From his early life to his He-Man Bollywood era, here are 12 lesser-known facts about the late actor Dharmendra AKA Dharam Singh Deol. Dharmendra entered Bollywood after winning the Filmfare New Talent Contest in 1958, a moment that took him from his small village to the city of Mumbai. He grew up dreaming of films, and it was actually his mother who encouraged him to write to producers. He then mailed his photos to Filmfare's talent hunt, and that step changed his life. Before acting happened, he briefly worked as a railway clerk, earning around 125 Rupees per month.