Pratap Pothen (13 August 1952 – 15 July 2022) was an Indian actor and filmmaker who acted in about 100 films and directed 12 films. He appeared in Malayalam, Tamil and Telugu as well as Hindi films. He also worked as a scriptwriter and producer for films.

Early life and career
Pratap was born in Trivandrum, Kerala on 13 August 1952. His father Kolathinkal Pothan was a businessman who died when Pratap was 15 years old. Pratap had five siblings, including an elder brother, Hari Pothan, who also worked as a film producer.

Pratap was educated at the Lawrence School, Lovedale in Ooty. Initially, he was interested in painting; however, once he joined college, he started acting in plays with the help of his friends, and gradually got more interested in acting than painting. After his graduation from the Madras Christian College, Pratap worked as a copywriter in an ad agency in Mumbai. Later he also worked at Sistas ad agency and Hindustan Thomson.

Personal life
Pratap married actress Raadhika in 1985, but their marriage did not last long and they separated in 1986. In 1990, he married Amala Sathyanath, with whom he had a daughter, Keya.