READ Famous People From Sri Lanka

Reference
17.9k views 1,008 items

List of famous people from Sri Lanka, including photos when available. The people below are listed by their popularity, so the most recognizable names are at the top of the list. Some of the people below are celebrities born in Sri Lanka, while others are simply notable locals. If you're from Sri Lanka you might already know that these prominent figures are also from your hometown, but some of the names below may really surprise you. This list includes people who were born and raised in Sri Lanka, as well as those who were born there but moved away at a young age.

List features people like Ivan Corea, Vivimarie Vanderpoorten and more!

If you want to answer the questions, "Which famous people are from Sri Lanka?" or "Which celebrities were born in Sri Lanka?" then this list is a great resource for you.

Gamini Dissanayake is listed (or ranked) 1 on the list Famous People From Sri Lanka
Died at 52 (1942-1994) Lionel Gamini Dissanayake was a prominent Sri Lankan politician and a former presidential candidate and Leader of the Opposition.

Lakshman Kadirgamar is listed (or ranked) 2 on the list Famous People From Sri Lanka
Died at 73 (1932-2005) Sri Lankabhimanya Lakshman Kadirgamar PC was a Sri Lankan Tamil diplomat, politician and a lawyer. He served as Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sri Lanka from 1994 to 2001 and again from April ...more

Shyam Selvadurai is listed (or ranked) 3 on the list Famous People From Sri Lanka
age 53 Shyam Selvadurai is a Sri Lankan Canadian novelist who wrote Funny Boy, which won the Books in Canada First Novel Award, and Cinnamon Gardens. He currently lives in Toronto with his partner ...more

Parami Kulatunga is listed (or ranked) 4 on the list Famous People From Sri Lanka
Died at 56 (1950-2006) Lieutenant General Parami Sugandika Bandara Kulatunga RSP, VSV, USP, GW was Deputy Chief of Staff of the Sri Lanka Army, its third highest-ranking officer. On the morning of 26 June, he was ...more

Ananda Coomaraswamy is listed (or ranked) 5 on the list Famous People From Sri Lanka
Died at 70 (1877-1947) Ananda Kentish Coomaraswamy was a Ceylonese Tamil philosopher and metaphysician, as well as a pioneering historian and philosopher of Indian art, particularly art history and symbolism, and an ...more

Lakshman Algama is listed (or ranked) 6 on the list Famous People From Sri Lanka
Died at 59 (1940-1999) Major-General Chulasoka Lakshman "Lucky" Algama VSV, USP, ndc, psc was a former Chief of Staff of the Sri Lanka Army and a United National Party activist after retirement. Lucky Algama ...more

Ranjan Wijeratne is listed (or ranked) 7 on the list Famous People From Sri Lanka
Died at 60 (1931-1991) General Ranjan Wijeratne was the former Sri Lankan Cabinet Minister of foreign affairs, Minister of State for defence and Minister of plantation industries from 1989 to 1991 in President ...more

Michael Ondaatje is listed (or ranked) 8 on the list Famous People From Sri Lanka
age 74 Philip Michael Ondaatje, OC, is a Sri Lankan-born Canadian novelist and poet. He won the Booker Prize for his novel The English Patient.

T. Maheswaran is listed (or ranked) 9 on the list Famous People From Sri Lanka
Died at 42 (1966-2008) T. Maheswaran was an ethnic Tamil Sri Lankan Member of Parliament from Colombo. He belonged to the main opposition United National Party and was critic of Rajapakse government's war against ...more

Rohana Wijeweera is listed (or ranked) 10 on the list Famous People From Sri Lanka
Died at 46 (1943-1989) Patabendi Don Nandasiri Wijeweera or Rohana Wijeweera was a Sri Lankan Marxist politician, rebel and the founding leader of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna. Wijeweera led the party in two ...more

Mahinda Rajapaksa is listed (or ranked) 11 on the list Famous People From Sri Lanka
age 72 Percy Mahendra "Mahinda" Rajapaksa was the 6th President of Sri Lanka and Commander in Chief of the Sri Lankan Armed Forces, who served from 19 November 2005 to 9 January 2015. A ...more

