Rita Irene Koys (July 1, 1929 – May 11, 2009), better known as Shanthi Lekha, was a

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

n Film actress. She played the role of mother in more films than any other actress in Sinhala cinema.

Personal life

Lekha was born in

Kalutara Kalutara (, ) or Kalutota is a major city in Kalutara District, Western Province, Sri Lanka. It is also the administrative capital of Kalutara District. It is located approximately south of the capital Colombo. The city holds a unique posit ...

on July 1, 1929. She received her stage name from her first husband Shanthi Viraj. They had first met while she was attending Holy Family Convent in Kalutara. She died in France May 11, 2009.Renowned Sri Lankan actress Shanthi Lekha passes away
''ColomboPage'' Retrieved on 2009-05-12

Career

She starred in composer D. T. Fernando's play ''Shantha Prabha'' (1942). She subsequently made a mark as a dancer in plays starring Dommie Jayawardena and Nona Subeda. With Jayawardena, Lekha had her first film role in '' Sujatha'' (1953). Wearing a bathing suit, she danced along with Jayawardena to the song "Pem Rella Nagi." The role came with a payment of Rs. 500 and a contract prohibiting her from doing films for other production companies. The producer K. Gunaratnam would subsequently offer her roles in ''Warada Kageda'', ''Radala Piliruwa'' and ''Dosthara''. Lekha first played a mother in '' Sandesaya'' (1960). She would play this role in over 350 films. Lekha won Best Supporting Actress Awards at the Sarasaviya Film Festival for Gamini Fonseka's ''Parasathu Mal'' (1968) and Mudalinayaka Somaratne's ''Binaramali'' (1969). She also won Presidential Awards for ''Mayurige Kathawa'' and ''Ridi Nimnaya''.

Filmography

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lekha, Shanthi Sri Lankan film actresses 1929 births 2009 deaths 20th-century Sri Lankan actresses