Laxmikant Berde (26 October 1954 – 16 December 2004) was an Indian Marathi language film actor who appeared in several Marathi and Hindi movies. He was known for his highly energetic slapstick performances. Berde started his career as an employee in the production company Marathi Sahitya Sangh and then played supporting roles in a few Marathi stage plays. In 1983–84, he first became famous with the Marathi play Tur Tur. Apart from Marathi movies, his comedy stage plays like Shantecha Karta Chalu Aahe and Bighadale Swargache Dwaar were also successful. Berde acted in many Bollywood films and received four Nominations for Filmfare Award for Best Performance in a Comic Role. He acted in around 185 Hindi and Marathi films. Early life Berde was born on 26 October 1954 in Bombay (Mumbai). He had five older siblings and would sell lottery tickets as a child to append to the family income. His participation in stage dramas during the cultural activities for Ganesh festival celebrations performed at Girgaon got him interested in acting. He won awards for participation in inter-school and inter-college drama competitions. Following this, Berde started working at the Mumbai Marathi Sahitya Sangh. Career While working as an employee in the Marathi Sahitya Sangh, Berde started acting in small roles in Marathi stage plays. In 1983–84, he acquired his first major role in Purshottam Berde's Marathi stage play Tur Tur which became a hit and Berde's style of comedy was appreciated. Berde made his movie debut with the 1984 Marathi movie Lek Chalali Sasarla. Subsequently, he and actor Mahesh Kothare starred together in films Dhoom Dhadaka (1984) and De Danadan (1987). Both these movies became famous and helped Berde establish his trademark comedy style. In most movies, he starred either alongside Kothare or with actor Ashok Saraf. The Berde-Saraf pair is recognized to be a successful lead actor pairing in Indian cinema. Berde, along with Ashok Saraf, Sachin Pilgaonkar and Mahesh Kothare formed a successful quartet in Marathi films after acting together in the 1989 Marathi film Ashi Hi Banwa Banwi. That decade will be best remembered by the Marathi film industry as the "Ashok-Lakshya" era. Both actors remained best friends until Berde died. In most movies, Berde was paired with actress and his future wife Priya Arun. Berde's first Hindi film was Sooraj Barjatya's Maine Pyar Kiya starring Salman Khan in 1989. Some of his other popular Hindi films