Thomas Beach Alter (22 June 1950 – 29 September 2017) was an Indian actor of American descent who worked in Indian cinema. He was best known for his works in Hindi cinema, and Indian theatre. In 2008, he was awarded the Padma Shri by the Government of India.
Early life Born in Mussoorie in present-day Uttarakhand, Alter was the son of American Presbyterian missionaries of English, Scottish and Swiss German ancestry and lived for years in Mumbai and the Himalayan hill station of Landour. His grandparents migrated to Madras, India from Ohio, U.S., in November 1916. From there, they moved to and settled in Lahore, in present-day Pakistan. His father was born in Sialkot. After the Partition of India, Alter's family split into two; his grandparents chose to stay in Pakistan while his parents moved to India. After living in Allahabad, Jabalpur and Saharanpur, in 1954 they finally settled in Rajpur, Uttarakhand, then a small town located between Dehradun and Mussoorie; Rajpur is now considered a suburb of Dehradun. Alter's siblings are older sister Martha Chen, who teaches at Harvard University and brother John, a poet. Author Stephen Alter is a first cousin.
As a child, Alter studied Hindi among other subjects in Mussoorie's Woodstock School. At 18, Alter left for the U.S. for higher education and studied at Yale University for a year before returning to India upon losing interest in studies. The following year, he obtained work as a teacher at St. Thomas School, Jagadhri, in Haryana. He worked there for six months, simultaneously coaching his students in cricket. Over the next two and a half years, Alter worked several jobs, teaching for a while at Woodstock School, Mussoorie, and working at a hospital in the U.S., and returning to India before continuing to work at Jagadhri. At Jagadhri, he began to watch Hindi films. It was during this time that he saw the Hindi film Aradhana, which proved to be a turning point in his career and drifted towards a career in acting, inspired by the lead actor Rajesh Khanna. He headed to Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) in Pune, where he studied acting from 1972 to 1974 under Roshan Taneja.
Career Film After graduating from FTII, Alter headed straight to Mumbai (formerly known as Bombay) and soon got his first break in the Dev Anand starrer Saheb Bahadur (1977), directed by Chetan Anand. However, his first release was Ramanand Sagar's Charas. This was followed by roles in Des Pardes, Ram Bharose, Hum Kisise Kum Nahin and Parvarish. He dubbed for actor Jeevan for the innocent person of the twin roles played by Jeevan in the film Amar Akbar Anthony.
Alter was fluent in Hindi and Urdu, and was knowledgeable about Indian culture. He could also read Urdu and was fond of Shayari. He worked for noted filmmakers like Satyajit Ray in Shatranj Ke Khilari and is remembered for his role as a British officer in Kranti. He got the opportunity to act with his idol Rajesh Khanna in the film Naukri, directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee in 1978 and later in Chetan Anand's Kudrat. In Sardar, the 1993 film biography of Indian leader Sardar Patel, which focused on the events surrounding the partition and independence of India, Alter portrayed Lord Mountbatten of Burma. He also acted in the Hollywood movie One Night with the King with Peter O'Toole.
In 1996 he appeared in the Assamese film Adajya, and in 2007 acted in William Dalrymple's City of Djinns alongside Zohra Sehgal and Manish Joshi Bismil. He also appeared in the solo play Maulana and the film Ocean of An Old Man.
Alter played the role of a doctor in Bheja Fry, a comedy movie starring Rajat Kapoor.
In April 2011 he acted in a short film Yours, Maria directed by Chirag Vadgama, playing the lead role of Matthew Chacha in the movie.
Alter lent his voice for the authorized audio autobiography of Dr. Verghese Kurien, titled The Man Who Made The Elephant Dance, which was released in 2012.
Some of his most famous movie roles have been as Musa in Vidhu Vinod Chopra's acclaimed crime drama Parinda, Mahesh Bhatt's blockbuster romance Aashiqui, and Ketan Mehta's Sardar, in which Alter essayed the role of Lord Mountbatten.
His last film was Hamari Paltan (2018).
