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 – 24 September 2024
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 2024
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 70) 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

Geetha Kumarasinghe, born Kumara Vidugalage Dona Geetha Samanmalee Kumarasinghe on July 5, 1955, is a well-known Sri Lankan film actress and politician. She was a Member of Parliament and served as the State Minister for Women and Child Affairs from 2022 to 2024.

She started her acting career in 1975. Her first film was Wasana, directed by K. A. W. Perera. However, the film Lassana Kella by Neil Rupasinghe was released earlier. Geetha Kumarasinghe is often called "the prettiest girl" in Sri Lankan cinema. She has acted in over 80 movies. She has won the Sarasaviya Best Actress Award four times and the Sarasaviya Most Popular Actress Award several times.

Early Life and Education

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

Geetha grew up in Bentara and Elpitiya. She went to school at Elpitiya Ananda College, Aluthgama, and Holy Family Convent, Kalutara. She was a talented netball player during her school days. She has five younger sisters and two younger brothers.

Becoming an Actress

From a young age, Geetha showed a talent for singing and dancing. She performed in school plays, like playing 'Kundalakeshi' in Chora Pabbatha. Her father did not initially want her to become a film actress.

In 1973, when she was 16, Geetha won the 'Avurudu Rupa Sundari' beauty competition. Her mother was always with her during this time. Her aunt was friends with the famous director Lester James Peiris. Her aunt's house was even used as a filming location for his movie Ransalu. As a child, Geetha would visit her aunt's house and pretend to be her favorite actress, Punya Heendeniya.

Film Debut and International Roles

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, was released in 1975. However, Lassana Kella was shown in cinemas first.

Geetha Kumarasinghe has acted in many different types of roles. She has also appeared in films from other countries, including Pakistani, Hindi, Japanese, Tamil, and French productions. In 1981, she acted alongside the famous actor Sivaji Ganesan in the Tamil film Mohana Punnagai.

In 1976, while filming Podi Malli, she was in a car accident. She later had plastic surgery on her face.

Award-Winning Performances

Geetha Kumarasinghe received great praise for her acting in many roles. Some of her notable characters include 'Dulcie' in Pembara Madhu, 'Dotty' in Palama Yata, 'Punna' in Lokuduwa, and 'Amali' in Ran Diya Dahara.

She was the lead actress and producer for the film Palama Yata, which was based on a novel. For this film, she won 10 awards at the 1991 Sarasaviya Awards, 9 awards at the Swarna Sankha Awards, and 7 OCIC Awards, totaling 26 awards. She won both Best Actress and Best Producer for Palama Yata. This film was also very successful, playing for 100 days straight at the Regal Cinema. Geetha also represented Sri Lanka with this film at the 1990 Singapore International Film Festival.

As a film producer, she also produced the films Salambak Handai, Loku Duwa, Anuragaye Ananthaya, Wasuli, and Geetha. Both Palama Yata and Loku Duwa won her the Best Film Awards at the Sarasaviya Awards Festival.

Political Career

Geetha Kumarasinghe became involved in politics. She supported Mahinda Rajapakse in the 2010 presidential elections. She ran for general elections in 2010 but was not successful.

In 2014, she ran for the provincial council elections and became a counselor at the Southern Provincial Council.

She then ran for the 2015 Parliamentary Election from the Galle District. She was elected to the 15th Sri Lankan Parliament with many votes.

On May 3, 2017, a Sri Lankan court ruled that she could not be a Member of Parliament. This was because she held citizenship in both Sri Lanka and Switzerland. Sri Lanka's constitution states that a person cannot be elected to parliament if they have dual citizenship. She appealed this decision, but the Supreme Court confirmed that she was disqualified.

Filmography

Geetha Kumarasinghe's first film was Wasana, but Lassana Kella was released earlier in 1975. She stopped acting in films after the award-winning movie Randiya Dahara to focus on her political career. However, after 10 years, she played a small role in Siri Daladagamanaya in 2014.