Walimuni Mudiyanselage Menake Hemaal Rajapakse (මේනක රාජපක්ශ born 24 May 1983), is a Sri Lankan teledrama actor and model. He was first cast in 2005 as one of the main actors, but the role changed into a lead, in the teledrama Sanda Mudunata, which was telecast on Swarnavahini in 2005.
This biography of a living person needs additional citations for verification. (October 2015) |
Menake Rajapakse | |
---|---|
Born | Walimuni Mudiyanselage Menake Hemaal Rajapakse (1983-05-24) 24 May 1983 (age 39) Kelaniya, Sri Lanka |
Alma mater | St Peter's College, Colombo |
Occupation | Actor, Model |
Years active | 2005 - present |
Height | 5 ft 10 in (178 cm) |
Spouse(s) | Virangi Siriwardena (2010-2013) Nehara Peiris (2014-present) |
Awards | Most Popular teledrama actor 2009, 2010, 2011 Peoples Youth Actor of the Year 2012 |
He had acted in more than 30 teledramas and 3 films as of 2015.[1]
Menake is the second child of his family. His father Ivan Rajapakse was an executive who worked in the hotel industry and died on 2004. His mother Zareena Allang, is a Malay and was a teacher at Wycherly International School.[citation needed] He is a past pupil of St. Peter's College, Colombo.[citation needed]
He was first sighted by a teledrama producer Samy Pavel during a SAAF Games on 2005. He is a competitive swimmer and broke a national level record.[2]
In 2005, Menaka was selected for a main role of the teledrama Sanda Mudunata directed by Samy Pavel.[3]
He became popular during 2008, in the teledrama Muthu Kirilli and then acted in many television serials such as Ran Dam Wal,[4] Monara Kadadasi and Adare Ahasa Tharam.[5] His first film was Sinhawalokanaya, a sport-drama film. He also acted in the crime thriller film Train to Kandy.[6]
Menaka married Virangi Siriwardena in 2010. They divorced in 2013,.[11] He is married to fellow actress Nehara Peiris in 2014. Nehara and Menaka acted in lead roles on many occasions. They first met in Muthu Kirilli, and followed in Amanda, Bharyawo, Ammawarune,[12] Situ Medura and others.
Year | Film | Role | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|
2016 | Sinhawalokanaya | Dhanuka Wickramasinghe | [13] |
2021 | Apata Sadunu Ape Lokaya | [14] |