Kumud Mishra is an Indian actor, predominantly active in the Hindi film industry. His father, a soldier in the Indian Army, led Mishra to attend the Rashtriya Military School in Belgaum, Karnataka. After completing his education, he moved to Bhopal for his Bachelor of Arts degree.
Mishra's passion for the performing arts was inspired by school plays directed by his teachers, Pathare and Janardhan. This passion drove him to become a member of the Bharat Bhavan Cultural Centre in Bhopal, where he performed on stage with notable actors such as Sachin Tiwari, John Martin, Alakh Nandan, Bansi Kaul, and Satyabrata Rout.
Mishra's education continued at the National School of Drama in Delhi, where he earned his diploma in acting. In 1995, he made his television debut on Swabhimaan, broadcasted on the DD National channel. His first movie, Sardari Begum, marked the beginning of his career in cinema.
Mishra's breakthrough role came when he played Captain Kabir in the war action movie 1971, which won the National Film Awards for Best Feature Film in Hindi. He gained recognition for his performance in the sports drama Patiala House, where he played a junior version of Rishi Kapoor's role.
Mishra's career flourished with his performances in award-winning films such as Rockstar, Filmistaan, Raanjhanaa, Rustom, Airlift, Sultan, Jolly LLB 2, and Sooryavanshi. He won the IBNLive Movie Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Negative Role for his portrayal of Mehmood in Filmistaan.
In 2019, Mishra starred in the critically-acclaimed crime film Article 15, opposite Ayushmann Khurrana. For his role as Kisan Jatav, Mishra received two nominations for Best Supporting Actor. The next year, he starred in Thappad alongside Ratna Pathak Shah, where they played the lead character's parents.
Mishra was nominated three times for the Best Supporting Actor category for his role in Thappad. He played the titular role in the drama film Ram Singh Charlie, which earned him a nomination at the FOI Online Awards in 2021 for Best Actor in a Leading Role.
Mishra joined the cast of Netflix's spy action movie Mission Majnu, marking his debut in the OTT platform. He previously appeared in the Amazon Prime Video series Tandav.
Despite a late start to his Bollywood career, Mishra has been a prominent presence on stage for almost 20 years at Prithvi Theatre. In 2013, he co-founded the theatrical group 'D for Drama' with two other members. His group produced the play Dhumrapaan, which was chosen for the 2017 META Awards.