Television Alter appeared in many Indian television series, including Samvidhaan. In Zabaan Sambhalke he played the role of a British writer, Charles Spencers, who lives in India and wants to learn the Hindi language. He acted in the TV series Khamosh Sa Afsana (as a Husain Baba), telecast on Doordarshan in 2014–15. In November 2014, he played Sahir Ludhianvi in a stage production based on the life and work of the famous Urdu poet and film lyricist. He also played a schoolteacher in Yahan Ke Hum Sikandar. Alter has worked as the red robe guru in Mukesh Khanna's TV production Shaktimaan (1998–2002). Also, he appeared in Contiloe & Cinevistaas show Ssshhhh...Koi Hai in 2002–03. He played Indian characters in Indian television series, such as the long-running Junoon, in which he was the sadistic mob lord Keshav Kalsi. He anchored "Adabi Cocktail" in 2000 telecast on Urdu Television Network and interviewed Johny Walker, Naushad, TunTun, Hasan Kamaal, Adnan Sami, Jagdeep, Naqsh layalpuri and many more.
Theatre In 1978, he, Naseeruddin Shah, and Benjamin Gilani formed a theatre group called Motley Productions. Their first play was Samuel Beckett's play Waiting for Godot, which was staged at Prithvi Theatre, Bombay, on 29 July 1979. He went on to appear in many other plays at the theatre, including an adaptation of Vaikom Muhammad Basheer's My Grandad Had an Elephant which was performed on 7 June 2011. He has also worked with the New Delhi theatre group Pierrot's Troupe.
In the early 2000s, he played the Indian independence activist Maulana Azad in a one-man Urdu-language play.
In Ghalib In Delhi, he played the role of Urdu poet Mirza Ghalib.
He was the lead actor in "Once Upon A Time", a collection of five short stories presented as vignettes, directed by Sujata Soni Bali and co-starring prominent stage actor and TV personality Sunit Tandon. The production was last staged in Mumbai on 17 June 2017.
Writing and journalism Alter has written books including The Longest Race, Rerun at Rialto, and The Best in the World. He was also a sports journalist with a special interest in cricket, a game on which he has written extensively in publications such as Sportsweek, Outlook, Cricket Talk, Sunday Observer, Firstpost, Citizen, and Debonair. Alter was the first to video interview Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar in 1988.
Alter played cricket for a film industry team MCC (Match Cut Club), which includes Naseeruddin Shah, Satish Shah, Vishal Bhardwaj, Aamir Khan, Nana Patekar, Bhupinder Singh and Amarinder Sangha.
In 1996, he was invited by friend Siraj Syed to Singapore, to do cricket commentary in Hindi, for Indian viewers, on the sports TV channel, ESPN.
Personal life Alter married Carol Evans, a fellow Woodstock School student, in 1977. They had two children together.
Death In September 2017, Alter was diagnosed with stage IV skin cancer (squamous cell carcinoma). His thumb had been amputated a year earlier because of the condition. He died on 29 September at his residence in Mumbai.
Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes1975Mrig TrishnaColonel Lawrence1976CharasChief Custom OfficerLaila Majnu1977Shatranj Ke KhilariCapt. WestonHum Kisise Kum NaheenJackParvarishMr. Jackson, Supremo's 2nd in CommandSaheb BahadurRam BharoseTomKanneshwara RamaBritish Superintendent of policeKannada filmChani Marathi film1978AtyachaarNaukriMr. AndersonDes PardesInspector MartinKaala Aadmi1979Chamelee MemsaabJunoonPriestHum Tere Aashiq HainBritish Police CommissionerSalaam MemsaabJohn1980Bharat Ki SantanConstans1981KrantiBritish OfficerKudratMajor Thomas Walters1982Meri KahaniBrij BhoomiGuestBrajbhasha