Veteran actor Amarasiri Kalansuriya, who was another pioneer of Sinhala cinema, passed away today (01). He died at the age of 82, marking an immortal and celebrated life in Sinhala cinema.
He was born September 20, 1940 in Meepawala village of Kandy district and was educated at Kiribatkumbura Sri Swarnajothi Vidyalaya and Kandy Dharmaraja College. Then he worked as a minor servant in the Department of Agriculture and joined as a soldier in the Second Volunteer Lion Regiment .He left the tegiment after six years and start the life as a businessman in kandy and gampola.
He was selected as the main actor in the film ”RayathDavalath” produced by the Kingswood College Photographic Society as a 88 mm short film. Then joined the cinema by playing a charactor of university student in the romantic film Hanthane karhawa, with Wijaya Kumaranathunga and swaena mallawaarachchi . It was directed by Sugathapala Senarath Yapa. Later, he contributed to Dharmasena Pathiraja’s Ahas Gauva, Lester James Peirce’s Akkara Paha and Ranjith Lal’s Nimvalalla, and won the fanfare as a talented actor.
He won the Critics Award for his performance in the 1974 film Ahas Gauva. He was honored by OCIC and ”Saeasavi award” for his performance in HD Premaratne’s “Parithyagaya” and was awarded as the best supporting actor for Puja in 1986.
His talents were also seen in the films Bambaru evith, Anupama, Podi Malli, Kanchana, Vajira, Sakvithi Suva, Pooja, Podi Vijay.
He also participated in teleplays too. He acted in Sri Lanka’s first television drama, Dimuthu Muthu, directed by D. B. Nihalsinghe, playing the role of Jayasena with Devika Mihirani