Kota Srinivasa Rao (born July 10, 1945) is an Indian actor who is most known for his work in Telugu cinema and theatre. He has also appeared in Tamil, Hindi, Kannada, and Malayalam films. Rao was a former politician who represented Vijayawada East in Andhra Pradesh, India, from 1999 until 2004. In 1978, he made his Telugu film debut with Pranam Khareedu. In total, he appeared in over 750 feature films. He has won nine Nandi Awards in his state for best character, villain, and supporting actor. For his efforts in Krishnam Vande Jagadgurum, he won the South Indian International Movie Awards (SIIMA) in 2012. He was awarded the Padma Shri, India's fourth-highest civilian honor, in 2015 for his contribution to Indian cinema.