Quizzically Yours

Helen born in Burma, on 21 October 1939, she has a brother Roger and a sister Jennifer. Her father died during the Second World War. The family migrated to Mumbai in 1943 during World War II, but her mother's salary as a nurse was not enough, and Helen had to quit her schooling to support the family.

Helen got her break when a family friend, an actress known as Cukoo, helped her find roles in the films Shabistan and Awaara  (1951).
She was soon seen in films like  Hoor-e-Arab (1953) and Alif Laila (1954). However her most remembered film was in 1958,
 "Mera Naam Chin Chin Chu" in Shakti Samanta's film, Howrah Bridge.

Helen married Salim Khan, and became his second wife in 1980 and they adopted a girl. She is also the stepmother of Salman Khan.
She has acted as his mother in the film Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, as his grand mother-in-law in Khamoshi: The Musical and Dil Ne Jise Apna Kaha and as his grandmother in the film Marigold.


Apart from all these....why is she famous?

No one gets this one.
She is hailed as the pioneer of the Item song concept in Indian movies.