The Most Famous

ACTORS from Nepal

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This page contains a list of the greatest Nepalese Actors. The pantheon dataset contains 13,578 Actors, 4 of which were born in Nepal. This makes Nepal the birth place of the 84th most number of Actors behind Trinidad and Tobago, and Kenya.

Top 8

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.

Photo of Manisha Koirala

1. Manisha Koirala (b. 1970)

With an HPI of 48.00, Manisha Koirala is the most famous Nepalese Actor.  Her biography has been translated into 47 different languages on wikipedia.

Manisha Koirala (pronounced [mʌnisa koirala]; born 16 August 1970) is a Nepalese actress who works in Indian films, predominantly in Hindi. Born to the politically prominent Koirala family, she is the daughter of Prakash Koirala and the granddaughter of Bishweshwar Prasad Koirala. One of the most popular and highest-paid actresses of her time, she is the recipient of several accolades, including three Filmfare Awards, one Filmfare Awards South and one Filmfare OTT Awards . In 2001, the Government of Nepal awarded her with the Order of Gorkha Dakshina Bahu. Koirala made her acting debut with the Nepali film Pheri Bhetaula (1989), and later debuted in Indian cinema with the Hindi drama Saudagar (1991). Following a brief setback, she established herself with commercial successes in both Bollywood and Kollywood films, including Bombay (1995), Agni Sakshi (1996), Indian (1996), Gupt: The Hidden Truth (1997), Kachche Dhaage (1999), Mudhalvan (1999) and Company (2002). She 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) and a mistreated woman in Lajja (2001). Over the course of the next decade, she garnered praise for her performances in several unconventional and art-house films, such as the survival drama Escape From Taliban (2003), the Malayalam psychological drama Elektra (2010), and the anthology film I Am (2010). In 2012, Koirala took a break from acting after being diagnosed with last stage ovarian cancer and underwent an year-long treatment, making a successful recovery by mid-2014. She returned with the coming-of-age drama Dear Maya (2017), followed by her portrayal of actress Nargis in Sanju (2018). The same year Koirala featured in the Netflix production Lust Stories. She has since starred in the period drama series Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar (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 also contributed as an author to the novel Healed: How Cancer Gave Me a New Life; which is an account of her struggle with ovarian cancer. Koirala is frequently cited as one of the most beautiful actresses of her times.

Photo of Dichen Lachman

2. Dichen Lachman (b. 1982)

With an HPI of 47.98, Dichen Lachman is the 2nd most famous Nepalese Actor.  Her biography has been translated into 32 different languages.

Dichen Lachman ( DEE-chən LAK-mən;) (born February 22, 1982) is an Australian and Tibetan actress and model. She is best known for her roles as Katya Kinski in the soap opera Neighbours (2005–2007), Sierra in Joss Whedon's science fiction drama series Dollhouse (2009–2010), and Ms. Casey in Severance (2022–present). Lachman has starred in numerous television series, including Being Human (2012), Last Resort (2012–2013), Altered Carbon (2018–2020), and starred as Jiaying in the superhero drama series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (2014–2020). Lachman has also appeared in numerous films, including Lust for Love (2014), Too Late (2015), Bad Therapy (2020), and Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (2024). She also portrayed Soyona Santos in the Jurassic Park film Jurassic World Dominion (2022) and animated series Jurassic World: Chaos Theory (2024–2025).

Photo of Rajesh Hamal

3. Rajesh Hamal (b. 1964)

With an HPI of 40.00, Rajesh Hamal is the 3rd most famous Nepalese Actor.  His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.

