Lakshman Mendis

He was born on 19 May 1955 in Colombo, Sri Lanka. His father Reggie Mendis was a former member of the Central Committee of the Lanka Sama Samaja Party (LSSP).{{Cite web |title=I received the character of a leader who acted against my father: Lakshman Mendis |url=https://mirrorarts.lk/chat/4228-lakshman-mendis-ds |access-date=2021-06-01 |website=mirrorarts}} Born in Moratuwa, Reggie was a church clerk as a child. Reggie was the Secretary of the Board of Education of the ancient Lanka Sama Samaja Party in the past and considered the crucial role of educating his party members to be trained and experienced in Marxism today. In the early 1940s he joined the Bolshevik Leninist Party. Meanwhile, The British government had issued an order to shoot Reggie at the scene. His leadership in Pettah Place during the 1953 nationwide Hartal War was prominent. As the LSSP leaders descend from City Hall in 1955 rally, one of the robed men, detonated a bombed. Reggie's hand was broken near his wrist when he was hit by an oncoming bomb to protect Colvin R. de Silva. Reggie died on 24 January year 2000.{{Cite web |title=Reggie Mendis: A perfect man who is not divided on the inside |url=http://www.jdslanka.org/s/index.php/2014-12-20-03-13-45/2014-12-20-03-18-29/233-2015-01-23-08-30-27 |access-date=2021-06-01 |website=Journalists for Democracy in Sri Lanka (JDS Sri Lanka)}}

Lakshman completed education at Royal College, Colombo. In the early days, he worked as a clerk in the Embilipitiya paper mill. But he was expelled for political reasons. He was the Paper Mills trade unions joint committee secretary in 1977.{{Cite web |title=Pathi is like my second dad: Lakshman Mendis |url=https://www.anidda.lk/පතී-මගේ-දෙවැනි-තාත්තා-වගේ/ |access-date=2021-06-01 |website=Anidda}} Then under the guidance of his father's friend, Mendis studied gemology and ran the gem business for 11 years. He later became a successful gem merchant in Kahawatta. Being a close friend of late Wijaya Kumarathunga he was elected as one of those three coordinating Secretaries of Mahajana Party for the electorate of Nivithigala. In 1989 when the JVP insurgencies came to peak Lakshman decided to evacuate Kahawaththa and self exile to his hometown Colombo where he started to help one of his close friend Winil who has begun to produce a film with Dinesh Priyasad. Meantime Lakshman had already acted in five tele dramas since 1985 and three of them were directed by Dr. Dharmasena Pathiraja who was using the medium as a revolutionary art. Pathiraja started his masterpiece ‘Kadulla’ for the television at the same time and Lakshman was involved in acting his memorable character ‘Jundaiya’ in that series.{{Cite web |title=More than three hundred characters have been rejected: Lakshman Mendis |url=http://www.aruna.lk/චරිත-තුන්සීයකට-වඩා-ප්%e2%80%8dරත/ |access-date=2021-06-01 |website=Aruna}}

He is married to Geetha Shyamali of Balangoda. The couple has one son and one daughter. His son is studying gemology at the University of Moratuwa and is involved in the gem business. The daughter is studying psychology at the University of Cambridge, England.

At the age of 29, Lakshaman started his career in 1985 acting in a documentary tele drama Gangulen Egodata directed by his friend Dr. Dharmasena Pathiraja. In 1995, Pathiraja made a teledrama called Nadunana Puththu, where Mendis worked as a Production manager. Inspired by that serial, Sudath Mahadivulwewa did a similar teledrama with the title Dalulana Gini. Mendis played the supportive role 'Renganathan' in the serial, even though he did not get the role of father.{{Cite web |title=Lakshman Mendis, who created the DS character on the silver screen; At age 61, I even learned to ride horses! |url=https://divaina.com/sunday/index.php/visheshanga2/6529-61 |access-date=2021-06-01 |website=Divaina}} In 1996, he made a critics acclaimed role 'Bryan' in the film thriller film Demodara Palama directed by Dinesh Priyasad, where he later won the Best Upcoming Actor award at 24th Sarasaviya Festival. In 2007, he won the Merit award for Best Performances at 32nd Sarasaviya Festival for the role in the film Anjalika.

In 2012, he acted in the political thriller Koombiyo directed by Lakmal Darmarathna. The serial was telecast in 2016 in ITN where it became the highest rated crime television drama on IMDb database receiving a score of 9.9/10 in which resulted by majority voting 10/10.{{Cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/search/title|title=IMDb: Highest Rated Crime TV Series/TV Mini-Series With At Least 5000 Votes|website=IMDb|access-date=2017-10-30}}{{cite news|url=http://www.asianmirror.lk/news/item/25809-sri-lanka-s-koombiyo-becomes-the-highest-rated-crime-tv-series-on-imdb|title=Sri Lanka's Koombiyo Becomes The Highest Rated Crime TV Series On IMDB|publisher=Asian Mirror|date=October 25, 2017 |accessdate=2017-10-30}} In 2016, he was invited to play the lead role in the biopic film Nidahase Piya DS directed by Suneth Malinga Lokuhewa. When the director informed Mendis about the biopic, he was bit confused as he is a member of the left wing where Mendia politically had a problem. When Mendis could not find an answer to this question, he met Pathiraja and asked him about this.{{Cite web |title=DS on one side and Wijeweera on the other: Lakshman Mendis |url=http://www.sarasaviya.lk/interviews/2018/10/25/273/එක-පැත්තක-ඩීඑස්-අනෙක්-පැත්තේ-විජේවීර |access-date=2021-06-01 |website=Sarasaviya}} After positive response from the film crew, Mendis consented to take on the role. The film was later screened in 2018 and received positive reviews for his character. In the same year, he joined the stage play Handa Nihanda produced by Jayalath Manoratne.{{Cite web |title=This is an introduction to seven of Manorathna's plays |url=http://www.sarasaviya.lk/stage-dramas/2020/01/16/14735/මේ-මනෝරත්නගේ-නාට්%E2%80%8Dය-හතක්-ගැන-හැඳින්වීමක් |access-date=2021-06-01 |website=Sarasaviya}}

