Acting was his passion

Ashwath lost his mother when he was two-year-old. His father died when Ashwath was 14-year-old. Ashwath was brought up by his widowed and childless aunt Thippamma. Ashwath completed his primary and high school education at Dalwoy School.

He plunged into freedom struggle when he had just completed his junior intermediate then.

Ashwath’s aunt Thippamma died, forcing Ashwath to bid goodbye to his studies.
At the age of 18, Ashwath married his childhood friend and aunt’s daughter Sharada. He has two sons and daughters. One of his sons Shankar Ashwath is also into acting, continuing his father’s artistic legacy.

At a time, when most actors were reluctant to play the role of father of Rajkumar, Ashwath answered the call. The two stalwarts acted together in 72 films. They also acted in several plays staged by the Kannada Chalanachitra Nataka Mandali.

The plethora of awards that came his way include the Dr Rajkumar Award (1993-94), Kannada Rajyotsava Award (1981), Shanthaveri Gopalagowda Award (2005), Kannada Kayakashri Award (2006), Hamsarathna Award (1996) and Sarthaka Suvarna Award.
Navajeevana and Miss Leelavathi the films he had acted in had won national awards. He won the best supporting actor awards for Namma Makkalu in 1968, Naagara Haavu in 1972-73 and Muththina Haara in 1990.

He bagged the best supporting award of the Madras Film Fans’ association for seven consecutive years.

Awards

Tumkur University conferred an honorary doctorate on Ashwath in 2008. He won best supporting actor award thrice, along with the Dr Rajkumar award for lifetime achievement, Rajata Mahotsava Rajyotsava award and the Regional National Award among many others.

A true blue Mysorean, not a whiff of controversy touched Ashwath through his acting career spanning five decades which saw him act in 370 films. Relatives and friends say Ashwath who played the role Chamayya Meshtru in Puttanna Kanagal’s ‘Naagara Haavu’ was of late quite disturbed over the death of Vishnuvardhan who was introduced to Kannada film industry through that film. Ashwath also acted in an English movie Seven Wonders of the World shot in various locations including Mysore and released in 1956.
The experimental film was shot in Cinerama.