Don Ananda Weerakoon ( Sinhala:ආනන්ද වීරකෝන්) was one of the early Sri Lankan film actors in the 1950s.

Life and career

Early life Ananda was born as only son in a family of five children to parents Don William Weerakoon and Amarawathi Kalansuriya. He was educated at Nalanda College Colombo and was also a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

degree holder. Since school days he had been keenly interested in history and arts. He first participated in a dance to welcome the Queen

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...

's visit to

Ceylon Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

together with

Shesha Palihakkara David Sydney Loku Palihakkara (June 5, 1928 – July 12, 2009), popularly as Shesha Palihakkara, was a Sri Lankan dancer, film actor, and producer. He achieved critical recognition with a starring role in Lester James Peries' masterpiece ''Rekava'' ...

and

Titus Thotawatte Thotawattege Don Manuel Titus de Silva ( Sinhala:ටයිටස් තොටවත්ත), popularly as Titus Thotawatte, was a Sri Lankan director and editor who made several popular Sri Lankan action movies in the 1960s and 1970s and later ...

at the Colombo Regal Hall. Film acting He first started acting in a film as a young boy called "Harry" in one of the films directed by

Sirisena Wimalaweera Sirisena Wimalaweera ( si, සිරිසේන විමලවීර; born 23 June 1901 – died 24 August 1963) was a Sri Lankan filmmaker and theater master. He made several critically acclaimed films from 1949 to 1960. He is the first indepe ...

. Later on Ananda had been acting in many films directed by Sirisena Wimalaweera such as

Asoka (1955 film) Asoka is a 1955 Sri Lankan romantic musical based on the Bollywood film '' Sheesa''. Cast * Sumith Bibile as Sarath * Pushpa Janet as Asoka * Ananda Weerakoon as Harry * Punya Heendeniya * Eddie Yapa as Pattiya * Benjamin Fernando as Seeya * D. ...

and

Lester James Peries Sri Lankabhimanya Lester James Peries ( Sinhala: ශ්‍රී ලංකාභිමාන්‍ය ලෙස්ටර් ජේම්ස් පීරිස්; 5 April 1919 – 29 April 2018) was a Sri Lankan film director, screenwriter, a ...

Rekava ''Rekava'' (Sinhala for "Line of Destiny") is a 1956 film based on village life and mythical beliefs in Sri Lanka (then Ceylon). It is the first Sinhala film fully shot in Ceylon and was film shot outdoors in the country. It was also the first ...

film. In 2021, he was honored with lifetime achievement award during the ceremony held for 21 artists who made an invaluable contribution to Sinhala cinema in the early decades of Sinhala Cinema. Stay in England In 1960, Ananda moved to the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

and since then he worked as an insurance agent in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

for 29 years.Kataragama Festival He’ll light up your life - Part II
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Filmography

References

External links

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Weerakoon, Ananda Sinhalese male actors Sri Lankan male film actors Sri Lankan Buddhists Alumni of Nalanda College, Colombo 1934 births Living people