He was a student of the
Government College of Art & Craft in
Chennai from 1959 to 1965. Palaniswamy made his acting debut in
Kaakum Karangal (1965) with the actor
S. S. Rajendran. Palaniswamy was renamed Sivakumar when he entered the industry. Sivakumar’s notable movies include
Saraswathi Sabatham (1966),
Kandhan Karunai (1967),
Thirumal Perumai (1968),
Uyarndha Manithan (1968),
Annakili (1976),
Rosappu Ravikkaikari (1979) and the very famous
K. Balachander’s
Sindhu Bhairavi (1985). He won the
Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Tamil for the movies
Rosappu Ravikkaikari (1979), and
Vandichakkaram (1980) and a
Lifetime Achievement Award – South (2007). He also was the recipient of the
Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Actor for
Avan Aval Adhu (1980) and
Agni Sakshi (1982). He proved to be a better bet to play the hero in melodramas
Bhadrakali (1976),
Vandichakkaram (1980),
Indru Nee Naalai Naan (1983),
Paasa Paravaigal (1988) or devotional tales
Vellikizhamai Viratham (1974),
Thaai Mookaambikai (1982) and romantic sagas
Chittu Kuruvi (1978),
Rosappu Ravikkaikari (1979) and
Unnai Naan Santhithen 1984). He also played hero in many films which were adapted from novels like
Manithanin Marupakkam (1986). After a successful career as a lead actor, Sivakumar proved his mettle as a character artist in films like
Kadhalukku Mariyadhai (1997),
Sethu (1999) and
Poovellam Un Vaasam (2001). During his career, Sivakumar has co-starred with many leading Tamil actors, including
M. G. Ramachandran,
Sivaji Ganesan,
Gemini Ganesan,
S. S. Rajendran,
R. Muthuraman,
A. V. M. Rajan,
Jaishankar,
Ravichandran,
Kamal Haasan,
Rajinikanth,
Vijayakanth,
Sathyaraj,
Prabhu,
Karthik,
Mohan,
Sarath Kumar,
Arjun Sarja,
Ajith Kumar,
Vijay,
Vikram and
Suriya. He acted in famous TV serials like
Chithi and
Annamalai alongside
Radhika. In 2012, Sivakumar was honoured with the
Jaya TV Lifetime Achievement Award at the
Anna Centenary Library for his contributions to the Tamil film industry for over 40 years. Sivakumar has also ventured into public speaking, giving his opinion on various subjects, including
Hindu theology. He has been praised for the fluency and style of his speeches. == Personal life ==