Nita Fernando (born 5 September 1947, නීටා ප්රනාන්දු) in
Negombo
Negombo (, ) is a major city in Sri Lanka, situated on the west coast and at the mouth of the Negombo Lagoon, in Western Province, from Colombo via Colombo - Katunayake Expressway.
Negombo is one of the major commercial hubs in the country an ...
, Sri Lanka is an actress in the Sri Lankan cinema. She has starred in films like ''
Duhulu Malak'' and ''Pavuru Walalu''.
Biography
Early life
Nita Fernando was the eldest of four children. She studied at Holy Family Convent Wennappuwa.
Personal life
Fernando gave up acting after her marriage to lawyer Elian Perera in 1975 and moved to Canada where she worked as receptionist at the Montreal General Hospital.
Career
Nita Fernando made her screen debut in ''Landaka Mahima'' alongside
Joe Abeywickrama
Deshabandu Gammana Patabendige Don John Abeywickrama ( Sinhala:ජෝ අබේවික්රම) (22 June 1927 – 21 September 2011), popularly as Joe Abeywickrama, was an actor in Sri Lankan cinema, theater and television. Initially famed ...
in 1965. Over the next eight years, she made over 40 films e.g. ''
Duhulu Malak'', ''Lasanda'', ''Hadawath Neththo'', ''Mangala'', ''Wasana'' and ''Shanthi''.
Fernando obtained her first film role in
Gamini Fonseka
Kala Keerthi Sembuge Gamini Shelton Fonseka () (21 March 1936 - 30 September 2004 as :si:ගාමිණී ෆොන්සේකා, ගාමිණී ෆොන්සේකා), was a Cinema of Sri Lanka, Sri Lankan film actor, film director ...
's ''Parasathu Mal''. She was unable to appear in the film however because her parents didn't approve. Discouraged, she toyed with the idea of becoming a teacher before she returned to acting after finishing schooling. Her interest in film was supported by her uncle.
In 1983 she briefly returned to film, producing and starring in ''Sooriyakantha''. She kept a low profile subsequently until 1998 when she played Violet in the
Prasanna Vithanage
Udaya Prasanna Vithanage ( si, ප්රසන්න විතානගේ) (born 14 March 1962) is a Sri Lankan filmmaker. He is considered one of the pioneers of the third generation of the Sri Lankan cinema. He has directed eight feature ...
film ''Pavuru Walalu''.
The role won her international acclaim netting her a Best Actress Award at the 1998 International Singapore Film Festival,
the ''Vishwa Kirthie'' award, Presidential award and the Critics award in 1999 and OCIC award for Best Actress in 2000 in Sri Lanka.
In 2020, she won the Best Actress award at the 2019 Nice International Film Festival in France.
Filmography
References
External links
*
Nita Fernando's Biography in Sinhala Cinema DatabaseOfficial Website - National Film Corporation of Sri Lankaපේමක්කා මගේ හිතේ ඉහළම තැනක රැඳී ඉන්නවා
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fernando, Nita
Living people
Sri Lankan film actresses
20th-century Sri Lankan actresses
21st-century Sri Lankan actresses
People from Negombo
Kala Suri
1947 births