National artist Dokdin Kanyamarn, a renowned actor and director of comedy movies, died early Tuesday from heart failure at the age of 94.
Dokdin died at around 2am on Tuesday at Vichaiyut Hospital in Bangkok. A royally sponspored bathing rite will be held at 5pm today at Wat Makutkrasatiyaram, Pavilion 6, in Bangkok’s Phra Nakhon district.
Prayers wil run daily at the temple until May 23, said Pimrawee Wattanawarangkun, director-general of the Department of Cultural Promotion.
Dokdin, whose real name was Thamrong Kanyamarn, was born on Oct 25, 1924. His acting career started at the age of 11. From 1952 to 1983, he acted in and produced 32 films, 24 of which earned over one million baht, a rare success for any film at the time.
Dokdin coined the popular phrase "It's a million!" whenever his films topped the 1-million-baht mark.
He was named a national artist in performing arts in 2012.