Sodsai Pantoomkomol produced numerous theatrical works throughout her career, and was named National Artist in 2011.
16 Facts About Sodsai Pantoomkomol
1.
2.
Sodsai Pantoomkomol Vanijvadhana was born on 18 March 1934 in Bangkok, Siam, to Subhajaya Vanijvadhana, professor and head of the Biology Department at Chulalongkorn University, and Prayongsi Vanijvadhana.
3.
Sodsai Pantoomkomol attended Mater Dei School, and enrolled at Chulalongkorn's Faculty of Arts.
4.
Sodsai Pantoomkomol graduated Bachelor of Arts with honors, and subsequently received a Fulbright scholarship to study teaching English as a foreign language in the United States.
5.
Sodsai Pantoomkomol enrolled at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she caught up on drama courses including acting, directing and playwriting.
6.
Sodsai Pantoomkomol received a record offer with Liberty Records and released an exotica album Sondi in 1959.
7.
Sodsai Pantoomkomol transferred to the University of California, Los Angeles upon the suggestion of her advisers, to be able to pursue more career opportunities.
8.
Sodsai Pantoomkomol was then offered a seven-year contract with 20th Century-Fox Television, which she declined, settling for a two-year scholarship and training program instead.
9.
Sodsai Pantoomkomol appeared in Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer and The Case of the Dangerous Robin.
10.
Sodsai Pantoomkomol represented Thailand in the Miss Universe 1959 beauty pageant, where she won the Miss Friendship Award.
11.
Sodsai Pantoomkomol pioneered the field, establishing the Faculty's Department of Dramatic Arts in 1970.
12.
Sodsai Pantoomkomol developed curricula based on the theories and practices of Western theater, and helped lay out the foundations of drama education in both tertiary and secondary institutions, as well as in professional circles.
13.
Sodsai Pantoomkomol produced many works, writing and directing numerous plays, as well as editing, acting and composing.
14.
Sodsai Pantoomkomol translated and presented works of Western drama, including The Glass Menagerie and Hedda Gabler, for the Thai audience.
15.
Sodsai Pantoomkomol directed television dramas, winning a Mekhala Award for her 1984 adaptation of Chart Korbjitti's novel Kham Phiphaksa, which she applied Western technics in directing.
16.
In recognition of her contributions to the field, Sodsai Pantoomkomol was named a National Artist in performing arts for 2011, and received the Dushdi Mala Medal in 2014.