Roger Senevirathna

Joseph Roger Seneviratne, born on 5th May 1962 as රොජර් සෙනෙවිරත්න (Sinhala), is a versatile actor in Sri Lankan cinema, stage drama, and television. He is also recognized as a singer and a politician by profession. With his remarkable versatility and commanding presence on the television screen, he is best known for his roles in the teledramas "Batti," "Chathurya," and as King Vijaya in the film "Vijaya Kuweni."

Roger Seneviratne attended St. Thomas' College, Kotte, and Saint Joseph's College, Colombo as a past pupil. He is married to Vineetha Chandrasekara, and the couple is blessed with a daughter named Divya Vihari and a son named Digantha.

His father, Riyency Steinwall Seneviratne, was a retired officer in the Sri Lanka Ports Authority, and he passed away in 2012 at the age of 84. Roger is the second child in a family of nine siblings. His elder brother is Ralston, and his younger brother is Ralph. He also has six sisters named Kristine, Darliya, Sharmane, Linet, Michel, and Virginia.

Roger's acting career began in 1976 when he was introduced to dramatist Sugathapala de Silva by his friend Milton Jayasooriya. He acted in de Silva's stage play "Dunna Dunu Gamuwe" and also worked as an assistant stage manager for the play. He continued to act in stage plays such as Ediriweera Sarachchandra's "Wessanthara," "Veniceye Welenda," "Twelfth Night," and "Mandaram Wehi." In 1986, he undertook a translation of Anton Chekhov's play "Death of a Clerk" as an experimental production. He also translated Albert Kaman's "Caligula" as "Paswenna." The drama "Paswenna" won eleven awards at the drama competition conducted by the National Youth Services Council. In 1993, "Paswenna" won awards for the best director and best production at the State Drama Festival. Seneviratne has also been involved in international collaborations, including Italian productions "Return to Bangalore Mother Theresa" and French production "Father Mannika."

His cinema career began in 1981 with a short film called "Parajithayo," directed by Prasanna Amarasinghe. He made his debut in mainstream cinema with a minor role in the film "Christu Charithaya," directed by Sunil Ariyaratne. In 2001, he produced the television serial "Santhrasaya," which achieved the highest ratings for ITN that year. His second production was the blockbuster hit "Chathurya." Seneviratne's first television drama acting was in "Irata Handana Mal." Under his production company, 2R Creations, he has produced television serials such as "Ranarala" and "Wijayaba Kollaya."