Rajakaruna Navaratne Atapattu Mudiyanselage Wijeratne Banda Warakagoda, popularly as Wijeratne Warakagoda, is an actor in Sri Lankan cinema, stage drama and television.
18 Facts About Wijeratne Warakagoda
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Career spanning more than six decades, Warakagoda is a singer and a voice artist in Radio Ceylon.
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Wijeratne Warakagoda is best known for the role "Korale Mahaththaya" in radio sitcom Muwan Palessa.
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Wijeratne Warakagoda was born on 21 November 1933, in a small village in Kurunegala although his father's ancestry home town was Warakagoda in Harispattuwa, Kandy.
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Wijeratne Warakagoda's father Madduma Bandara was a police sergeant by profession.
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Wijeratne Warakagoda's mother was Basnayake Mudiyanselage Ran Menika, a housewife.
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Wijeratne Warakagoda studied at St Anne's College Kurunegala for nine years and ended up at Ananda College, Colombo.
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Wijeratne Warakagoda served it for eight years as a Sub Inspector in crime division while he continued acting on stage.
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In 1970, Wijeratne Warakagoda married Chithra Iranganie Jayasinghe, who was a co-actor in Henry Jayasena's stage play Kuveni.
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In 1960 Wijeratne Warakagoda was selected as an A-Grade singer in Radio Ceylon.
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Wijeratne Warakagoda continued to act in many plays produced by Jayasena, such as Apata Puthe Magak Nathe, Mana Ranjana Wada Warjana, Hunuwataye Kathawa and Diriya Mawa Saha Aege Daruwo.
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Sarachchandra continued to grow, where Wijeratne Warakagoda acted his stage plays including, Sinhabahu, Prematho Jayathi Soko, Kapuwa Kapothi Mahasara and Lomahansa.
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Wijeratne Warakagoda then played as "Jasaya" in the stage play Jasaya Lenchina produced by his classmate Dayananda Gunawardena.
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Wijeratne Warakagoda later won Governor's Award for Best Stylized Actor at the 1963 State Drama Festival.
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Wijeratne Warakagoda moved to radio drama as a voice artist for the radio drama Muwan Pelessa one of the longest running radio dramas in the recorded history of Sri Lankan radio.
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Wijeratne Warakagoda played the roles of John Mcwood, Arachchila and Korale, who became the only actor to have acted in 2700 episodes of a radio drama in the history.
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Wijeratne Warakagoda worked as Chief Security Officer of the Oruwala Steel Corporation for few years.
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Wijeratne Warakagoda served as the Deputy Director General on the Tower Hall Theatre Foundation until 1990.