S Sathyendra

S. Sathyendra (6 June 1960 - 28 May 2026) was an Indian actor known primarily for his supporting and minor roles in Tamil and Kannada films, as well as his later work as a viral film critic.

Born into a Telugu family in Karnataka, he was highly educated with two postgraduate degrees in Kannada literature and Philosophy, a B.A. in Drama, and diplomas in French and German, along with working knowledge of Italian and Spanish.

He began his career in theatre, playing character roles in college plays and amateur theatre, and worked as a theatre actor with renowned figures B. V. Karanth and Girish Karnad.

His film debut came with the National Award-winning Kannada film Grahana (1978), following his first film Rishyasringa (1977) produced by G. V. Iyer. Over a career spanning from 1977 to 2021, he acted in approximately sixty feature films across Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, Hindi, Malayalam, and German languages.

Notable film roles include minor appearances in Tamil films such as Sathyaa (1988), Mann Vasanai (1983), Kadamai Kanniyam Kattupadu, and Meendum Oru Kaathal Kathai. His performance in 18 Vayasu (2012) was particularly praised, with a critic describing it as "a remarkable portrayal by Satyendra as the cranky Jocky with his imaginary pistols".

He also appeared in notable films like Ezhavathu Manithan and played supporting roles in successful Tamil serials including Anandam.

In addition to acting, he was a multi-talented artist who served as a translator and interpreter in various Indian and foreign languages, produced and directed around 15 short films, and acted in more than 150 short films. He was a passionate attendee of film festivals, particularly the International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK), where he actively shared his opinions on films.

S. Sathyendra gained widespread notoriety as a film critic in 2023 after posting a viral negative review of the Vijay-starrer Leo (2023), criticizing director Lokesh Kanagaraj's work. This review made him World Famous in a single day, and he expressed hope that it would bring him another opportunity in cinema. His final known review was for Suriya's film Karuppu.

S. Sathyendra died on 28 May 2026 at the age of 65 in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, due to health-related complications while admitted at Government Royapettah Hospital. His mortal remains were initially unclaimed, with actors Vishal and Vinodhini Vaidynathan seeking authorities to trace his family.

His death left the Tamil film and YouTube community in shock.