Charle


Dr. Velmurugan Thangasamy Manohar, professionally credited as Charle, is an Indian actor who works in Tamil cinema. He has acted in more than 800 Tamil films as a comedian and supporting actor. He was named after the English comedian Charlie Chaplin.

Biography

He completed his undergraduate degree in chemistry from G. V. N. College in Kovilpatti, Tamil Nadu. Even during those days when he was at college, he was known for his histrionics, and had the uncanny ability to imitate Tamil actors like Sivaji Ganeshan, Muthuraman and Nagesh. He was an avid entertainer, and a popular stage artist, while at this college.
He started his career as a Staff Artist – Actor in Song & Drama Division of Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and moved on to perform more than 1000 dramas in six years. He was named as Charlie and introduced in the film Poikkal Kudhirai in the year 1982 by the eminent director Padma Sri Dr.K.Balachandar. He has proved a versatile actor in comedy as well as character roles in Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam films; he has dubbed his own voice in his role in the Malayalam film "Hijack". He has more than 750 films to his credit and has played a vital role in many films, including films produced by National Film Development Corporation of India. He is highly talented in miming, mono acting and anchoring in stage shows and he has performed in various countries.
He holds a Master of Arts degree from Madurai Kamaraj University and Master of Philosophy degree from Karaikkudi Alagappa University. He submitted his dissertation for M.Phil in the title, "Contributions of Comedians in the growth of Tamil cinema – 1937 to 1967".
Charlie received PhD in Tamil in the topic "Humour in Tamil Cinema” from Tamil university, Thanjavur in October 2019. His guide was Professor K Ravindran, former Head of the Drama department, Tamil University.

Awards

;Actor
;Dubbing artist