Sudeep is known for his performances in the Kannada films Sparsha (2000), Huchcha (2001), Nandhi (2002), Kiccha (2003), Swathi Muthu (2003), My Autograph (2006), Mussanjemaatu (2008), Veera Madakari (2009) and the Telugu-Tamil bilingual Eega (2012).

He won the Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Kannada for three consecutive years for his films Huchcha, Nandhi and Swathi Muthu.

Since 2013, he has been hosting the television reality show Bigg Boss, the Kannada version of Bigg Boss.

Sudeep was born to Sanjeev Manjappa and Saroja in Shimoga district of the erstwhile Mysore State (now Karnataka).

He obtained his bachelor's degree in Industrial and production engineering from Dayananda Sagar College of Engineering, Bangalore.

He was a University-level cricket player during the day and had also represented at the State-level in its Under-17 and Under-19 teams.

Before taking up acting as a profession, Sudeep attended the Roshan Taneja School of Acting in Mumbai, where he overcame 'shyness'.

Sudeep began his film career in Thayavva which released in 1997.

Sudeep made his debut in Telugu cinema in 2012, with the S. S. Rajamouli directorial Eega, a fantasy film, that saw him play an industrialist.

He has also directed Kannada movies and his directorial debut My Autograph.