Balangoda Ananda Maitreya Ther... is listed (or ranked) 12 on the list Famous People From Sri Lanka
Died at 102 (1896-1998) Agga Maha Pandita Balangoda Ananda Maitreya Thero was a Sri Lankan scholar monk and a personality of Theravada Buddhism in the twentieth century. He is regarded as one of the most respected Sri ...more

Nimal Siripala de Silva is listed (or ranked) 13 on the list Famous People From Sri Lanka
age 73 Nilenthi Nimal Siripala de Silva MP is current opposition leader of Sri Lanka Freedom Party and a Member of Parliament representing the Badulla District He is Lawyer a by profession & was ...more

Henepola Gunaratana is listed (or ranked) 14 on the list Famous People From Sri Lanka
Henepola Gunaratana age 90 Bhante Henepola Gunaratana is a Sri Lankan Theravada Buddhist monk. He is often affectionately known as Bhante G.

Anagarika Dharmapala is listed (or ranked) 15 on the list Famous People From Sri Lanka
Died at 69 (1864-1933) Anagarika Dharmapala was a Sri Lankan Buddhist revivalist and writer. He was one of the founding contributors of non-violent Sinhalese Buddhist Nationalism and Buddhism. He was also a pioneer in ...more

Gamini Haththotuwegama is listed (or ranked) 16 on the list Famous People From Sri Lanka
Died at 70 (1939-2009) Gamini Kalyanadarsha Haththotuwegama was a Sri Lankan playwright, director, actor, critic and educator. He was widely known as the father of Sri Lanka's modern street theatre. He was among the ...more

W. D. Amaradeva is listed (or ranked) 17 on the list Famous People From Sri Lanka
W. D. Amaradeva age 89 Wannakuwatta Mitiwaduge Don Albert Perera in Moratuwa, Sri Lanka, better known by his adopted name Amaradeva, is a Sri Lankan vocalist, violinist and composer. Primarily using traditional ...more

Radhika Sarathkumar is listed (or ranked) 18 on the list Famous People From Sri Lanka
age 55 Raadhika Sarathkumar is an Indian television and film actress, entrepreneur and producer. She is the founder of Radaan Mediaworks India Limited, which has produced successful serials Chitti, ...more

Arunachalam Mahadeva is listed (or ranked) 19 on the list Famous People From Sri Lanka
Died at 84 (1885-1969) Sir Arunachalam Mahadeva, KCMG was a Sri Lankan, prominent colonial era legislator and diplomat. He was Minister of Home Affaires of the State Council and Ceylon's High Commissioner to India. ...more

Cecil Balmond is listed (or ranked) 20 on the list Famous People From Sri Lanka
age 75 Cecil Balmond OBE is a Sri Lankan – British designer, artist, architect, and writer. In 1968 Balmond joined Ove Arup & Partners, leading him to become deputy chairman. In 2000 he founded ...more

Devaka Fernando is listed (or ranked) 21 on the list Famous People From Sri Lanka
Devaka Fernando Professor Devaka J S Fernando MBBS MSc MD FRCP FCCP FCGPSL was a Sri Lankan physician and academic between 1990 and 2004. President of the Osteoporosis Society of Sri Lanka and Foundation ...more

Anarkalli Aakarsha is listed (or ranked) 22 on the list Famous People From Sri Lanka
age 30 Anarkalli Aakarssha is an award winning Sri Lankan film and teledrama actress, model,singer, TV presenter and a politician. She was crowned Miss Sri Lanka 2004 and represented Sri Lanka at the ...more

Stanley Jeyaraja Tambiah is listed (or ranked) 23 on the list Famous People From Sri Lanka
Died at 85 (1929-2014) Stanley Jeyaraja Tambiah was a social anthropologist and Esther and Sidney Rabb Professor of Anthropology at Harvard University. He specialised in studies of Thailand, Sri Lanka, and Tamils, as ...more

