Born in Dinajpur in 1926, Kumar Roy was a prominent Bengali theatre actor, playwright and director, associated with the theatre group Bohurupee which he joined in 1949. He also headed the Paschim Banga Natya Academy, and served as a drama professor at the Rabindra Bharati University.

Some of his memorable performances include the lead roles in Brecht’s Galileo in 1980 and Manoj Mitra’s Rajdarshan  in 1982, which he directed. He also acted in films such as Satyajit Ray’s Teen Kanya in 1961 and Tapan Sinha’s Sagina Mahato in 1970.

Roy designed sets and costumes, and wrote two popular plays, Ujan Beye in 1952 and Kimbadanti in 1970. He wrote a number of books on Bengali theatre. After Sombhu Mitra withdrew from Bohurupee, most of the group’s productions were directed by Kumar Roy.

He was awarded the Sangeet Natak Akademi award in 1983. He passed away in February 2010.