Jimmy Sheirgill (bornJasjit Singh Gill; 3 December 1970), previously credited asJimmy Shergill, is an Indian actor and producer who primarily works inHindi andPunjabi films.^[1]

Jimmy Shergill
Sheirgill in 2017
Born	Jasjit Singh Gill 3 December 1970 (1970-12-03) (age 54) Gorakhpur,Uttar Pradesh, India
Other names	Jimmy Shergill
Education	Punjabi University St. Francis' College
Occupations	Actor producer
Years active	1996–present
Spouse	Priyanka Puri ​ (m. 2001)​
Children	1

Sheirgill began his film career with the 1996 thrillerMaachis. His breakthrough came with the romantic dramaMohabbatein (2000), which became the highest-grossing Hindi film of the year, following which he starred in several films, includingMere Yaar Ki Shaadi Hai (2002),Munna Bhai M.B.B.S. (2003),A Wednesday! (2008),Saheb, Biwi Aur Gangster,Tanu Weds Manu (both 2011),Special 26 (2013),Happy Bhag Jayegi (2016) andDe De Pyaar De (2019). His highest-grossing releases came with supporting roles in the comedy-dramaLage Raho Munna Bhai (2006), the drama filmMy Name Is Khan (2010) and the romantic comedyTanu Weds Manu: Returns (2015). The latter earned him a nomination for theFilmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor.

Sheirgill made his Punjabi film debut withYaaran Naal Baharan in 2005. His notable work in Punjabi cinema includeMel Karade Rabba (2010),Dharti (2011),Aa Gaye Munde U.K. De (2014),Shareek (2015) andDaana Paani (2018). He won thePTC Award for Best Actor forMel Karade Rabba. The actor has also produced several Punjabi films.

Sheirgill was born on 3 December 1970,^[2][3] into aJat family ofPunjabiSikh aristocracy.^[4] His paternal great aunt was the famous Indian artistAmrita Sher-Gil.^[5]

He studied atSt. Francis' College,Lucknow for a few years and then moved to his ancestral home state ofPunjab, in 1985. He studied at The Punjab Public School,Nabha and at Bikram College,Punjabi University,Patiala.^[6] He completed his graduation degree fromPost Graduate Government College - 11, Chandigarh andPanjab University.^[7]

Sheirgill went toMumbai after a cousin convinced him to try his luck in the film industry. There, he attended Roshan Taneja's acting classes.^[4]

Sheirgill started his acting career in 1996 with the critically acclaimed filmMaachis, directed byGulzar, based on theterrorism in Punjab.^[8] The film did reasonably well at the box office and got him noticed by all the top filmmakers in the industry, which led him to being cast inAditya Chopra'sMohabbatein alongside stalwarts likeAmitabh Bachchan,Shah Rukh Khan, andAishwarya Rai. He has consistently won rave reviews for all his performances in films such asMere Yaar Ki Shaadi Hai (2002),Dil Hai Tumhaara (2002),Haasil (2003),Munna Bhai M.B.B.S. (2003),Yahaan (2005),Lage Raho Munna Bhai (2006),Eklavya: The Royal Guard (2007),A Wednesday! (2008),My Name Is Khan (2010),Tanu Weds Manu (2011),Saheb, Biwi Aur Gangster (2011),Saheb, Biwi Aur Gangster Returns (2013),Special 26 (2013),Bullett Raja (2013),Fugly (2014) andTanu Weds Manu: Returns (2015). He also worked with rising star of the timeAmisha Patel inYeh Zindagi Ka Safar (2001). He won theStar Guild Awards previously known as Apsara guild awards for Best Actor In A Supporting Role for a movieA Wednesday!^[9]

He started acting inPunjabi films in 2005 withManmohan Singh'sYaaran Naal Baharan, which did well at the box office. He went on to act in several other Punjabi films. He is currently one of the top actors in the industry, and some of the films he has acted in have been hits. He plans to produce and act in one Punjabi film every year, for which he has signed a deal withBollywood production houseEros International. His first film as a producer,Dharti, released in 2011 and did well at the box office.^[10] The next production from his company wasTaur Mittran Di, that was released in May 2012. He has lined up two more films for production; the multi-star castSaadi Love Story, in which he's castDiljit Dosanjh,Amrinder Gill,Neetu Singh,Surveen Chawla^[11][12] and himself in a cameo and another film titledRangeelay, which casts him in the lead withNeha Dhupia.^[13][14]

Sheirgill married his long time girlfriend Priyanka Puri in 2001.^[15][16] They have a son named Veer.^[17] Sheirgill changed the spelling of his surname "Shergill" to "Sheirgill" because the name Jimmy Shergill was already used on social media.^[18]

Sheirgill walked the ramp with underprivileged children for a charity fashion show in 2013.^[19] In 2014, he donated warm clothes for the homeless in North India. Sheirgill participated in the 6-hour telethon to raise funds to rebuildKerala, which was devastated byfloods in 2018.^[20][21]

Sampada Sharma ofIndian Express said that Sheirgill is the actor "who focused more on the characters he played rather than being the hero".^[2] Agnivo Niyogi ofThe Telegraph noted, "Jimmy Sheirgill is an actor so good that he owns every frame he's in, no matter how popular or seasoned his co-star is."^[3]Firstpost termed him as "one of the most versatile actors" and added that he is known for being "very choosy about his roles".^[22]

In an interview, Sheirgill said that he believes his "unconventional film choices" have worked in his favour as the audiences now associate him with good roles. He further added that it has also led to a lot of interesting work coming his way.^[23]Rediff.com placed him 7th in its "Best Actors" list of 2011.^[24] Sheirgill is a celebrity endorser for brands and products such as Ezeepay andMahindra Verito. He has also being the brand ambassador of Punjab Premier League.^[25][26]

• Jimmy Sheirgill atIMDb