OBITUARIES

'Royal Tenenbaums' Star Kumar Pallana Has Passed Away at Age 94

by Ethan Anderton
October 11, 2013
Source: AV Club

Every actor has a discovery story. Sometimes it's crazy, and sometimes it's just about being at the right place at the right time. In the case of Kumar Pallana, the Indian actor who had small but memorable roles in Wes Anderson films like The Royal Tenenbaums, Bottle Rocket, The Darjeeling Limited and Rushmore, he was at a coffee show owned by his son when the quirky filmmaker took notice. Though he didn't become a box office sensation, his participation in Anderson's films got him noticed. But today, we say goodbye to Pallana, as The AV Club has learned that he sadly passed away yesterday at age 94. Read on.

Pallana is perhaps best known as Gene Hackman's sidekick in The Royal Tenenbaums, seen here:

But in addition to his work with Wes Anderson, Pallana had the honor of working with Steven Spielberg in a significant supporting role in The Terminal. Pallana has also been featured in films like Another Earth, Duplex, 10 Items or Less and Romance and Cigarettes. Though Pallana didn't make a breakthrough in acting until 1996, he appeared on "Captain Kangaroo" and "The Mickey Mouse Club" decades ago as Kumar of India, with the special talent of spinning plates (as he does in The Terminal), swordplay, juggling and even some magic. Pallana left his mark on film, and that will be remembered forever. Rest in peace.

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