Prem Chopra was born into a Hindu Punjabi family in Lahore in 1935. Following the partition of India, his family relocated to Shimla, where he was raised. Despite his father's aspirations for him to become a doctor or an IAS officer, he embarked on a journey to become an actor. He was a trailblazer in introducing the concept of handsome villains, deviating from the stereotype of venom-spewing characters with expected dialogues.

After completing his graduation, he moved to Mumbai and initially worked in the circulation department of The Times of India. He made his debut film in the Punjabi movie 'Chaudhary Karnail Singh' which won the National Film Award for Best Punjabi Film in 1961.

Prem Chopra was a prominent villain in Hindi films, peaking from 1967 to 1994. During the '70s, he secured notable villainous roles, alongside actors like Sujith Kumar and Ranjeet.

In the recent ANI Podcast with Smita Prakash, Prem Chopra reflects on his experiences during the partition days and how he ventured into theatre after moving to Shimla. He shares insights into landing his first hit movie and discusses why he gravitated towards villain roles. 

Being in the industry for six decades, Prem Chopra took on fewer villainous roles post-1999, transitioning to positive character roles and increasingly received such roles from 2005 onwards. However, his screen time in films was reduced after 2005. He recently appeared in Ranbir Kapoor's film 'Animal.'