Mithun Chakraborty was born in Kolkata, West Bengal to a Bengali Hindu family. He was educated at the renowned Scottish Church College in Kolkata, from where he earned his graduate degree in chemistry (BSc). He was initially associated with naxalities in West Bengal, which he latter left and joined Mumbai films. For rest of his life, his family had continuous threat from naxalities. After that he attended and graduated from the Film and Television Institute of India in Pune.

Mithun Chakraborty was a staunch Naxalite before entering the film industry, but tragedy struck his family when his only brother got accidentally electrocuted and killed in a freak accident. He returned to his family and left the Naxalite fold, even though doing so posed a grave risk to his own life.

Mithun Chakraborty made his film debut in the 1976 Mrinal Sen directed film Mrigaya for which he won the coveted National Film Award for Best Actor. After his debut he played some supporting roles in films such as Do Anjaane (1976) and Phool Khile Hain Gulshan Gulshan (1977) which did not gain him any recognition. He shot into prominence in the late 1970s with the low budget Ravikant Nagaich directed spy film Surakshaa (1979) and the early 1980s with leading roles in hit films such as Hum Paanch (1980) and Wardaat (1981) (a sequel to Surakshaa).

His breakthrough role finally came in the musical drama Disco Dancer (1982) which was a huge success and remains a cult favorite to this day. This film and other musical films such as Kasam Paida Karne Wale Ki (1984) and Dance Dance (1987) showcased him as a talented dancer. Chakraborty starred in a number of successful romantic and family dramas during the 1980s, such as Mujhe Insaaf Chahiye (1983), Pyaar Jhukta Nahin (1985), Swarg Se Sunder (1986), and Pyaar Ka Mandir (1988). These films remain his most commercially successful films to date. He was widely recognized as an action hero in hit films like Wanted (1983), Boxer (1984), Jagir (1984), Jaal (1986), Watan Ke Rakhwale (1987) Commando (1988), Waqt Ki Awaaz (1988), Guru (1989), Mujrim (1989) and Dushman (1990). During the mid 1980s he was regarded as a rival to Amitabh Bachchan, as both frequently played an angry young protagonist at odds with the ills of society and corruption. Chakraborty worked with some of the biggest actresses of his time and Bollywood in general, including Zeenat Aman, Padmini Kolhapure, Rati Agnihotri, Rekha, Sridevi and Madhuri Dixit.

Chakraborty achieved not only commercial success but also tremendous critical acclaim. His performances in Mrigaya, Tahader Katha, Swami Vivekananda, Kalpurush and Titli were widely appreciated and won him National Film Awards and nominations. He won two Filmfare awards: The Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award for his performance in the 1990 film Agneepath, and the Filmfare Best Villain Award for his performance in Jallad. He was praised for his performances in films including Pyaar Ka Mandir (1988) and Mujrim (1989). In the mid '90s he took a break from Mumbai and relocated to Ooty where he set up his hotel business under 'Monarch' brand name. He operates hotels under 'Monarch' brand name in Mudhumalai, Ooty in Tamil Nadu and in Darjeeling and Kolkata in West Bengal. He was considered a "One Man Industry" for a decade as he starred in over 80 films over ten years, while shifting his focus from mainstream Hindi cinema and to low-budget B-grade movies. These movies were mainly produced to cater to the audiences of Madhya Pradesh and Bengal, where Chakraborty has a cult-following even today. He paid more tax than anyone else in the country, from 1994 to 1999.

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