Chennai, 10 Nov

Noted Tamil actor 'Delhi' Ganesh, who essayed a spectacular variety of memorable roles in over 400 films, passed away late Saturday night at his residence here following a brief illness, his family said. He was 80 years old.

The actor's son, Maha Delhi Ganesh, told reporters that his father had age-related ailments and that he was under treatment. "Last night (Saturday night) when we tried to give him a tablet, he did not respond. A doctor confirmed that he was dead," he said. Another family member said Ganesh died in his sleep at his Ramapuram residence.

In a statement, the family said Delhi Ganesh passed away at 11 pm on 9 November. Film celebrities condoled his death.

A native of Tirunelveli, Ganesh's acting career began in the 1960's when he performed small roles in dramas in Delhi, where he served the IAF for a decade in a civilian post.

Later, when he shifted to Chennai after resigning his IAF job, he joined actor 'Kathadi' Ramamoorthy's troupe and acted in dramas including 'Dowry Kalyanam.'

When legendary director K Balachander made a film (1977) based on the play 'Pattinaprevasam,' Ganesh got his first opportunity in the tinsel world and he reprised his role in the movie. There was no looking back since then and his filmography is impressive with main roles in films of top stars including Rajinikanth, Kamal Haasan and Vijayakanth.

Ganesh's role as a loyal staff of gangster Velu Naicker, a character made immortal by Haasan's brilliant performance in the Mani Ratnam-directed Nayakan (1987), lent weight to the caring persona of the protagonist.

His performance in Kamal Haasan's films including 'Michael Madana Kamarajan' (Palakkad Iyer role) and 'Avvai Shanmughi' (manager of a wealthy person) are regarded as iconic by film-lovers. He also played one of the villains in Haasan's mega hit "Aboorva Sagotharargal," (Appu Raja in Hindi).

Ganesh's stint in stage plays stood him in good stead in films when it came to dialogue delivery and in his career that spanned over four decades, he accomplished with ease an impressive show of a great variety of roles in more than 400 movies. He had been active in webseries as well.

He was a recipient of Tamil Nadu government's Kalaimamani award. Since he had lived in Delhi for a long time, the name of the city became a prefix to his name when he entered cinema. Chief Minister MK Stalin condoled Ganesh's demise and said it was a "great loss" to the Tamil cinema industry. He recalled his variety of roles in various films.