Addararachchige Gunendra Kamal (born on 5 February 1962: si, කමල් අද්දරආරච්චි), popularly as Kamal Addararachchi, is an

actor 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 Sri Lankan cinema, theatre and television, as well as a singer and presenter. He made his debut as an actor in

Gamini Fonseka Kala Keerthi Sembuge Gamini Shelton Fonseka () (21 March 1936 - 30 September 2004 as ගාමිණී ෆොන්සේකා), was a Sri Lankan film actor, film director and politician. Often considered as the Greatest Actor in the Sinhal ...

's 1981 film '' Sagarayak Meda'', whilst he was a still a student at school. Since the late 1970s, he has appeared in a variety of roles in many films and teledramas. He has acted in over 40 films, 20 teledramas and 6 stage plays, and won the Sarasaviya Best Actor Award for his role of Sobana in ''Agnidahaya'' in 2002. He also made a mark as a singer in 1993 with "Unmadawoo," a

duet A duet is a musical composition for two performers in which the performers have equal importance to the piece, often a composition involving two singers or two pianists. It differs from a harmony, as the performers take turns performing a solo ...

with Damayanthi Jayasooriya, which featured in the film ''

Saptha Kanya Saptha Kanya ( si, සප්ත කන්‍යා) (''Meaning - Seven Virgins'') (also known as Upper Laxapana Mountain Range) is a mountain range in Maskeliya, Sri Lanka. In Tamil it is known as Anjimalai ( ta, அஞ்சிமலை) (''Me ...

''. He was also the host of the first three seasons of ''

Sirasa Superstar ''Sirasa Superstar'' was a musical reality show conducted in Sri Lanka by the TV channel Sirasa TV. The first four seasons were inspired by the program called American Idol an American singing competition series, the fifth and sixth seasons are si ...

'', a reality show, and first season of ''Hiru Mega Stars''.

Background

He completed education from

Wesley College, Colombo Wesley College, Colombo, popularly known as "Wesley" or "The Double Blues" is a school providing primary and secondary education in Sri Lanka since 1874. Wesley College is a Methodist educational institution. History In 1858, Rev. Joseph Ri ...

. He showed an initial interest in artistic work, and this prompted him to do music,

sinhala literature Sri Lankan literature is the literary tradition of Sri Lanka. The largest part of Sri Lankan literature was written in the Sinhala language, but there is a considerable number of works in other languages used in Sri Lanka over the millennia (inc ...

, Kandyan Dancing and

debating Debate is a process that involves formal discourse on a particular topic, often including a Discussion moderator, moderator and audience. In a debate, arguments are put forward for often opposing viewpoints. Debates have historically occurred ...

, all at the same time. He even worked as the secretary of the 'Sinhala Literary Society' whilst at school. He is married to Anurani Addararachchi and has two sons. He was an English teacher as well.

Career

The play, ''Ane Ablick'', was staged in

Colombo Colombo ( ; si, කොළඹ, translit=Koḷam̆ba, ; ta, கொழும்பு, translit=Koḻumpu, ) is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. According to the Brookings Institution, Colombo me ...

in 1978, marked Kamal's first significant public theatre performance. Addararachchi, who broke into the silver screen with

's Sagarayak Meda rose to immense popularity with hits such as

. He is noted for his performances in films such as ''Saptha Kanya'' by H. D. Premaratne, ''Agnidahaya'' by Jayantha Chandrasiri and teldramas like ''Hiruta Muvaven'' by Herbert Ranjith Peiris, ''Rathu Rosa'' by Ranjan De Silva, and ''

Weda Hamine ''Weda Hamine'' is a 1990 Sri Lankan ayurvedic teledrama broadcast on Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation. This teledrama is directed by Jayantha Chandrasiri and was his first television series. This drama was shot in 1988 and aired in 1990. It tel ...

'' and ''Dandubasna Maanaya'' by Jayantha Chandrasiri. His performance on the mini screen for ''Dandubasna Maanaya'' was twice rewarded at the inaugural Sumathi Tele Awards ceremony in 1995, when he received the award for Best Supporting Actor as well as the Most Popular Actor Award. Kamal consider Dinal Samaranake a leading player as his mentor who was always prepared to offer valuable advice for himself especially when his spirits are down. In July 2012, he appeared his first music video, with

Mahendra Perera Mahendra Shrikantha Perera (born 17 August 1956: si, මහේන්ද්‍ර පෙරේරා), is an actor in Sri Lankan cinema, stage drama and television. One of the most influential actors in Sinhala cinema, Mahendra performed from ...

and Dayan Vitharana, for the song, "Hithagaawa" by Tilan Fernando and directed by Prasanna Andradi. The music video was released in first week of December 2012. He has not appeared in a teledrama since 2005 and not been to a movie in four years since 2017.

Awards

1995 – Sumathi Best Supporting Actor Award
1995 – Sumathi Most Popular Actor Award
1996 – Best Supporting Actor Presidential Award
2002 – Sarasaviya Best Actor Award

Filmography

Songs

References

External links

*
Kamal Addararachchi's Biography in Sinhala Cinema DatabaseKamal Addararachchi Songsනාම යෝජනා නොලැබුණේ ඇයි ?
{{DEFAULTSORT:Addararachchi, Kamal 1962 births Living people 20th-century Sri Lankan male singers Sinhalese male actors Sri Lankan male film actors Alumni of Wesley College, Colombo Sinhalese singers