Amjad Khan became a legend with his portrayal of the villain Gabbar Singh in the film Sholay. He began his acting career on the stage, where he was noticed by the scriptwriters of Sholay, Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar. They recommended him to director Ramesh Sippy for the role in what was to become one of the greatest hits of Hindi cinema.

The success of Sholay overshadowed much of Amjad Khan`s later work. Typecast as a villain, he featured in popular hits such as Kaaliya, Satte Pe Satta and Muqaddar Ka Sikandar. His versatility came to the fore when the director Satyajit Ray cast him in a role totally out of his usual screen persona: that of Wa|id Ali Shah, the last ruler of Avadh, in Shatranj Ke Khiladi. The role was a sympathetic portrayal of a king whom the events of history turned into a doomed and tragic figure.

In the 1980s, Amjad Khan often played character roles other. He played the hero`s friend in films such as Yaarana, and the buffoon in a series of films from the South. He did a particularly memorable comic turn as the sage Vatsyayan in Girish Karnad`s Utsav, and another in an effort to exorcise the ghost of Gabbar Singh in a spoof film, Ramgarh Ke Sholay. He also directed the films Amir Admi Gareeb Admi and Chor Police.

The favourite villain of the silver screen passed away in 1992.

Hindustan Ki Kasam	Barsaat Ki Ek Raat	Seetapur Ki Geeta
Sholay	Kaliya	Qatil
Hum Kisise Kum Nahin	Naseeb	Sau Saal Baad
Parvarish	Josh	Lekin
Inkaar	Lawaris	Asman Se Gira
Shatranj Ke Khiladi	Satte Pe Satta	Izzat
Muqaddar Ka Sikandar	Desh Premi	Ramgarh Ke Sholay
Kasam	Chor Police	Rudaali
Kasme Vaade	Mohan Joshi Haazir Ho!	Jaan Pe Khel Kar
Mr Natwarlal	Utsav	Dil Hi To Hai
Suhaag	Mohabbat	Do Funtoosh.
Yari Dushmani	Amir Admi Gareeb Admi
Yaarana	Chameli Ki Shaadi