Bollywood acting legend Tom Alter dies after cancer battle

Tom Alter, a well-known Indian theatre, television and Bollywood actor of American descent, has died in Mumbai after a brief illness. He was 67.

A statement issued on Saturday said he died at home in Mumbai, India's financial and entertainment capital,on Friday night, surrounded by his family. He had been suffering from skin cancer.

Alter acted in more than 300 films in several Indian languages, including Hindi, Bengali, Assamese and Telugu. His popular movies included Shatranj Ke Khiladi (Chess Players), Gandhi, Parinda (Bird), Kranti (Revolution), Aashiqui (Love) and Junoon (Obsession).

He is survived by his wife, one son and one daughter.

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his grief and recalled Alter's contribution to the film world and theatre.

Alter was also a cricket enthusiast and had written for several sporting journals.

He won the Indian government's Padma Shri Award in 2008 for his contribution to the fields of arts and cinema.

Alter was the son of American Christian missionaries. His grandparents migrated to India from Ohio in the United States in 1916 and settled in Lahore, now in Pakistan.

After the partition of the Indian subcontinent in 1947, his grandparents stayed in Pakistan, while his parents moved to India.

He went to school in the northern Indian hill resort of Mussoorie and later joined the Film and Television Institute in the western city of Pune from 1972 to 1974. He made his Bollywood acting debut in 1976.

His burial will take place on Wednesday, the Press Trust of India news agency said.