Michelle Dilhara

Hatharasinghege Michelle Dilhara (Sinhala: මිෂෙල් දිල්හාරා; born 1 May 1996) is a Sri Lankan actress and an Environmentalist.

One of the most popular television actresses in Sri Lanka, Dilhara is best known for playing the role of "Ayoma" in the popular television series Sudu Andagena Kalu Awidin Apart from acting, she also engages in various philanthropic activities and is a social activist and an author.

She was born on 1 May 1996 in Ragama as the eldest of three siblings.

She has two younger sisters: Mishen Prasadika and Rochelle Fiona.

Her father, Hatharasinghege Premawardena, is a businessman and her mother, E. Jean Stella Fernando, is a housewife.

She started her education from Negombo South International School and then moved to Newstead Girls College, Negombo for G.C.E O/L and A/L.

During school times, at the age of 11, Dilhara started practicing martial arts and Karate-do-Shitokai under Sensei Rohan P. Udayakumara.

Meanwhile, she also participated in several local and international Karate championships and won several medals.

In 2010, she won the gold medal at the 2nd International Gōjū-ryū Karate Open Championship.

Dilhara is currently studying for an External Degree in IT and the Higher National Diploma in Psychology.

She is also following a course on Nurturing Care Framework for Early Childhood Development under the Senior Lecturer Duminda Guruge, at the Rajarata University of Sri Lanka.

Dilhara was a member of the school's drama team where she started to act on the school stage on several occasions.

After completing the A/L examination, she joined Abhina Academy conducted by veteran artist Anoja Weerasinghe in July 2016.

According to Dilhara, Weerasinghe was her first mentor in acting, where she learned yoga as well as voice controlling and facial expressions.

Later in October 2016, she joined Damayanthi Fonseka's acting Academy for further knowledge based on emotional balancing and character adaptation in drama.

In 2016, Dilhara made her first teledrama appearance in Dedunnai Adare directed by Saranga Mendis.

Then she acted in the popular television serial Salsapuna directed by Nalan Mendis and telecasted on Sirasa TV, which made her breakthrough in the acting career.

She was selected for the role "Preethiwa" popularly known as "Podi Paththarakari" by Sandhya Mendis, Chairman of Susila Productions.

Even though the character was introduced in the middle of the serial, it was highly popularized among the public.

During the same period, she then appeared with the leading role in the first Mobile drama Dhara, produced by Susila Productions.

Then she joined Abhiranga Art Center Negombo, conducted by Randika Wimalasooriya in June 2017 to further learn Drama and Theater.

During this period, she got the opportunity to study art from the Indian Theater Director, Ujjwal Singha

In 2017, Dilhara was selected to the television serial Poori directed by Ranil Kulasinghe, which was telecasted on Independent Television Network.

In the serial, she played the role of a village girl named Maali.

In the same year, she was cast for the fantasy teledrama Bodhi, directed by Sanjaya Nirmal.

It was telecasted on Sirasa TV, where Dilhara played the role "Goddess Kali".

In late 2017, she appeared in the serial Emy as the titular character "Emy".

It was directed by Sanjaya Nirmal and telecasted on ITN.

Her character was highly popularized.

In 2018, she acted in the popular serial Sidu telecasted on TV Derana and directed by Thilina Boralessa.

She acted as the "daylight angel", who helped and protected Sidu during his journey with the little monk Soratha.

In 2019 Dilhara received the National Youth Icon Award at the World Youth Summit held in New Delhi, India for her book "Social Invisibility is not a Fiction, it Exists" and for her "Theory of Alternative Social Cogwheel".

For the same role, she also won the Best Upcoming Actress award at the 2019 Sumathi Awards, as well as won the 15th Sri Lankan Television State Awards in 2021.

In 2020 Dilhara won the Best Upcoming Actress award at the Raigam Tele'es awards ceremony for her role in the critically acclaimed serial Sudu Andagena Kalu Awidin.

In 2020, Dilhara was nominated as the Best Actress at the 26th Sumathi Awards for her role "Mahimi" in the television series Can You Hear Me.

In 2021, she was nominated as the Best Supporting Actress at the Raigam Tele'es awards ceremony for the television series Pork Veediya.

In 2022, she was once again nominated for the best Supporting Actress award at the Raigam Tele'es for the serial Lokaa.

Currently, she performs her role as the Earth Day Network Ambassador for Sri Lanka.

She is also an advocate and promoter of Net zero and Carbon neutrality.

She collaborated with the Korean Ambassador Santhuth Woonjin Jeong to create a framework to implement Sustainable Development Goal 13, the net zero initiative within the Korean Embassy in Sri Lanka.