Samaraweera Asoka Ponnamperuma (born 3 May 1936 â€" died 2 April 1993
as අ෠෠ක පොන්නම්පෙරà·"ම) [Sinhala]) was
an award-winning actor in Sri Lankan cinema as well as a singer,
scriptwriter and filmmaker.[1][2] Considered as "Sri Lanka's Sivaji
Ganeshan", Ponnamperuma has acted more than 40 films in a career
spanned for more than three decades.[3]He was born on 3 May 1936 in
Colombo. His father Don Charles Ponnamperuma was a journalist, who
worked as editor-in-chief of the Buddhist paper Sinhala Bauddhaya in
1950. His mother was Premawansha Mithrawaththa. Ashoka completed his
education from Ananda College.[4]He was married to a fellow film
actress, Manel Lona Elizabeth Perera. The wedding was celebrated on 4
December 1965. Manel first acted in the film Deepashika and then
appeared in few films such as Sihina Hathak, Sekaya, Layata Laya,
Ruhunu Kumari and Sanda Nega Eddi. The couple has three sons -
Anuradha, Sumedha, Chaminda and one daughter, Manjula.[4] Asoka and
Manel co-acted in few films such as Layata Laya, Dehadaka Duka, Ruhunu
Kumari and London Hamu.[3]He died on 2 April 1993 at the age of 56
from heart attack.[5] Although all funeral work is to be completed
within 24 hours after his death, his request was unable to comply due
to curfew in the country and the delay in the post mortem.[4][3]
as අ෠෠ක පොන්නම්පෙරà·"ම) [Sinhala]) was
an award-winning actor in Sri Lankan cinema as well as a singer,
scriptwriter and filmmaker.[1][2] Considered as "Sri Lanka's Sivaji
Ganeshan", Ponnamperuma has acted more than 40 films in a career
spanned for more than three decades.[3]He was born on 3 May 1936 in
Colombo. His father Don Charles Ponnamperuma was a journalist, who
worked as editor-in-chief of the Buddhist paper Sinhala Bauddhaya in
1950. His mother was Premawansha Mithrawaththa. Ashoka completed his
education from Ananda College.[4]He was married to a fellow film
actress, Manel Lona Elizabeth Perera. The wedding was celebrated on 4
December 1965. Manel first acted in the film Deepashika and then
appeared in few films such as Sihina Hathak, Sekaya, Layata Laya,
Ruhunu Kumari and Sanda Nega Eddi. The couple has three sons -
Anuradha, Sumedha, Chaminda and one daughter, Manjula.[4] Asoka and
Manel co-acted in few films such as Layata Laya, Dehadaka Duka, Ruhunu
Kumari and London Hamu.[3]He died on 2 April 1993 at the age of 56
from heart attack.[5] Although all funeral work is to be completed
within 24 hours after his death, his request was unable to comply due
to curfew in the country and the delay in the post mortem.[4][3]
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