In 2017, Lakshman acted in the drama serial Maddahana directed by Sumith Ratnayake.{{Cite web |title=To me this is like a pacifist: Sumith Ratnayake |url=https://www.mawratanews.lk/heart/මට-මේක-ශාන්තිකර්මයක්-වගේ/ |access-date=2021-06-01 |website=Mawrata News}} He won the award for the Best Supporting Actor at both Raigam Tele'es and Sumathi Awards for this role.{{cite web|title=Raigam Tele'es 2016 award winners|url=http://www.sarasaviya.lk/2017/06/29/?fn=sa1706298|publisher=Sarasaviya}}{{cite web|title=ITN again shines at the Sumathi Awards Festival clinching 16 Awards|url=http://www.itnnews.lk/local-news/itn-again-shines-at-the-sumathi-awards-festival-clinching-16-awards/|publisher=ITN News}} In 2019, he was elected as the Secretary of the Sinhala Cultural Institute commonly known as Sudarshi.{{Cite web |title=Vijay's dirty words hit me hard: Lakshman Mendis |url=https://www.deshaya.lk/article/52/හදසර/13048/විජයගේ-කුණු-වචන-ටික--මට-ටක්කෙටම-වැදුණා |access-date=2021-06-01 |website=Deshaya}}{{Cite web |title=W. Jayasiri and Lakshman Mendis to the top board of Sudarshi |url=https://mirrorarts.lk/ar/news/5658-sudarshi-190815 |access-date=2021-06-01 |website=mirrorarts}} In 2020, he appeared in two television serials: Ahanna Kenek Na and Sudu Andagena Kalu Awidin, both received several awards at local festivals.

• Ahanna Kenek Na as Dunsten Madugalle {{cite web |url=http://www.sarasaviya.lk/news/2020/07/30/18137/සුනිල්-කොස්තා-අහන්න-කෙනෙක්-නෑ-අරඹයි |title='Ahanna Kenek Na' by Sunil Costa |publisher=Sarasaviya |access-date=26 September 2019}}
• Ambu Daruwo {{cite web | url=http://www.sundaytimes.lk/011202/tv.html | title='Ambu Daruwo':Sudath Rohana's new creation | publisher=Sunday Times | access-date=16 August 2019}}
• Ehipillamak Yata {{cite web | url=http://www.sundaytimes.lk/090614/Magazine/sundaytimestvtimes_08.html | title=A tale of a teacher | publisher=The Sunday Times| access-date=24 March 2017}}
• Gangulen Egodata as Sirisena
• Indrakeelaya {{cite web |url=http://www.sundaytimes.lk/001217/tv.html |title='Indrakeelaya': tale of woman facing a bitter experience |publisher=Sunday Times |access-date=19 September 2019}}
• Kadulla
• Kampitha Vil {{cite web | url=http://www.sundaytimes.lk/080427/TV/tv-times000010.html| title='Kampitha Vill' shows the life and times of people in 'Panama' | publisher=Sunday Times | access-date=23 September 2019}}
• Kaluwara Anduna {{cite web | url=http://www.sundaytimes.lk/011223/tv.html | title=Story of a village in turmoil | publisher=Sunday Times | access-date=16 August 2019}}
• Koombiyo as Dissanayake {{cite web |access-date=2017-10-01 |url=http://www.gossipclanka.com/post.php?go=2251 |title=අද සිද්ධවෙන්නෙ... නළු නිළියන් මඩවන වැඩ. ලක්ෂ්මන් මෙන්ඩිස් |language=si |archive-date=2017-10-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171003173154/http://www.gossipclanka.com/post.php?go=2251 |url-status=dead }}
• Maddahana as Jayasundara
• Maha Polowa as Kabara
• Mama Nemei Mama {{cite web | url=http://www.sundaytimes.lk/040815/tv/4.html | title='Mama Nowei Mama': An unusual film | publisher=Sunday Times| access-date=17 July 2019}}
• Murugasan and rain
• One Way
• Paanamankada
• Sadgunaakaaraya
• Samanala Wasanthaya
• Sudu Andagena Kalu Awidin as Prof. Amarapala {{cite web |url=http://www.mawbima.lk/sunday-mawbima/10/sundaymawbima-more/1003|title=Sudu Andagena Kalu Avidin in sri lanka Rupavahini Corporation |publisher=Mawbima|language=Sinhala|date=23 March 2019|accessdate=23 March 2019}}
• Vinivindimi Andura {{cite web |url=http://www.sundaytimes.lk/060430/tv/6.html |title=Top short stories on mini screen |publisher=Sunday times |access-date=17 November 2017}}

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Category:Living people

Category:1955 births

Category:Sri Lankan male film actors

Category:Sri Lankan male television actors

Category:Sri Lankan businesspeople