Not Deepika Padukone, Alia Bhatt, Priyanka Chopra or Aishwarya Rai Bachchan but this Miss India winner was the first Indian actress to succeed in Hollywood.
Over the years, many Bollywood actresses have made their mark in the West. Alia Bhatt is all set to make her Hollywood debut but if you ask someone who was the first Indian actress to succeed in Hollywood, they would probably name Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. However, the first Indian actress who made a mark in Hollywood was in the 1960s.
Persis Khambatta early life
After her father left her and her family when she was two years old, this actress went on to become Miss India and later made a mark in Hollywood as well. Born in Bombay to a middle-class Parsi family, Persis Khambatta gained fame when her photos taken by a Bombay photographer were used for a successful campaign for a soap brand. These photos were taken casually but led her path toward becoming a model.
Persis not only participated but also won the title of Femina Miss India in 1965 and was the third Indian to participate in Miss Universe. She went on to become a model for companies like Air India, Revlon, and Garden Vareli.
Persis Khambatta's journey to Hollywood
Persis made her Bollywood debut with filmmaker K. A. Abbas’s Bambaai Raat Ki Bahon Mein in 1968. She then head towards making her career in Hollywood and started with doing small roles in movies like Conduct Unbecoming and The Wilby Conspiracy in 1975.
The actress then starred in the Hollywood movie Star Trek for which she is most popular. She played the role of Lieutenant Ilia in the movie and even shaved her head for the role. She garnered immense praise for her role in the movie.
Persis was the first Indian citizen to present an Academy Award in 1980. Some of her other Hollywood movies include Nighthawks, Megaforce, Warrior of the Lost World, and She-Wolves of the Wasteland.
After suffering from a car crash in West Germany, Persis came back to India in 1985 and starred in Bollywood film Shingora opposite Aditya Pancholi and Marc Zuber in 1986. Her last acting appearance was in the 1993 pilot episode of Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman.
The actress also wrote a coffee table book, Pride of India which featured several Miss India winners and was dedicated to Mother Teresa.
Persis personal life
Persis was married to actor Cliff Taylor but later, in 1989, she married Rui Saldanha, a former field hockey player who represented Great Britain at the 1972 Summer Olympics.
In 1998, the actress died after suffering from a massive heart attack and breathed her last on August 18. Her funeral took place in Mumbai the next day.
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