Robert John Christo, was an Australian-Indian civil engineer and actor in Hindi films. Starting with Sanjay Khan's Abdullah (1980), he went on to act in over 200 Hindi films in the 1980s and 1990s, including Qurbani (1980), Kaalia (1981), Nastik (1983), Mard (1985), Mr India (1987), Roop Ki Rani Choron Ka Raja (1993) and Gumraah (1993), mostly playing roles as a non Indian henchman or Army General. Career Born in Sydney, Christo was a qualified Civil Engineer of Greek and German descent. He had two brothers, Helmut and Mike. Known for his brawny physique and bald-headed look, Bob arrived in Bombay, India whilst awaiting a work permit to Muscat, Oman. It was in Mumbai that he was introduced to Bollywood actress Parveen Babi, who helped him transition into Hindi films. He received his first break when he constructed the jungle palace for Francis Ford Coppola in "Apocalypse Now". And later as a villain in the Hindi movie Abdullah in 1980. Christo decided to stay in India and appeared in over 200 movies in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada, playing a recurring typecast villain. Sanjay Khan discovered him and gave him his first break in his movie Abdullah as the villain, and also after many years, Sanjay Khan gave him a break in his first ever television serial, The Great Maratha, where he played the iconic character of Ahmed Shah Abdali. During the later stages of his life, he relocated to Bangalore in early 2000, where he started working as a Yoga instructor and remained disconnected from the Hindi movie industry since 2003. Death The 72-year-old actor died of "rupture of left ventricle valve" in Bangalore on 20 March 2011. He is survived by his wife Nargis and two sons, Darius and Sunil. He has two daughters, Monique and Nicole from a previous marriage. Filmography Film Television Works Flashback: My Life and Times in Bollywood and Beyond, by Bob Christo. Penguin India, 2011. . See also List of Indian film actors References External links 1938 births 20th-century Indian male actors 21st-century Indian male actors 2011 deaths Australian civil engineers Australian emigrants to India Australian expatriates in Germany Australian expatriates in Austria Australian male film actors Indian autobiographers Indian male film actors Indian people of German descent Indian people of Greek descent Male actors from Bangalore Male actors from Sydney Male actors in Hindi cinema Male actors in Hindi television Male