Jayathilake Arachchige Florida Cooray (born 1936 – died 2007 as ෆ්ලොරිඩා ජයලත්) inhala, popularly as Florida Jayalath, was an

actress An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

in Sri Lankan cinema. Apart from acting, Florida also worked as a filmmaker, choreographer and a film producer. She is the first female filmmaker in Sinhala film industry.

Personal life

Florida was born on 1936 in Marawila as the fourth child of the family. Her father was D. K. Jayalath and mother was Merry Gald Jayalath. She completed education from Holy Family Convent, Marawila. She has two elder sisters, Josapin Jayalath and Srima Murial Jayalath. Josapin was a dramatist at the Minerva Drama Team. Florida died in April 2007 at the age of 71. At the time of demise, she was in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

, Australia with her daughter.

Career

Florida made her film debut with a minor role in the 1951 film ''Segawunu Pilithura''. Then in 1953, she made a major role in the film ''Sujatha'' with the titular character. The film was a blockbuster of that year and Florida became a sensation among the people. She appeared in many popular movies in the coming years such as ''Sada Sulang'', ''Daruwa Kageda'' and ''Heta Pramada Wadi''. In the film ''Seda Sulang'', Indian playback singer

Lata Mangeshkar Lata Mangeshkar () (born as Hema Mangeshkar; 28 September 1929 – 06 February 2022) was an Indian playback singer and occasional music composer. She is widely considered to have been the greatest and most influential singers in India. Her con ...

played the background song ''Sri Lanka Ma Priyadara'' for Florida. Her last film appearance came through 1966 film ''Sudu Duwa''. In 1965, she directed and produced the film ''Sweep Ticket'' along with Raja Joshua. This is the first time a woman in Sinhala cinema has directed a feature film.

Filmography

References

External links

First Sri Lankan film that ban in screening
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jayalath, Florida 2007 deaths Sri Lankan actresses Sinhalese actresses 1936 births