filmGandhiDoctor at Aga Khan PalaceEnglish filmVidhaataDavidSwami DadaBob SimpsonJaanwar1983The Last TigerNastikMr. JohnArpanTomJaani DostCobra's GoonRomancePriestGulami Ki Zaanjeerein1984ShararaBad Aur BadnamPresident of ringaniaUncredited1985Ram Teri Ganga MailiKaram Singh (Ganga's Brother)Bond 303Tom1986Manav HatyaShartAlterAmmaBritish OfficerSultanatShahKarmaRexson Chambal Ka BadshahAvinashTomPalay KhanCar ThiefJohnOn Wings of FirePriestEnglish film1987Mr. XJalwaVoice of wrestlerWoh Din AayegaSomnath1988EtwaCommandoHatcherRukhsatNew York Police Capt. MorriKhoon Bhari MaangPlastic SurgeonCameo appearanceJanam JanamDFOSone Pe SuhaagaDr. RexOre Thooval Pakshikal1989ShagunVardiTomSalim Langde Pe Mat Ro Johan - (Jani Hippi)DaataPatTridevDunhillBye Bye BluesGilbert WilsonParindaMusaSwarn Trisha1990AashiquiArnie CampbellDoodh Ka KarzFrankZimmedaaarMercusAtishbaz1991FarishtayGuest AppearanceDeshwasiPahari KanyaDoctorAssamese language filmJab Pyar Kiya to Darna Kya1992SuryavanshiTomTahalkaDong's army captainAngaarPublic prosecutorUncreditedJunoonHarry1993Kala CoatAlexanderGumrahInsp. Phillip1994SardarLord MountbattenInsaniyatBritish IntelligenceGajamuktaEkka Raja RaniMr. RaiUncredited1995Jai VikraantaOh Darling! Yeh Hai India!BidderMilanFather Demello1996Kala PaniAdajyaMark SahibUncreditedAssamese language film1997Divine LoversDr. Taubman1998Hanuman Tom's Father1999Kabhi Paas Kabhi Fail2000Driving Miss PalmenGeorg BaselitzShaheed Uddham Singh: alias Ram Mohammad Singh AzadBrig. Gen. Reginald Edward Harry DyerChampionDoctor2001Veer SavarkarDavid BarryOn Wings of Fire2002What Happened Then... !!!Allen McGirvanDil Vil Pyar VyarSpecial AppearanceBharat Bhagya VidhataMohammed Jalaudin Ghaznavi2003Love at Times SquareMr. GeryDhund: The FogUncle TomA.O.D.Sanjeev SarkarHawayeinStephenYeh Hai Chakkad Bakkad Bumbe Bo2004AetbaarDr. FreddieAsambhavBrianVeer-ZaaraDoctor YusufSilence Please... The Dressing RoomCricket coach Ivan RodriguesEnglish filmMitter Pyare Nu Haal Mureedan Da KehnaGhosht KhanGhar GrihastiDrug smugglerLoknayakAbul Kalam Azad2005Subash Chandra BoseGovernor JacksonViruddh... Family Comes FirstAnderson (British Consultate)The Rising: Ballad of Mangal PandeyWatsonThe HangmanFather Mathew2006Hot MoneyAlag: He Is Different.... He Is Alone....Dr. Richard DyerOne Night with the KingKing Saul (prologue)English film2007FotoI M IN LOVEChurch fatherBheja FryDr. ShepherdKailashey KelenkariSol SilversteinBengali film2008Ocean of an Old ManThomas - Teacher English filmColours of Passion Rang RasiyaJustice Richards2009AvatarAdditional Na'vi peopleBritish-Australian-American film2010MuigwithaniaMajor DavidEnglish filmJaanlevaMr. Malhotra2011With Love, Delhi!AjayYours MariaMatthew ChachaShort filmCycle KickFootball CoachSon of FlowerMajor James EdwardsEnglish filmWith Love, Delhi!Historian (Kidnapper)English film2012Jhansi Ki Rani LaxmibaiCheekhaAdeyapartha RajanLife Ki Toh Lag GayiChichaKevi Rite JaishUncle Sam / Derek ThomasGujarati filmSon of FlowerMajor James EdwardsJaanleva Black Blood2013Divana-e-IshqThe Corner TableGeorge MillerEnglish short film2014Daptar - The School BagMagic UncleMarathi filmMyth of KleopatraAdeyapartha RajanHindi / English filmM CreamMr. BhardawajEnglish / Hindi filmBhaangarh2015Bachpan Ek DhokhaHonour KillingMr. Smith Promise DadRaulBangistanThe ImamThe Path of ZarathustraMamwaji2016AnuragakarikkinvellamAbhi's BossMalayalam filmLife Flows OnTomEnglish film2017SargoshiyanAlan Alter2016 The End 2018RedrumEric FernandezPosthumouslyThe Black CatEnglish film; PosthumouslySan' 75 PachattarMarathi film; PosthumouslyHamari PaltanMasterji PosthumouslyNanak Shah Fakir2019KITAAB Short filmJohnFilm film
TV series