Raj Rajaratnam is listed (or ranked) 24 on the list Famous People From Sri Lanka
age 60 Raj Rajaratnam is a Sri Lankan American former hedge fund manager and billionaire founder of the Galleon Group, a New York-based hedge fund management firm. On October 16, 2009, he was arrested ...more

Ray Wijewardene is listed (or ranked) 25 on the list Famous People From Sri Lanka
Died at 86 (1924-2010) Deshamanya Vidya Jyothi Dr Philip Revatha "Ray" Wijewardene was a Sri Lankan Engineer, Aviator, Inventor and Olympian athlete. He was an authority on tropical farming and natural ...more

Rajiva Wijesinha is listed (or ranked) 26 on the list Famous People From Sri Lanka
age 63 Rajiva Wijesinha, MA, DPhil is a Sri Lankan writer in English, distinguished for his political analysis as well as creative and critical work. An academic by profession for much of his working ...more

Dayan Jayatilleka is listed (or ranked) 27 on the list Famous People From Sri Lanka
age 61 Dayan Jayatilleka is a Sri Lankan Diplomat, Political scientist and an author. He was Ex Minister of Planning & Youth Affairs in the North-East Provincial Council in 1988–89 and also served ...more

Gamini Fonseka is listed (or ranked) 28 on the list Famous People From Sri Lanka
Died at 68 (1936-2004) Sembuge Gamini Shelton Fonseka was a Sri Lankan film actor, film director and politician. Fonseka was born on 21 March 1936 in Dehiwela the third child of William and Daisy Fonseka. Starting ...more

Kumar Sangakkara is listed (or ranked) 29 on the list Famous People From Sri Lanka
age 40 Kumar Chokshanada Sangakkara is a professional Sri Lankan Test cricketer, a former one-day and T20 player, and former captain of the Sri Lankan national team. He is widely regarded as one of the ...more

K. N. Jayatilleke is listed (or ranked) 30 on the list Famous People From Sri Lanka
Died at 50 (1920-1970) Kulatissa Nanda Jayatilleke was an internationally recognised authority on Buddhist philosophy whose book Early Buddhist Theory of Knowledge has been described as "an outstanding ...more

Chandra Wickramasinghe is listed (or ranked) 31 on the list Famous People From Sri Lanka
age 79 Nalin Chandra Wickramasinghe is a Sri Lankan-born British mathematician, astronomer and astrobiologist. He is currently Professor and Director of the Buckingham Centre for Astrobiology at the ...more

Karunaratne Abeysekera is listed (or ranked) 32 on the list Famous People From Sri Lanka
Died at 53 (1930-1983) Kurunaratne Abeysekera was a screenwriter, songwriter, poet and radio personality.

Wijeyananda Dahanayake is listed (or ranked) 33 on the list Famous People From Sri Lanka
Died at 95 (1902-1997) Wijeyananda Dahanayaka was a Sri Lankan political figure. He was the Prime Minister of Ceylon from 1959 to 1960.

Mary Bastian is listed (or ranked) 34 on the list Famous People From Sri Lanka
Died at 37 (1948-1985) Father Mary Bastian was a minority Tamil Human Rights activist and local Roman Catholic parish priest from Sri Lanka. He was shot and killed along with 10 other civilians on January 6, 1985 as ...more

Chandrika Kumaratunga is listed (or ranked) 35 on the list Famous People From Sri Lanka
age 72 Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga was the fifth President of Sri Lanka, who served from 12 November 1994 to 19 November 2005. The country's only female president to date, she is the daughter of ...more

Carl Muller is listed (or ranked) 36 on the list Famous People From Sri Lanka
age 82 Carl Muller is a Sri Lankan writer, poet and journalist best known for his trilogy about Burghers in Sri Lanka: The Jam Fruit Tree, Yakada Yaka and Once Upon A Tender Time. He has won Gratien ...more

Selvarajah Rajivarnam is listed (or ranked) 37 on the list Famous People From Sri Lanka
Died at 25 (1982-2007) Selvarajah Rajivarnam was a young minority Sri Lankan Tamil journalist from Jaffna, Sri Lanka. He was shot and killed by unknown assailants as part of the ongoing Sri Lankan civil war close to ...more

