Sabu Dastagir (January 27, 1924 – December 2, 1963) was a motion picture actor known by his first name, Sabu.

Born in Mysore, India, he was the son of an Indian mahout (elephant driver) and was discovered by documentary film-maker Robert Flaherty who cast him in the role of an elephant driver in the 1937 British film Elephant Boy, based on "Toomai of the Elephants", a story by Kipling.

Most reference books have his full name as "Sabu Dastigir", but research by journalist Philip Liebfried suggests that was his brother's name, and that Sabu was in fact Selar Shaik Sabu.

Sabu is remembered most fondly for his role as Abu in the Hollywood film The Thief of Bagdad. In 1942 he once again played a role based on Kipling, namely Mowgli in Jungle Book directed by Zoltán Korda.

Air Force career

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After becoming an American citizen in 1944, Sabu joined the U.S Army Air Force as a tail gunner. He flew several dozen missions over the Pacific and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for his valor and bravery.

Personal life

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Sabu married actress Marilyn Cooper in 1948, with whom he had two children and with whom he remained until his passing in 1963. He died in Chatsworth, California of a heart attack and was interred in the Forest Lawn - Hollywood Hills Cemetery.

His son Paul Sabu established the rock band Sabu in the 1980s. His daughter Jasmine Sabu was an animal trainer on various films. She died in 2001.

Filmography

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• A Tiger Walks (1964)
• Rampage (1963)
• Herrin der Welt - Part I (1960)
• Sabu and the Magic Ring (1957)
• Jungle Hell (1956)
• The Black Panther (1956)
• Il Tesoro del Bengala (1954)
• Buongiorno, elefante! (1952)
• Baghdad (1952)
• Savage Drums (1951)
• Song of India (1949)
• Man-Eater of Kumaon (1948)
• The End of the River (1947)
• Black Narcissus (1947)
• Tangier (1946)
• Cobra Woman (1944)
• White Savage (1943)
• Arabian Nights (1942)
• Jungle Book (1942)
• The Thief of Bagdad (1940)
• The Drum (1938)
• Elephant Boy (1937)

References

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Obituary

External links

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1924 births | 1963 deaths | People of Karnataka | American World War II veterans | American actors | British actors | Indian actors | Child actors | Naturalized citizens of the United States | Recipients of US Distinguished Flying Cross | United States Army soldiers | Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park

Sabu | Sabu