Claim: Akshay Kumar is an actor.

Rajiv Hari Om Bhatia -LRB- born 9 September 1967 -RRB- , better known by his stage name Akshay Kumar , is an Indian-born actor who works in Bollywood films . Kumar is also a producer and martial artist who has appeared in over a hundred Hindi films . Kumar has Canadian citizenship .   Kumar won the National Film Award for Best Actor for his performance in Rustom and he has been nominated for Filmfare Awards several times , winning it two times .   Box Office India listed Kumar as one of the most successful actors in the history of Indian cinema .  In February 2013 , many media outlets reported that the net box-office collection of Kumar 's films had crossed and he was the first and the only Bollywood actor to do so .  Having done so , he has established himself as a leading contemporary actor of Hindi cinema .   When he began his acting career in the 1990s , he primarily starred in action films and was known for his appearances in films of the `` Khiladi series '' as well as other action films such as Waqt Hamara Hai -LRB- 1993 -RRB- , Mohra -LRB- 1994 -RRB- , Elaan -LRB- 1994 -RRB- , Suhaag -LRB- 1994 -RRB- , Sapoot -LRB- 1996 -RRB- , Jaanwar -LRB- 1999 -RRB- .   Later , Kumar also gained fame for his drama , romance , action and comic roles . His performances in romance films like Yeh Dillagi -LRB- 1994 -RRB- , Dhadkan -LRB- 2000 -RRB- , Andaaz -LRB- 2003 -RRB- and Namastey London -LRB- 2007 -RRB- , as well as drama films such as Waqt : The Race Against Time -LRB- 2005 -RRB- . His comic performances in comedy films such as Hera Pheri -LRB- 2000 -RRB- , Mujhse Shaadi Karogi -LRB- 2004 -RRB- , Garam Masala -LRB- 2005 -RRB- , Bhagam Bhag -LRB- 2006 -RRB- , Bhool Bhulaiyaa -LRB- 2007 -RRB- , and Singh Is Kinng -LRB- 2008 -RRB- met with acclaim . In 2007 , he starred in four consecutive commercially successful films . Kumar hit a rough patch since 2009 to 2011 but came back with two successes , Housefull 2 -LRB- 2012 -RRB- and Rowdy Rathore -LRB- 2012 -RRB- with both of them grossing over . His other films like OMG -LRB- 2012 -RRB- , Special 26 -LRB- 2012 -RRB- , Holiday -LRB- 2014 -RRB- and Gabbar Is Back -LRB- 2015 -RRB- were highly successful critically and commercially . From January 2016 to February 2017 , he starred in four Rs 100-crore plus earner in a row with films Airlift -LRB- 2016 -RRB- , Housefull 3 -LRB- 2016 -RRB- , Rustom -LRB- 2016 -RRB- and Jolly LLB 2 -LRB- 2017 -RRB- .   Apart from acting , Kumar has also worked as a stunt actor ; he has often performed many dangerous stunts in his films , which has earned him the sobriquet `` Indian Jackie Chan '' . In 2008 , he hosted the show Fear Factor -- Khatron Ke Khiladi . The next year , he founded the Hari Om Entertainment production company . In 2012 , he founded another production company called Grazing Goat Pictures . In 2014 , Kumar launched TV realty show Dare 2 Dance . He also owns the team Khalsa Warriors in the World Kabaddi League . In 2015 , Kumar was ranked 9th in Forbes ' first global list of highest-paid actors in the world .   In 2008 , the University of Windsor conferred an Honorary Doctorate on Kumar in recognition of his contribution to Indian cinema . The following year he was awarded the Padma Shri by the Government of India . In 2011 , The Asian Awards honoured Kumar for his outstanding achievement in Cinema .