Lasith Malinga is listed (or ranked) 38 on the list Famous People From Sri Lanka
age 34 Separamadu Lasith Malinga in Galle, Sri Lanka is a Sri Lankan cricketer and World T20 winning captain in 2014. He is a specialist fast bowler with a unique round-arm action, sometimes referred ...more

Richard de Zoysa is listed (or ranked) 39 on the list Famous People From Sri Lanka
Died at 32 (1958-1990) Richard Manik de Zoysa was a well-known Sri Lankan journalist, author, human rights activist and actor, who was abducted and murdered on 18 February 1990. His murder caused widespread outrage ...more

Curuppumullage Jinarajadasa is listed (or ranked) 40 on the list Famous People From Sri Lanka
Died at 78 (1875-1953) Curuppumullage Jinarajadasa was an author, occultist, freemason and theosophist. The fourth president of the Theosophical Society, Jinarajadasa's interests and writings included religion, ...more

Ponnambalam Ramanathan is listed (or ranked) 41 on the list Famous People From Sri Lanka
Died at 79 (1851-1930) Sir Ponnambalam Ramanathan, KCMG, KC was a Solicitor-General and Tamil political leader in Sri Lanka.

Malik Peiris is listed (or ranked) 42 on the list Famous People From Sri Lanka
age 68 Joseph Malik Sriyal Peiris, FRS, Légion d'Honneur was born in Sri Lanka, a distinguished old boy of St. Anthony's College, Kandy and later studied medicine at the University of ...more

Rangana Herath is listed (or ranked) 43 on the list Famous People From Sri Lanka
age 40 Rangana Herath is a Sri Lankan cricketer. A slow left arm orthodox bowler and a left handed batsman, he made his Test debut at Galle International Stadium, Sri Lanka against Australia in 1999. ...more

Jan Jananayagam is listed (or ranked) 44 on the list Famous People From Sri Lanka
Janani Jananayagam is a British Tamil banking professional, activist and politician. She was an independent candidate for the London region in the 2009 European Parliamentary elections.

Colin Gordon is listed (or ranked) 45 on the list Famous People From Sri Lanka
Died at 61 (1911-1972) Colin Gordon was a British actor born in Ceylon. He was educated at Marlborough College and Christ Church, Oxford. He made his first West End appearance in 1934 as the hind legs of a horse in a ...more

Duleep Mendis is listed (or ranked) 46 on the list Famous People From Sri Lanka
age 65 Louis Rohan Duleep Mendis is a former Sri Lankan cricketer, who captained Sri Lanka to their first Test series victory in 1985. He was primarily a specialist batsman, whose best period as a ...more

Malinda Warnapura is listed (or ranked) 47 on the list Famous People From Sri Lanka
age 38 Basnayake Shalith Malinda Warnapura is a Sri Lankan cricketer. He is a left-handed batsman and right-arm off-break bowler. Making his first class debut in 1998/99, Warnapura did not play ...more

Malinga Bandara is listed (or ranked) 48 on the list Famous People From Sri Lanka
age 38 Herath Mudiyanselage Charitha Malinga Bandara, commonly known as Malinga Bandara, is a Sri Lankan Test and one-day international cricketer. He is a right-handed batsman and also bowls legbreaks. ...more

N. M. Perera is listed (or ranked) 49 on the list Famous People From Sri Lanka
Died at 74 (1905-1979) Nanayakkarapathirage Martin Perera, better known as Dr. N. M. Perera, was one of the leaders of the Sri Lankan Trotskyist Lanka Sama Samaja Party. He was the first Trotskyist to become a cabinet ...more

Lasantha Wickrematunge is listed (or ranked) 50 on the list Famous People From Sri Lanka
Died at 51 (1958-2009) Lasantha Manilal Wickrematunge was a high-profile Sri Lankan anti-government Journalist, Politician and Human Rights Activist who was assassinated in January 2009. Wickrematunge was the founder ...more