ACTORS from Nepal

Top 4

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the most legendary Nepalese Actors of all time. This list of famous Nepalese Actors is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity.

1. Manisha Koirala (b. 1970)

With an HPI of 40.71, Manisha Koirala is the most famous Nepalese Actor.  Her biography has been translated into 46 different languages on wikipedia.

Manisha Koirala (pronounced [mʌˈnisa ˈkoirala]; born 16 August 1970) is a Nepalese actress who works in Indian films, predominantly in Hindi and Tamil. Known for her work in both commercial and independent cinema, she is the recipient of several accolades, including three Filmfare Awards and one Filmfare Awards South. In 2001, the Government of Nepal awarded her with the Order of Gorkha Dakshina Bahu. Born to the politically prominent Koirala family, she is the daughter of Prakash Koirala and granddaughter of Bishweshwar Prasad Koirala, former Prime Minister of Nepal. Koirala made her acting debut with the Nepali film Pheri Bhetaula (1989), and went on to feature in the Hindi drama Saudagar (1991). Following a setback, she established herself as a leading actress with the Tamil-language romantic drama Bombay (1995). She had further commercial successes in Agni Sakshi (1996), Indian (1996), Gupt: The Hidden Truth (1997), Kachche Dhaage (1999), Mudhalvan (1999), Company (2002) and Ek Chhotisi Love Story (2002). Koirala also received critical recognition for playing a naive girl in 1942: A Love Story (1994), an ambitious wife in Akele Hum Akele Tum (1995), the daughter of deaf-mute parents in Khamoshi: The Musical (1996), a terrorist in Dil Se.. (1998), a mistreated woman in Lajja (2001), and author Sushmita Banerjee in Escape From Taliban (2003). Post-2003, Koirala began to work with independent film makers in art-house projects and in regional language films. Her performances in the drama Tulsi (2008), the Malayalam psychological drama Elektra (2010), the anthology I Am (2010) and the Tamil romantic comedy Mappillai (2011), were praised. She took a break from acting after being diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2012 and returned five years later with the coming-of-age drama Dear Maya (2017). The following year, she featured in the Netflix production Lust Stories and portrayed Nargis in Sanju. She has since starred in the period drama series Heeramandi (2024). In addition to acting in films, Koirala was appointed as the Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Population Fund in 1999 for India and 2015 for Nepal, and was involved in the relief works after the April 2015 Nepal earthquake. She promotes causes such as women's rights, prevention of violence against women, prevention of human trafficking and cancer awareness, contributing as an author to the novel Healed: an account of her struggle with ovarian cancer.

2. Dichen Lachman (b. 1982)

With an HPI of 39.13, Dichen Lachman is the 2nd most famous Nepalese Actor.  Her biography has been translated into 31 different languages.

Dichen Lachman (; born 22 February 1982) is an Australian actress and model. She earned recognition starring as Katya Kinski in the soap opera Neighbours (2005–2007) and as Sierra in Joss Whedon's science fiction drama series Dollhouse (2009–2010). Lachman went on to portray Suren in the supernatural comedy-drama series Being Human (2012), Tani Tumrenjack in the military action-drama series Last Resort (2012–2013), Jiaying in the superhero drama series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (2014–2020), Reileen Kawahara in the cyberpunk drama series Altered Carbon (2018–2020), Frankie in the crime drama series Animal Kingdom (2018–2021), and Ms. Casey in the thriller series Severance (2022–present). Lachman has appeared in numerous films, such as Aquamarine (2006), Bled (2009), Lust for Love (2014), Too Late (2015), Bad Therapy (2020), Raya and the Last Dragon (2021), and Jurassic World Dominion (2022).

3. Rekha Thapa (b. 1982)

With an HPI of 29.70, Rekha Thapa is the 3rd most famous Nepalese Actor.  Her biography has been translated into 15 different languages.

Rekha Thapa (Nepali: रेखा थापा) is a Nepalese actress and politician. She won the CG Digital Film Awards for Best Actress, and in 2011 she also won the NEFTA Film Awards for Best Actress. Thapa is also well-known for speaking out on social and political issues, particularly women's rights. She is recognized for establishing herself in the Nepali cinema business at a time when every film was solely focused on male leads; as a result, she is frequently referred to as a "female hero" rather than a "heroine" of a film.

4. Amrita Acharia (b. 1987)

With an HPI of 28.13, Amrita Acharia is the 4th most famous Nepalese Actor.  Her biography has been translated into 24 different languages.

Amrita Acharia (Nepali: अमृता आचार्या, also spelled Acharya) is a British actress of Nepalese–Ukrainian origins. She is best known for her roles as Irri in the HBO series Game of Thrones and as Dr. Ruby Walker in the ITV series The Good Karma Hospital.