<div>Legendary Tamil actress Manorama died at a private hospital here tonight following a heart attack, family sources said. She was 78.<br /><br />She is survived by her son Boopathi. "She passed away due to heart attack, my world has fallen apart," Boopathi told PTI. The actress died at around 12.05 AM.<br /><br />A versatile actress, Manorama had acted in over 1,200 Tamil films, rubbing shoulders with top stars like MGR and Sivaji Ganesan in a brilliant career spanning over six decades.<br /><br />She holds a Guinness World Record for acting in more than 1,000 films. Manorama also holds the unique distinction of having been in plays and films with five chief ministers.<br /><br />She played the female lead in the plays written, directed and acted in by former Tamil Nadu chief minister CN Annadurai besides appearing in plays with another chief minister M Karunanidhi.<br /><br />She also acted in films with MG Ramachandran and Jayalalithaa, both of whom later became chief ministers.<br /><br />Manorama also acted in Telugu films with NT Rama Rao, who went on to become chief minister of the erstwhile undivided Andhra Pradesh.<br /><br />Affectionately called "Aachi" (mother), she began her career as a stage artiste and acted in several hundreds of dramas.<br /><br />Born Gopishantha to Kasi Kilakudaiyar and Ramamirtham at Mannargudi in Thanjavur district of Tamil Nadu, she started her acting career on stage at age 12.<br /><br />She was rechristened Manorama by drama director Thiruvengadam and harmonist Thiyagarajan and migrated from dramas to the silver screen with the role of a heroine in the 1958 Tamil film 'Maalayitta Mangai'.<br /><br />She also sung several songs for films. Although she acted mainly in Tamil films since 1958, Manorama also essayed roles in Telugu, Hindi, Malayalam and Kannada movies.<br /><br />Her performance in the 1968 Tamil movie 'Thillana Mohanambal' was widely appreciated and is considered a milestone in her career. She held her own against stalwarts like Sivaji Ganesan and Padmini in the film.<br /><br />Her on-screen pairing with comedian Nagesh, 'Cho' Ramaswamy and later with Thengai Srinivasan in the late 70s and 80s was very popular with the masses.<br /><br />She was awarded the Padma Shri in 2002 and also won the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actress for 'Pudhiya Pathai' in 1989. <br /></div>
<div>Legendary Tamil actress Manorama died at a private hospital here tonight following a heart attack, family sources said. She was 78.<br /><br />She is survived by her son Boopathi. "She passed away due to heart attack, my world has fallen apart," Boopathi told PTI. The actress died at around 12.05 AM.<br /><br />A versatile actress, Manorama had acted in over 1,200 Tamil films, rubbing shoulders with top stars like MGR and Sivaji Ganesan in a brilliant career spanning over six decades.<br /><br />She holds a Guinness World Record for acting in more than 1,000 films. Manorama also holds the unique distinction of having been in plays and films with five chief ministers.<br /><br />She played the female lead in the plays written, directed and acted in by former Tamil Nadu chief minister CN Annadurai besides appearing in plays with another chief minister M Karunanidhi.<br /><br />She also acted in films with MG Ramachandran and Jayalalithaa, both of whom later became chief ministers.<br /><br />Manorama also acted in Telugu films with NT Rama Rao, who went on to become chief minister of the erstwhile undivided Andhra Pradesh.<br /><br />Affectionately called "Aachi" (mother), she began her career as a stage artiste and acted in several hundreds of dramas.<br /><br />Born Gopishantha to Kasi Kilakudaiyar and Ramamirtham at Mannargudi in Thanjavur district of Tamil Nadu, she started her acting career on stage at age 12.<br /><br />She was rechristened Manorama by drama director Thiruvengadam and harmonist Thiyagarajan and migrated from dramas to the silver screen with the role of a heroine in the 1958 Tamil film 'Maalayitta Mangai'.<br /><br />She also sung several songs for films. Although she acted mainly in Tamil films since 1958, Manorama also essayed roles in Telugu, Hindi, Malayalam and Kannada movies.<br /><br />Her performance in the 1968 Tamil movie 'Thillana Mohanambal' was widely appreciated and is considered a milestone in her career. She held her own against stalwarts like Sivaji Ganesan and Padmini in the film.<br /><br />Her on-screen pairing with comedian Nagesh, 'Cho' Ramaswamy and later with Thengai Srinivasan in the late 70s and 80s was very popular with the masses.<br /><br />She was awarded the Padma Shri in 2002 and also won the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actress for 'Pudhiya Pathai' in 1989. <br /></div>