Tennyson Cooray facts for kids

Merengnnage Edward Tennyson Cooray (සිංහල:මෙරෙඤඤගේ එඩ්වඩ් ටෙනිසන් කුරේ) (born April 30, 1952 – died September 28, 2020) was a very famous actor and comedian from Sri Lanka. He was well-known in both movies and plays.

Tennyson Cooray was one of the most popular comedians in Sinhala cinema. His career lasted for over thirty years! He was especially famous for his funny roles in popular movie series like Re Daniel Dawal Migel, Cheriyo, Peralikarayo, Wada Bari Tarzan, and Somy Boys. Besides acting, he also directed movies, wrote scripts, sang, and wrote song lyrics.

About Tennyson Cooray's Life

Tennyson Cooray was born on April 30, 1952, in Weligama, Matara. He was the second child in his family. His father was Catholic, and his mother was Buddhist.

He went to Kesebewa Junior School and then Moratuwa Methodist College. He finished his Ordinary Level exams. Tennyson had one older sister and one younger brother. When he was about ten, his family would go to the temple on Poya days and to church on Sundays. Before becoming an actor, Tennyson studied cars and worked as a ship mechanic.

He was married to Malsiri Eranjani. They had one daughter named Madhumihiri, who is a teacher. Madhumihiri is married to Chathuranga Fernando, and they have two children, Chandru Mithushka and Mindri.

Tennyson Cooray passed away on September 28, 2020, at the National Hospital in Colombo. He was 68 years old and died from a sudden heart attack. His funeral was held on October 1, 2020.

His Amazing Career

Tennyson Cooray started acting when he was a teenager. For about eight years, he performed at church festivals with his friend Percy. He tried to get into movies, but it was hard at first because of how he looked.

His father encouraged him to create his own plays. So, Tennyson wrote a play called Apaaye Thappara 1800. It was a Vesak drama meant to make people think about not doing bad things. This play was shown about 35 times! Later, in the 1990s, it was even made into a film. In 1971, he made a short film called "Hada Aedi Siththam."

Starting in Cinema

Tennyson's first movie role was in Jeewanthi. His career really took off when he met Dinesh Priyasad. They worked together on a short film called "Action."

He became a scriptwriter for Dinesh Priyasad's first movie, Nommara Ekai. Tennyson wrote the story and script, and he also acted in the film. Nommara Ekai was a low-budget movie but became a huge success!

After that, Dinesh Priyasad asked Tennyson to write another script. Tennyson wrote the story for the super hit movie Peralikarayo. This film was not only the most popular movie of 1986 but also earned the most money that year.

Famous Roles and Collaborations

While working on Peralikarayo, Tennyson and Dinesh met Vijaya Kumaratunga, another famous actor. They later worked on Kumaratunga's film Waradata Danduwama. Tennyson also wrote the script for the hit film Demodara Palama, where he played 'Vali Cooray' alongside the legendary Gamini Fonseka.

Tennyson Cooray was great at both movies and stage plays. Some of his popular stage plays include Man The Man, Captain Cool, Sivamma Dhanapala, and I am Sri Lanka. In these plays, he used humor to talk about important issues in society. He made people laugh while also making them think about problems in the country.

He also produced Akikaru Puthraya, which was the first Christian Sinhala film made in 16mm. He produced three stage dramas too: Kurulla, Man The Man, and I am Sri Lanka.

The Comedy Duo

Tennyson Cooray often acted in comedy films with his fellow actor Bandu Samarasinghe. They formed a very popular comedy duo! Their movies together, like Re Daniel Dawal Migel, Cheriyo, Kolompoor, Parliament Jokes, and Somy Boys, were all huge hits. The "Bandu-Tenny duo" created a big wave of comedy movies in the 1990s and early 2000s.

Around 2010, a newspaper called Sarasaviya published a weekly Q&A series with Tennyson called 'Tennysongen Ahanna'. It was very popular because his answers to readers' questions were hilarious!

Directing and Awards

Tennyson Cooray wrote the story for the film Kolompoor, where he acted with Bandu. It was a blockbuster movie. In 2001, Tennyson directed his first movie, the comedy film Thank You Berty. He also acted in it with Bandu Samarasinghe. Later, in 2015, he directed another home movie called Eya Thamai Meya.

In 2018, Tennyson acted with Bandu again in the film Yama Raja Siri after 10 years. In the same year, he performed in the comedy play Reliy Remix. He won the award for the Best Comedian at the 2018 Derana Lux Film Awards for his role in the film Kota Uda Express.

Selected Stage Plays

Filmography