KOCHI: Rajan P Dev, an actor who shot to fame through villain characters, passed away this morning. He was undergoing treatment for liver xerosis at the Lakeshore Hospital in Kochi for the past few days.

He was 58. His body will be cremated at 11 am tomorrow morning in Karukutty.

He leaves behind his wife Shanthamma and children Ashamma, Jibil Raj and sister Rani.

As an actor he proved his mettle in many films and had directed two films also. Born to S J Dev and Kutty Amma on May 20, 1954 in Cherthala, Rajan P Dev came to the film field through drama. He had owned a drama troupe named Jubilee Theatre.

His first Malayalam film was Sancharai. Apart from Malayalam, he had acted in Tamil and Telugu films. In his last Malayalam film Pattanathil Bhootham, he essayed the role of a villain circus manager.

He had obtained state award for the best drama actor in 1984 and 1986. He came into limelight for his characterization of Kochu Vava in the drama Kattukuthira, which was later made into the Malayalam film as Kattukuthira, with Thilakan as Kochu Vava.