Pankaj Dheer was a Hindi film and television actor and director who is best remembered for playing the role of Karna in B.R. Chopra’s television series ‘Mahabharat’. He marked his acting debut in Harmesh Malhotra’s ‘Poonam’ (1981) and later played the lead role in films such as ‘Bekhabar’ and ‘Meraa Suhaag’. He later shifted to playing supporting roles in several films, including ‘Sanam Bewafa’, ‘Saugandh’, ‘Sadak’, ‘Ashaant’, ‘Qahar’, ‘Soldier’, ‘Andaaz’, ‘Zameen’, ‘Taarzan – The Wonder Car’, and ‘Baadshah’. He also directed films titled ‘My Father Godfather’ and ‘Bombay Fantasy’. Besides acting in ‘Mahabharat’, he also appeared in TV shows like ‘Chandrakanta’ and ‘Sasural Simar Ka’. He died on 15 October 2025 at the age of 68 after battling cancer.