Dheer began his on-screen career in the film Poonam in 1981, which did poorly at the box office. He then played roles in several small films, until he got his big break, appearing in
B. R. Chopra's epic television series
Mahabharat, as
Karna. He was originally cast as
Arjuna, but got the role of Karna due to his refusal to shave off his moustache. The role of Karna was the highlight of Dheer's career and made him a household name in India. His pictures were used in textbooks as reference to Karna and his statues are worshipped as Karna in temples in
Karnal and Bastar. He became a much sought-after actor for both television and movies after his success in
Mahabharat. He also played the lead as a defence lawyer in the TV Series
Kanoon, a series based on court-room dramas. He appeared as Hussain in the 1993 action film
Pardesi. He starred as the lead character of King Shivdutt in fantasy TV series
Chandrakanta in 1994. He collaborated with
Vishnuvardhan and appeared as a supporting actor in
Kannada movies such as
Vishnu Vijaya,
Appaji and
Vishnu Sena. In 2006 Dheer established a shooting studio,
Visage Studioz along with his brother Satluj Dheer at
Jogeshwari,
Mumbai. In 2010, he opened
Abbhinnay Acting Academy in Mumbai, with actor
Gufi Paintal as the faculty head. He directed the romantic comedy-drama film
My Father Godfather in 2014. In 2011 he appeared in the
Zee TV historical drama series
Shobha Somnath Ki. Between 2012 and 2014, he played the recurring role of
Maharaj Himavan in the Mythological TV series
Devon Ke Dev...Mahadev. In 2015 he portrayed Anand Kapoor in the
Sony TV soap opera Dil Ki Baatein Dil Hi Jaane and appeared in the Zee TV drama series
Doli Armaano Ki. In 2016 he appeared in
Life OK drama TV series
Rishton Ka Saudagar – Baazigar. He played the role of a wrestler, Ganga Singh Ahlawat, in romantic drama TV series
Badho Bahu. He played the role of Barrister D'Costa in the
ZEE5 crime thriller web series
Poison in 2019, which was his last performance in a web series. He played the
double role of Ravindra Singh Bagga and Gyaneshwar Singh in drama TV series
Ajooni in 2022–23. In his last television appearance, he played the role of Giriraj in the
Sci-fi Fantasy series
Dhruv Tara – Samay Sadi Se Pare in 2024. == Personal life and death ==