Rajesh Hamal (Nepali: राजेश हमाल [raˈdzes ɦʌˈmal] ; born 9 June 1964) is a Nepalese film actor and television presenter. He is widely considered as the greatest actor in Nepali cinema and is often referred to by fans and media as "Maha Nayak" (Nepali for "The Great Actor"). Hamal began his acting career in 1991, peaking in the 1990s and early 2000s. He has set several box office records in Nepali cinema, including the most commercially successful films as a lead actor, the most consecutive hits, and the most acting awards. He has acted in more than 300 film in his lifetime. His position in the Nepali film industry has been likened to that of Amitabh Bachan's position in the Hindi film industry. In 2025, Daily News and Analysis described him as the "biggest and richest star of the Nepali film industry," who is "not only the face of the Nepali film industry, but is also a cultural icon." Hamal made his acting debut in his uncle Deepak Rayamajhi's film Yug Dekhi Yug Samma (1991), which gained him national recognition. His performance in the 1992 film Deuta further established him in the industry. He has also hosted the Nepali adaptation of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, titled Ko Bancha Crorepati, in 2019.

Photo of Amrita Acharia

4. Amrita Acharia (b. 1987)

With an HPI of 38.57, Amrita Acharia is the 4th most famous Nepalese Actor.  Her biography has been translated into 25 different languages.

Amrita Acharia (Nepali: अमृता आचार्य, 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.

Photo of Rekha Thapa

5. Rekha Thapa (b. 1982)

With an HPI of 35.21, Rekha Thapa is the 5th most famous Nepalese Actor.  Her biography has been translated into 17 different languages.

Rekha Thapa (Nepali: रेखा थापा) (born 21 August 1982) is a Nepalese renowned actress, politician, filmmaker, and social activist, celebrated for her significant contributions to the Nepali film industry and her unwavering advocacy for women's empowerment. Over her two-decade-long career, she has appeared in over 200 films, many of which spotlight strong female protagonists and address pressing social issues. She won the CG Digital Film Awards for Best Actress, and in 2011 she also won the NEFTA Film Awards for Best Actress. Among her accolades are two National Film Awards for Best Actress: in 2006 for Himmat and in 2010 for Bato Muni Ko Phool, recognizing her impactful performances and contribution to Nepali cinema. 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.

Photo of Priyanka Karki

6. Priyanka Karki (b. 1984)

With an HPI of 29.89, Priyanka Karki is the 6th most famous Nepalese Actor.  Her biography has been translated into 19 different languages.

Priyanka Karki DS Joshi is a Nepali film actress, model, director, writer and the winner of the Miss Teen Nepal 2005 pageant.

Photo of Keki Adhikari

7. Keki Adhikari (b. 1986)

With an HPI of 26.67, Keki Adhikari is the 7th most famous Nepalese Actor.  Her biography has been translated into 15 different languages.

Keki Adhikari (Nepali: केकी अधिकारी; born 17 December 1989) is a Nepalese film actress. She has appeared in music videos, television commercials, print ads and Nepali movies. She started off her career featuring in music videos before she made her acting debut with Swor opposite Raj Ballav Koirala. She subsequently earned wide recognition for her performances in I Am Sorry, Masan, Mayako Barima, Mahasus, Biteka Pal and Mero Best Friend. She recently made her debut in theater with historical play Chaarumati.

Photo of Namrata Shrestha

8. Namrata Shrestha (b. 1986)

With an HPI of 26.31, Namrata Shrestha is the 8th most famous Nepalese Actor.  Her biography has been translated into 15 different languages.

Namrata Shrestha is a Nepalese actress and model. Since debuting in Alok Nembang's Sano Sansar in 2008, Shrestha has gone on to appear in a number of commercial Nepali-language films as a sought-after model and actor.

People

Pantheon has 8 people classified as Nepalese actors born between 1964 and 1987. Of these 8, 8 (100.00%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living Nepalese actors include Manisha Koirala, Dichen Lachman, and Rajesh Hamal. As of April 2024, 4 new Nepalese actors have been added to Pantheon including Rajesh Hamal, Priyanka Karki, and Keki Adhikari.

Living Nepalese Actors

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Newly Added Nepalese Actors (2025)

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