After a series of successful films, Kapoor earned his first Filmfare Best Actor Award for his performance in N. Chandra's Tezaab in 1988, and later for Indra Kumar's Beta in 1992. Since then, he has starred in a number of critical and commercial successes, including Virasat (1997), for which he won the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Performance; Biwi No.1 (1999); Taal (1999), for which he won his second Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award; Pukar (2000), for which he won his first National Film Award for Best Actor; No Entry (2005) and Welcome (2007).

Kapoor's first role in an international film was in Danny Boyle's 2008 Academy Award-winning film Slumdog Millionaire, for which he shared the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture. His performance in the eighth season of the action series 24 generated rave reviews from the American press. Globally, Anil Kapoor is one of the most recognised Indian actors.

Anil Kapoor was born into a Punjabi Khatri family in a chawl in Tilak Nagar, Mumbai, to a film producer Surinder Kapoor and his wife Nirmal. He attended Our Lady of Perpetual Succour High School - Chembur, in the Chembur suburb of Mumbai and then St. Xavier's College, Mumbai. Kapoor's elder brother, Boney Kapoor, is a producer while younger brother Sanjay Kapoor is also a well-known actor. Anil and Sanjay have never been in the same movie, as yet, but both have worked for elder brother Boney.

In 1984, he married Sunita Kapoor (née Bhambhani) and has two daughters and a son. Kapoor's elder daughter is the actress Sonam Kapoor who starred in Saawariya alongside Ranbir Kapoor (distant relatives; Anil Kapoor's father Surinder Kapoor is cousin of Prithviraj Kapoor, who is the father of Raj Kapoor). Rhea Kapoor attend school in New York and is now a producer in Mumbai.

He is the brother-in-law of the actress Sridevi with whom he has starred in many films. His sister Reena is married to Sandeep Marwah of Marwah Studios, Noida Film City.

Anil Kapoor made his Bollywood debut with Umesh Mehra's Hamare Tumhare (1979) in a supporting role. After a few minor roles in films such as Hum Paanch (1980) and Shakti (1982), he got his first leading role in the 1983 Hindi film, Woh Saat Din and mastered an excellent performance which was absolutely natural and illumined every bit of innocence, subtlety and maturity as required by the numerous shades of his character. Kapoor later tried acting in Tollywood and Kollywood, and appeared in the Telugu film Vamsa Vriksham and Mani Ratnam's Kannada debut film Pallavi Anu Pallavi (released in 1983, his first movie in leading role).

Next, followed a polished performance in Yash Chopra's drama Mashaal (1984) where he held his own and came out as a surprise packet of the movie delivering one of his career-defining performances against the acting prowess of legendary Dilip Kumar in the role of a rough Tapori which incidentally signaled the homecoming of Tapori roles in Indian cinema, for which he won his first Filmfare Award in the Best Supporting Actor category. Anil's 1985 release Yudh (film) was an average hit. Anil's sensitive portrayal of a middle class sports person in the 1985 film Saaheb was extremely convincing and was a box office success.

In 1986 Anil delivered yet another hit Janbaaz costarring Feroz Khan. His other release of 1986 Insaaf Ki Awaaz was a box office hit, too. In the same year Basu Chatterjee directed Chameli Ki Shaadi and he displayed his crackling flare in comedy.

Going on to deliver huge commercial success with films like Meri Jung (1985), a career-defining role of an angry young man and Karma (1986), the biggest hit of the year, Kapoor generated wide applause from audience of all walks of life for his title role in Shekhar Kapur's sci-fi film Mr. India (1987), the biggest hit of the year. The film became one of his biggest box office hits and shot him to superstar status.. Anil kapoor was equally impressive in Mahesh Bhatt directed film Thikana. In 1988, he was rewarded with his first Filmfare Best Actor Award for his rivetting performance in the hit film, Tezaab, the biggest blockbuster of 1988. The following year he delivered more mega commercial and critical successes with Ram Lakhan (which became the second highest box office earner of 1989), Parinda and Rakhwala. Anil Kapoor excelled brilliantly in his eccentric portrayal of an autistic person in the 1989 hit Eeshwar.

The year 1990 saw him play a dual role, as twin brothers in the highly successful Kishen Kanhaiya and in the same year he further attained reasonable box office success withGhar Ho To Aisa. This was followed by a restrained yet striking performance as a middle age man in Yash Chopra's romantic drama Lamhe, a landmark film of Indian cinema and Yash Chopra's best work to date. It was the first film in which he appeared without a moustache. Although the film was a box office failure in India, it proved to be a success overseas. Anil's 1991 release Beenam Badshaah was accorded above average status at the ticket window.