Born on 07/20/1949 or 1950 in Barabanki, Uttar Pradesh, did his schooling at St. Anselm's Ajmer and St Joseph's College, Nainital. He graduated in arts from Aligarh Muslim University in 1971 and attended National School of Drama in Delhi.

He made his acting debut in Shyam benegal's"Nishant"(1975).the next movie was Manthan.In 1977, Shah, Tom Alter and Benjamin Gilani formed a theatre group called Motley Productions. Their first play wasSamuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot, which was staged at the Prithvi Theatre on 29 July 1979
He became active in mainstream Bollywood cinema with the 1980 film Hum Paanch. In 1982, he acted in the film Dil Aakhir Dil Hai directed by Ismail Shroff, opposite Rakhee.

One of his most important films, Masoom, was released in 1983 and was shot at St Joseph's College, Nainital. His next major success in mainstream films was the 1986 multi-starrer film Karma where he acted alongside veteran Dilip Kumar. Starring roles for films such as Ijaazat (1987), Jalwa (1988) and Hero Hiralal (1988) followed.

Main Hoon Hero Hero Hiralal - Superhit Classic Bollywood Song - Naseeruddin Shah

Shah has acted in many Paralel Cinemas or Art Cinemas where he did many excellent movies such as Nishant, Manthan,Bhumika,Godhuli,Junoon,Sparsh,Aakrosh, Albert Pinto Ko Gussa Kyon Ata Hai,Bhavni Bhavai,Chakra,Umrao Jaan, Bazaar,Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro, Katha,Woh Saat Din,Paar,Mandi, Mohan Joshi Hazir Ho!,Trikal,Mirch Masala, Ardh Satya and Pestonjee to name a few.
He has acted in several multi-starrer Bollywood films as well, such as Ghulami (1985), Tridev (1989) and Vishwatma (1992). In 1994, he acted as the villain inMohra, his 100th film as an actor.

Shah was praised for his roles in the 1999 Aamir Khan-starrer Sarfarosh, where he played Gulfam Hassan – a ghazal singer-cum-terrorist mastermind — and in Neeraj Pandey's critically acclaimed A Wednesday (2008)

In 1988, he acted in the eponymous television series based on the life and times of Mirza Ghalib, directed by Gulzar and telecast on DD National.
Shah has also starred in international projects, such as Monsoon Wedding in 2001 and a Hollywood comic book adaptation The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen in 2003 (co-starring Sean Connery), where he played the role of Captain Nemo.
He worked in Vishal Bhardwaj's Indian adaptation of Shakespeare's Macbeth, titled Maqbool, in 2003,In 2011, Shah was seen in The Dirty Picture.which was a huge hit.

Shah made his Pakistani film debut in Khuda Ke Liye by Shoaib Mansoor, where he played a short cameo. His second Pakistani film Zinda Bhaag was selected as the country's official entry to the 86th Academy Awards for the Best Foreign Language Film award.

He also tried a hand in Directing a movie Yun Hota To Kya Hota, was released in 2006. It stars several established actors such as Konkona Sen Sharma, Paresh Rawal,Irfan Khan, then-newcomer Ayesha Takia, his son Imaad Shah and his old friend Ravi Baswani.The movie coldn't run.was a flop.
Shah has two sons from his second marriage, Imaad and Vivaan, both of who are aspiring actors. His second wife is well known stage actress Ratna Pathak who also acted in T V Serials.
In 2003 he was awarded Padma Bhushan Award,the Padma Shri was awarded in 1987.
He won 2 National awards for best Actor(Sparsh 1979 and Paar 1984) and one as Supporting Actor for IQBAL(2006).He was given Filmfare Award for best Actor for Akrosh(1981),for Chakra (1982) and for Masoom(1984).

A rare Ghazal sung by Naseeruddin shah in a movie AMAL

The Genie Award Winning ghazal written by Mir Taqi Mir (1723-1810) Composed and Sung by Dr. Shiva, for the film "AMAL' and filmed on Naseeruddin Shah. Dr. Shiva won the Genie Award (Canadian Academy Award) for this ghazal and became the first Indian Canadian Composer to win this award.