Chennai, Nov 7 (PTI) Tamil superstar Kamal Hassan who recently celebrated his 50th year in the film industry, turned 55 today.

The actor who had won his first National Award as a child artist for his screen debut in 'Kalathur Kannamma' in 1959, spent a quiet day with his family away from the city, sources close to the superstar said.

Hassan, known as the 'Universal Hero', had last year urged his fans to stay off any celebrations on his birthday, citing the plight of the Sri Lankan Tamils.

The actor who has worked in upto 150 films in languages including Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Hindi has played a myriad of roles in his five decade long career, including 'Dasavataram', the film where he played ten characters.