Born on July 30, 1973, Sonu Sood hails from Moga, Punjab, India. He is an engineering graduate from Yeshwantrao Chavan College of Engineering, Nagpur. Sonu is married to Sonali Sood and they have two sons, Eshaan and Ayaan. The couple met during their college years and have been together since then.

Sonu Sood's acting career began in 1999 with his first two Tamil language films, Kallazhagar and Nenjinile. He then appeared as an antagonist in the Telugu film Hands Up! in 2000. His Bollywood debut came in 2002 with Shaheed-E-Azam, where he played the role of Bhagat Singh. He is known for his performances as the negative lead in most of his films.

Sonu has worked in Hindi, Telugu, and a few Tamil and Kannada films. Some of his notable works include Yuva (2004), Athadu (2005), Aashiq Banaya Aapne (2005), Ashok (2006), Jodhaa Akbar (2008), Kandireega (2011), Dookudu (2011), Shootout at Wadala (2013), R... Rajkumar (2013), Happy New Year (2014), Devi (2016), Kung Fu Yoga (2017), Simmba (2018), and Kurukshetra (2019).

Sonu Sood's talent and versatility have been recognized with several awards. In 2009, he received the Andhra Pradesh State Nandi Award for Best Villain and the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor – Telugu for his work in the Telugu blockbuster Arundhati. In 2010, he won the Apsara Award for Best Actor in a Negative Role and the IIFA Award for Best Performance in a Negative Role for his performance in the Bollywood film Dabangg. In 2012, he received the SIIMA Award for Best Actor in a Negative Role (Telugu) for his role in Julayi.

Sonu Sood leads a healthy lifestyle and is a fitness enthusiast. He is a vegetarian and maintains a balanced diet. He resides in a luxurious house in Mumbai with his family.

Apart from his acting career, Sonu is also known for his humanitarian work, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. In September 2020, he was chosen for the 'SDG Special Humanitarian Action Award' by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) for his humanitarian works during the COVID-19 pandemic.