Actress. She was a star of the Bengali stage and screen for over 70 years. Raised in Calcutta, she broke into the Bengali language film industry, based in her home city’s Tollygunge, at age six in 1938. She continued acting following her marriage at 15 and over the years was seen in more than 200 feature films; acclaimed in both comedy and drama, as well as in in some Bollywood musicals, among her better known turns were “Meghe Dhakta Tara” (1960) and the 1961 “Teen Kanya”. A prolific stage actress, she logged more than 2,000 performances, the last coming in 1996’s “Badsahi Chaal”. Mrs. Dey was also heard in many of All India Radio’s dramitizations from 1954 on; despite chronic health problems, she essentially never retired, appearing in movies until close to the end of her life. In 1988 the University of Calcutta honored her lifetime achievement with a Star Medal presented by the Governor of West Bengal. She died following a hospitalization of about six weeks. (bio by: Bob Hufford)