He was born in Ravikampadu near Kollur mandal, in the erstwhile Madras Presidency (now Andhra Pradesh), India. According to one of his interviews, he studied in ZP High School, Kollur and Hindu College, Guntur. Gummadi's acting career extended from 1950 onwards for almost six decades and he worked with three generations of people in the film industry. Though young, he played dignified older people at the beginning. He was a versatile character actor in sociopolitical and mythological movies. He acted in nearly 500 movies. He played the role of father to many lead actors in old Telugu films. Gummadi Venkateswara Rao first appeared as an actor in 1942, where he played the role of an old man on the stage.