Geetha Kumarasinghe facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Hon. Geetha Kumarasinghe
ගීතා කුමාරසිංහ கீதா குமாரசிங்க
Kumarasinghe in 2023
Minister of State for Women and Child Affairs
In office 8 September 2022 – 10 September 2022
President	Ranil Wickremesinghe
Prime Minister	Dinesh Gunawardena
Minister of State for Cultural and Performing Arts
In office 18 April 2022 – 9 May 2022
President	Gotabaya Rajapaksa
Prime Minister	Mahinda Rajapaksa
Member of Parliament for Galle District
In office 20 August 2020 – 24 September 2022
Majority	63,357 Preferential Votes
In office 1 September 2015 – 3 May 2017
Succeeded by	Piyasena Gamage
Majority	63,955 Preferential Votes
Personal details
Born	Kumara Vidugalage Dona Geetha Samanmalee Kumarasinghe (1955-07-05) 5 July 1955 (age 69) Badulla, Sri Lanka
Political party	Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna
Spouse	Chris Fuhrer Ferdinand (m 1977; div 2018)
Residence	Galle
Alma mater	Sangamitta Girls College
Occupation	Film actress
Awards	Sarasaviya Best Actress Award Sarasaviya Most Popular Actress Award

Kumara Vidugalage Dona Geetha Samanmalee Kumarasinghe (born 5 July 1955), known as Geetha Kumarasinghe, is a famous Sri Lankan film actress and politician. She was a Member of Parliament and also served as the State Minister of Women and Child Affairs.

Geetha Kumarasinghe started her acting career in 1975. Her first film was Wasana, but Lassana Kella was released earlier. People often called her "the prettiest girl" in Sri Lankan cinema. She has acted in over 80 movies. She won the Sarasaviya Best Actress Award four times. She also received the Sarasaviya Most Popular Actress Award many times.

Her Early Life

Geetha Kumarasinghe was born on July 5, 1955, in Hamburugala village, Sri Lanka. She was the oldest child in her family. Her father, Wijepala Kumarasinghe, worked at the Navy Headquarters. He was also a journalist. Her mother, Udulawathi Siriwardena, was a housewife.

Geetha grew up in Bentara and Elpitiya. She went to Elpitiya Ananda College and Holy Family Convent. She was a good netball player in school. She has five younger sisters and two younger brothers.

Her Acting Career

From a young age, Geetha showed talent in singing and dancing. She acted in school plays. Her father did not want her to become a film actress at first.

In 1973, when she was 16, Geetha won a beauty competition. Her aunt was friends with famous director Lester James Peiris. Geetha used to visit her aunt's house and pretend to be an actress.

Before her first film was even released, Geetha signed contracts for 21 movies. This was a record in Sri Lankan cinema. Her first film, Wasana, came out in 1975. Geetha has acted in films from different countries, including Pakistan, India, Japan, and France. She even acted with the famous Indian actor Sivaji Ganesan in the Tamil film Mohana Punnagai.

Geetha was praised for her roles in films like Pembara Madhu and Palama Yata. For Palama Yata, she was both the lead actress and the producer. This film won her many awards, including Best Actress and Best Producer. It was also very successful in cinemas.

In 2006, Geetha launched her official website. As a producer, she also made films like Salambak Handai and Loku Duwa. Her films Palama Yata and Loku Duwa both won Best Film Awards at the Sarasaviya Awards Festival.

Awards and Recognition

Geetha Kumarasinghe has won many awards for her acting and producing. Here are some of her notable awards:

Her Political Journey

Geetha Kumarasinghe became involved in politics. She supported Mahinda Rajapakse in the 2010 presidential elections. She tried to get elected in the 2010 general elections but was not successful.

In 2014, she ran for the provincial council elections and became a counselor. In 2015, Geetha was elected to the 15th Sri Lankan Parliament from the Galle Electoral District. She received many votes.

However, in 2017, a court ruled that she could not be a Member of Parliament. This was because she held citizenship in both Sri Lanka and Switzerland. The law in Sri Lanka says that a person cannot be a Member of Parliament if they have dual citizenship.

Filmography

Geetha Kumarasinghe stopped acting in films after Randiya Dahara to focus on politics. After 10 years, she played a small role in Siri Daladagamanaya in 2014.

• No. shows the number of the Sri Lankan film in the country's cinema history.