Occupation Actor Spouse(s) Leela Sirisena | Years active 1966–present Movies Uppalawanna | |
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Awards Kala Keerthi (2017), Kala Bhushana (2014) | ||
Actor suminda sirisena
Kala Keerthi Suminda Sirisena (Sinhala: සුමින්ද සිරිසේන) (born July 4, 1948) is an award winning Sri Lankan stage, teledrama and film actor, having performed for nearly 60 years. He has played a wide range of starring or supporting roles.
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Gamani film commends suminda sirisena
Early life
Sirisena was born on July 4, 1948, in Bossella, a rural village in Kegalle, Sri Lanka. His father was a small-time businessman in the village who also performed traditional Sri Lankan folk dramas and his mother was a housewife. After having his primary education at the village school, he was awarded a scholarship to attend Tholangamuwa Central College in 1963.
At Tholangamuwa, he studied under Ariyawansa Ranaweera, Jayasumana Dissanayake, Daya Alwis and Wijayaratne Athurupane who were scholars and artists that had a major influence on Sri Lankan theatre and arts for many decades. In 1967 Sirisena played the lead role in the stage drama Girikutha which was selected to the final round of State School Drama Festival.
Early career
After his school education, Sirisena moved to Colombo to join the Sri Lanka Railways as a Special Apprentice in 1969. In the same year, he joined the first batch of students of the theatre school Ranga Shilpa Shalika at Lionel Wendt Art Centre founded by Dhamma Jagoda. After completing the studies, he joined the drama group of Ediriweera Sarachchandra and acted in renowned stage dramas such as Maname, Sinhabahu, Bavakadaturawa, Mahasara and Kada walalu.
Television career
Sirisena's first teledrama was Sihina Nimnaya, produced by Sri Lanka Rupavahini in 1985. He gained wide acclaim for his second teledrama Kumarihami, another Rupavahini production, where he played the supporting role of Hicchi Mahattaya. Since then he has acted in more than 40 teleseries, including Charitha Thunak, Pipi Pium, Weten Eha, Paramitha, Dumriya Andaraya, Mehew Rate, Yasa Isuru, and Boralu Para.
Illness
Since 2012 Sirisena has not taken part in any productions due to illness.
Personal life
Suminda Sirisena lives with his wife Leela Sirisena in Gampaha. They have two children.
Honours
Suminda Sirisena was awarded Kala Keerthi, the highest national honour for arts, culture and drama in Sri Lanka, in 2017.
In 2014 he was awarded the Deshanethru award and the Kala Bhushana state award in recognition of the service he had rendered to the country's performing arts.
Filmography
He has also acted on many critically notable films such as Duhul Malak, Saptha Kanya, Uppalawanna, Samanala Thatu, Uduganyamaya, Pitasakwala Kumaraya, Bomba Saha Rosa, Gamani, and Ira Handa Yata.