Sri Lankan talents are shining all around the world. And yes, Hiran Abeysekara is one such amazing person, a Sri Lankan by birth, now excelling in his career overseas as an actor. Of course, he has such a wonderful personality with so many capabilities. However, he was unknown to many Sri Lankans since he had not worked as an actor on a large scale while he was in Sri Lanka. Yet, the world-famous awards that he won recently, made him well-known even for the ones to whom he was unknown. Therefore, we too thought of dedicating this read to this talented Sri Lankan, who took the name of this island nation to the world. Continue reading to know more about him!
Early Life of Hiran Abeysekara
Hiran was born in 1985 in Sri Lanka. His father was a garage owner, and his mother was a teacher of English. Even though there is not much information available about his personal life and early life, it is said that he completed his school education at Nalanda College, Colombo, a leading school in Sri Lanka.
Hiran Entering the Career
It seems that he has had the interest to enter the field of theatre from a young age. This fact is clear as he obtained a diploma from the Lanka Children’s and Youth Theatre Foundation during his twenties. Then, he played the lead role in a British Council production of Peter Shaffer’s Equus. That was in 2007 to be specific. And yes, this has been one of the turning points in his life. In fact, this performance has paved him the way to take part in auditions for drama schools in the UK. Accordingly, he has got the chance to enter the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art from which he graduated in the year 2011.
From there onwards, up to now, he has progressed immensely in his career as a marvelous actor. Being a native Sri Lankan, whose mother tongue is Sinhalese, the journey he goes on in his career is incredibly impressive.
Significant Milestones of Hiran’s Career
There are many significant milestones in Hiran’s career, from the point he graduated in his field of interest. They are as follows.
- 2011
- Took part in his first stage debut, named Valere in Tartuffe. It was at the English Touring Theatre.
- Played the roles of the Woodcutter/Prince/Troll baby in ‘Rats Tales’.
- 2012
- Joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-Upon-Avon.
- Cast as Bartholomew in ‘The Taming of the Shrew’.
- 2013
- Played the role of Theo Oakden in ‘You In Mid Air’.
- 2014
- Played the role of Aamir in the short film, ‘Lion in the Tent’.
- Cast the role of Ensemble in ‘BBC Proms 22: War Horse’.
- 2015
- Played Peter Pan on the London stage.
- 2016
- Played Puck in a film adaptation of ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’.
- Played Posthumus in the stage production of Cymbeline at the Barbican Theatre London.
- Cast the Role of Horatio in Hamlet.
- 2018
- Played the role of Dash Khan in the Hulu series ‘Find Me in Paris’.
- Cast as Mavuso in stage drama, ‘The Prisoner’.
- Played the role of Dash Khan, in a television series of 27 episodes, named Find Me in Paris.
- Cast as Tyler Saba in a television series of 2 episodes, named ‘Holby City’.
- 2019
- Played Pi Patel in the 2019 premiere of Lolita Chakrabarti’s adaption of Life of Pi.
- Was cast in the part of Leonardo da Vinci in the new play ‘Botticelli in the Fire’.
- Played Sunil Sharma in the play ‘Behind the Beautiful Forevers’.
- Played the role of Celestro in a film named ‘Supervized’.
Likewise, he has taken part in a number of stage dramas, television series, and films, showcasing his talents in varying dimensions. Undoubtedly, each of these milestones surely added more value to his career and made him more famous as a capable actor.
Awards Won by Hiran Abeysekara
Of course, Hiran has won several awards, recognizing his talents in the field of stage and drama. However, among them, his most significant recent award was the ‘Best Actor’ award at the Laurence Olivier Awards-2022. He won it for his performance in ‘Life of Pi’.
Apart from that, he won an award for Best Performance in a Play, at the UK Theatre Awards-2019, for the same role he did in ‘Life of Pi’.
Also, back in 2011, during the time when he entered the field, he was nominated for Ian Charleson Awards. Being a novice in the English theatre, Hiran getting nominated for an award as such itself is indeed a wonderful achievement. So, this proves the in-born talent he has had within him, and further studies have sharpened his talents to the best.
The Bottom Line
After all, Hiran Abeysekara is still in his youth. Yet, his achievements on the international stage are simply incredible, and incomparable for his age. He has a long way to go, and we are sure that a bright future awaits him. So, we wish him all the best with his career, and may he get the strength to make Mother Sri Lanka prouder with his talents!
