Goniya Malimage Awanthi Aponsu, popularly known as Awanthi Aponsu (Sinhalese: ගෝනියා මාලිමගේ අවන්ති අපොන්සු; born 18 June 1959) is a Sri Lankan actress known for her extensive work in supporting roles of teledramas, films and stage plays. She is the younger sister of popular Sri Lankan actor Jayasekara Aponsu.
Personal life
Aponsu was born in Nuwara Eliya, Sri Lanka, where she attended Gamini Central College.[citation needed] She lived with her mother, two younger sisters, and younger brother in the Magasthota village area of Nuwara Eliya; her father, and brother Jayasekara had moved to Colombo at this time.[citation needed] Her uncle, Edwin Peiris, was a stage play director in Nuwara Eliya, who was acquainted with Rohana Weerasinghe.[citation needed] As a child, she had dreamed of acting, but thought it was out of reach due to her extreme shyness growing up.[citation needed] She instead wanted to become a nurse.[citation needed] It was not until she finished up her studies and moved to Colombo herself in 1979 that she'd pursue acting.[citation needed] She started her acting career in stage plays under the tutelage of her brother Jayasekara.[citation needed] She practiced for six months, and made her stage debut with Jayantha Ketagoda.[citation needed]
She is married to Yagath Jayasuriya, an ex-Air Force officer. Many of Aponsu's brothers and sisters, including Jayasekara Aponsu, Gamini Aponsu, and Nirmada Aponsu, are also famous actors. Aponsu is a TheravadaBuddhist.[citation needed]
Aponsu's daughter, Kavya Jayasuriya, was born on 22 May 1992. Kavya married Pahan Thillakaratne on 14 November 2018. The wedding was attended by Maithripala Sirisena, who was President of Sri Lanka at the time, as well as his brother, businessman Dudley Sirisena, who are close friends of Aponsu's husband. The couple now resides in Victoria, Australia, and gave birth to their first child, a daughter, on 16 January 2025.
