[2] He starred in over 300 films, predominantly in Telugu cinema, and was referred to as "Viswa Vikhyatha Nata Sarvabhouma" (transl.

[6] In 1968, The Government of India honoured him with Padma Shri, the fourth-highest civilian award, for his contributions to Indian cinema.

[9][11] Rama Rao made his debut as an actor in a Telugu social film Mana Desam, directed by L. V. Prasad in 1949.

He gained popularity in the 1960s when he became well known for his portrayals of Hindu deities, especially Krishna, Shiva and Rama,[4] roles which have made him a "messiah of the masses" and a prominent figure in the history of cinema.

[23] He founded the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) in 1982 and served three tumultuous terms as Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh between 1983 and 1995.

He was known as an advocate of Andhra Pradesh's distinct cultural identity, distinguishing it from the erstwhile Madras State with which it was often associated.

[25] He was first educated by a teacher who came from a nearby village, whom he would attribute his command of Telugu to, as well as his father, an aspiring thespian and patron of the arts.

Although children were normally pulled out of school after completing their primary education, on account of being the first male child in the family, his father sent him to Vijayawada, where he continued his education, matriculating in 1940 before studying at SRR & CVR College and completed a bachelor's degree from Andhra Christian College in Guntur.

[4] In May 1943, at the age of 20, while still pursuing his Intermediate, Rao married Basava Rama Tarakam, the daughter of his maternal uncle.

[33][34] NTR's eldest son, Nandamuri Ramakrishna Sr., died in 1962, soon after Rao completed shooting of the film Irugu Porugu.

[38] His fourth son, Nandamuri Harikrishna, who died in a car accident on 29 August 2018, was a child actor-turned-politician elected to the Rajya Sabha, representing the TDP.

NTR's second daughter, Daggubati Purandeswari, is a politician, who has represented the Indian National Congress in the Lok Sabha and served as a Union Minister.

[43][44] NTR's fourth and youngest daughter, Uma Maheswari, was found dead at her home in Hyderabad's Jubilee Hills on 1 August 2022.

Rama Rao started his film career with a walk-on role as a policeman in Mana Desam (1949).

He was also known for his portrayal of the god Rama, essaying that role in films such as Lava Kusa (1963) and Sri Ramanjaneya Yuddham (1974) to name a few.

At the age of 40, he learnt dance from the Kuchipudi dancer Vempati Chinna Satyam for his role in the film Nartanasala (1963).

He said that this decision was based on a historic need to rid Andhra Pradesh of the corrupt and inept rule of the Indian National Congress, which had governed the state since its formation in 1956.

[50] In the elections, the TDP allied with the Sanjaya Vichara Manch party and decided to field educated candidates who had a good name in the society[citation needed] and were not indulging in corruption, which was an innovative political concept at the time.

With his son Nandamuri Harikrishna, also a film actor, driving the van, Rao notched up over 75,000 kilometers during his campaign, a distinctive sight with the van's yellow party flags and banners and Rao sitting on top of the vehicle hailing the crowds.

During the one-month crisis, the MLAs supporting Rama Rao were secured in a secret place to avoid horse-trading.

Also, due to mobilization of several political parties and the people and due to press, the Prime Minister Indira Gandhi unwillingly removed Governor Ramlal and appointed a Congress veteran, Shankar Dayal Sharma, as the governor of Andhra Pradesh to pave the way for restoring Rao.

In the ensuing national elections to the Lok Sabha, the Congress, riding on the sympathy wave caused by Gandhi's assassination, won convincingly all over the country except in Andhra Pradesh where the TDP secured a landslide victory.

The TDP again won with a massive majority in those elections, with Rao winning from 3 seats: Hindupur,[60] Nalgonda[61] and Gudivada,[62] thus marking the beginning of his second term as Chief Minister.

[citation needed] Rao returned to power for a third and final time in the December 1994 state assembly elections with his party in alliance with the Left Front.

Rao contested again from Hindupur and won the seat for the third consecutive time,[60] achieving a rare hat-trick of wins from the same assembly constituency.

[65] The internal rebellion was triggered by the controversial role of Lakshmi Parvathi, NTR's second wife, in the party and the government.

His second wife, Lakshmi Parvathi led NTR Telugu Desam Party which was eventually closed and joined INC, later YSRCP.