VOA慢速英语--印度著名演员迪利普·库马尔逝世,享年98岁

Famous Indian Actor Dilip Kumar Dies at 98

Dilip Kumar, one of Bollywood's most famous actors has died. The Indian actor died Wednesday in a hospital in Mumbai after a long illness. He was 98.

Kumar was known as the "Tragedy King." He played many serious roles. In several movies, the characters he played died as a heartbroken lover or from too much alcohol.

He was known as Bollywood's only Method actor. Method acting¹ is a way of performing in which actors closely identify with the characters they play. Many of Kumar's performances were very emotional.

Kumar was hospitalized two times last month with trouble breathing. His family announced his death in a tweet "with a heavy heart."

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a tweet, "Dilip Kumar will be remembered as a cinematic legend." His death is "a loss to our cultural world."

Amitabh Bachchan is another Bollywood star. He tweeted: "Whenever the history of Indian Cinema will be written, it shall always be ‘before Dilip Kumar, and after Dilip Kumar.

Kumar was given a state funeral. His body was covered by the Indian flag. He was buried in a Muslim cemetery² in Mumbai.

Kumar was born Muhammad Yusuf Khan, a Muslim, on December 11, 1922. His family is from Peshawar, in what later became Pakistan when the country split.

Kumar was very popular in Pakistan. In 1998, he was awarded Pakistan's highest civilian³ honor. He is the only Indian citizen to receive it.

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan said he was saddened to learn of Kumar's death. "For my generation, Dilip Kumar was the greatest and most versatile⁴ actor," he tweeted.

He changed his name as he began his work in Bollywood, the Hindi-language film industry centered in Mumbai. His first film was Jwar Bhata, or Sea Tides, in 1944.

Kumar's career lasted more than 60 years with over 60 films. His first major hits were Jugnu, or Firefly, in 1947 and the 1948 film Shaheed, or Martyr⁵.

He played many different characters over the years. But his role as a Muslim prince in the historical film Mughal-e-Azam gained him worldwide fame.

The popular movie Aan in 1952 was his first film in color. It was also the first of many lighter⁶ roles, as he tried to change his "Tragedy King" image.

He starred in many social drama films like Footpath⁷, New Era, Traveller, and Message in the 1950s. His last film was Fort in 1998.

Indian media reports say he turned down the part of Sherif Ali in David Lean's Lawrence of Arabia in 1962. That part went instead to Egyptian actor Omar Sharif.

In 1994, he was given the highest honor for Indian cinema. He also served in the upper house of Indian Parliament after being nominated for a six-year term.

Kumar is survived by his wife, the actor Saira Banu.

Words in This Story

tragedy— n. a bad event that causes great sadness and often involves someone's death

role –n. the part an actor plays in a performance

character –n. a person who appears in a book, play, movie, or show

cinematic — adj. of or relating to movies

cemetery — n. a place where dead people are buried

era — n. a period of time that is associated with a particular quality, event, person, etc.

versatile — adj. able to do many different things

career –n. a job or profession that someone has for a long time

1 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

2 cemetery   

n.坟墓，墓地，坟场

参考例句：

• He was buried in the cemetery.他被葬在公墓。
• His remains were interred in the cemetery.他的遗体葬在墓地。

3 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

4 versatile   

adj.通用的，万用的；多才多艺的，多方面的

参考例句：

• A versatile person is often good at a number of different things.多才多艺的人通常擅长许多种不同的事情。
• He had been one of the game's most versatile athletes.他是这项运动中技术最全面的运动员之一。

5 martyr   

n.烈士，殉难者；vt.杀害，折磨，牺牲

参考例句：

• The martyr laid down his life for the cause of national independence.这位烈士是为了民族独立的事业而献身的。
• The newspaper carried the martyr's photo framed in black.报上登载了框有黑边的烈士遗像。

6 lighter   

n.打火机，点火器；驳船；v.用驳船运送；light的比较级

参考例句：

• The portrait was touched up so as to make it lighter.这张画经过润色，色调明朗了一些。
• The lighter works off the car battery.引燃器利用汽车蓄电池打火。

7 footpath   

n.小路，人行道

参考例句：

• Owners who allow their dogs to foul the footpath will be fined.主人若放任狗弄脏人行道将受处罚。
• They rambled on the footpath in the woods.他俩漫步在林间蹊径上。