Anandaraj (born 10 November 1958) is an Indian actor known for his villainous roles in Tamil cinema, having appeared in over 300 films across Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, and Hindi languages. Born and raised in Pondicherry, he pursued his passion for acting by enrolling in the M.G.R. Government Film and Television Training Institute in Chennai, where Shiva Rajkumar was his classmate. After initial struggles, he made his debut with Oruvar Vaazhum Aalayam (1988) and gained recognition with En Thangachi Padichava. Though he briefly played heroic roles in films like Palaivana Paravaigal and Kaaval Nilayam, he is best remembered for his negative roles alongside stars like Vijayakanth and Sarathkumar. Despite a foray into lead roles, his success remained tied to antagonistic characters, marking him as a prominent villain in South Indian cinema.