Khan is the eldest son of screen writer Salim Khan and his wife Salma Khan. He has two brothers, Sohail Khan and Arbaaz Khan. Both of them are actors; Sohail is also a film director and a producer. They have two sisters, Arpita (the youngest of the siblings), and Alvira Agnihotri. Khan's stepmother is actress Helen. Khan has been romantically linked to actresses Sangeeta Bijlani, Somy Ali and Aishwarya Rai in the past. He is currently dating fellow actress and model Katrina Kaif.
Salman Khan is one of the most popular actors of Indian film industry Bollywood. He is one of the three Khans, who dominated the Indian movies for almost 2 decades; the other two are Shahrukh Khan and Aamir Khan. Salman made his acting debut in the 1988 film Biwi Ho To Aisi where he had a supporting role. His first leading role in a Bollywood movie, was in Rajshri Productions' romantic film Maine Pyar Kiya (1989). The film went on to become one of India's top-grossing movies. He became the heartthrob of millions of fans, especially young girls after his sensational role as "Prem" in that movie. It also won him a Filmfare Best Debut Award, (1990) and a nomination for the Filmfare Best Actor Award. The film also marked the debut of Rajshri director Sooraj Barjatya. After the success of Maine Pyar Kiya, he had a string of movies released. However, only some of them were successful in the box office. Some of the hit movies in Salman's early career are- Saajan, Love, Baaghi, Qurbani,etc.
His second venture with director Sooraj Barjatya, Hum Aapke Hain Koun (1994) remains one of Indian cinema's highest grossing films ever. The movie can be also considered as his comeback. It was after this movie that he started becoming selective about the roles and movies. His role as "Karan" in the movie Karan Arjun (1995) garnered him the nomination for Best Actor category in the Filmfare Awards, the Oscars of Bollywood.
In 1996, he got the nomination for Best Supporting Actor in the Filmfare Awards for the movie Jeet. The same year he collaborated with the new director Sanjaya Leela Bhansali for the movie Khamoshi. Sanjay Leela Bhansali later became one of the most influencial directors of his generation and casted Salman Khan in his second venture- Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam in 1999. Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam collected Filmafre Awards in all major categories including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress except for the Best Actor, for which Salman was nominated.