All the world was a stage for him indeed
A man of many parts, Jackson Anthony will always be remembered for the passion he put into whatever he did
Jackson Anthony, who passed away this week at the age of 65, was a simple man, a renaissance figure; whether he was hunting for the mysterious horse statue reputedly located at Kudiramalai Point in Wilpattu (as an amateur archaeologist), or rendering the Sinhala stage alive, or whipping up a national ardour for history via television, or merely enjoying a sunset at Kumana…
He was everything: actor, historian, intrepid traveller, singer, lyricist, novelist, director, producer, screenwriter, columnist and even (closet) artist.
Born to a Roman Catholic setting in Podiweekumbura in Ragama, and called ‘Malsi’ by his family when young, (his full name was Conganige Joseph Malsi Jackson Anthony) he schooled at Hapugoda Junior School and St. Mary’s College in Bandarawela (when his father was stationed there) and later entered Galahitiyawa Central College in Ganemulla.
Art didn’t run in the family but his father who was involved with religious ‘teeter’ (village theatre), encouraged the eager little thespian who could ‘never keep his mouth shut’.
Youthful escapades to the Uswetakeiyawa beach (dubbed ‘going to the UK’) and other boyish misadventures did not bar him from procuring his first degree in Sinhala from the University of Colombo (and later a Master’s in Mass Media at University of the Sri Jayewardenepura).
The youth with a moustache and curly hair had charm and an evertwinkling eye and would make his first appearances in the 1980s, on stage, leading to a career rich and impressive in quality rather than quantity. On stage and TV and film, he will be long known for the depth he gave to each persona.
Etched in our memories are the roles he played in Tharawo Igilethi, Bera Handa, Madhura Javanika, Ath and Lomahansa (on stage); Palingu Menike, Weda Hamine, Ella Langa Walawwa and Akala Sandya (on TV). To each role and his variegated cinema career he brought a newlyminted attitude with that rare intellect.
Who has not been captured by his passion de vivre acting or being the amateur historian digging doggedly? His whole soul lent itself to the act and he transmitted electric energy for whatever he was doing- whether discussing the succession of the Royal House of Kotte or singing raban-virindu.
He never believed in luck- “never bought a sweep ticket”- and insisted on making it on your own.
While acting was what he stood for in the popular imagination (he is said to have won the best actor award more than twenty times) the historian in him is intriguing and intrinsic. What propelled him to bring out the poetry of the Pada Yatra through a documentary, capturing the long trek of pilgrims travelling through wild places like
Kumana and Okanda beach and Yala, braving leopard and bear- and what led him to make the precarious ascent to Sri Pada – off-season – to capture with camera the gales and the cold and wild beasts?
What made him tick (and what made his whole frame brim with infectious energy in documentaries) was his love for such things as nature, history and exploration. The film Sooriya Arana was in many ways a cinematic crusade on behalf of nature while in Abha he brought forth his vivid love for the past, from hidden mysteries and tales of yakkas (demons), black magic, the true origins of the Sinhala race and other subjects from dim pre-Aryan, preBuddhistic days as old as the hills.
While never divesting himself of the Christian faith he was attached to Buddhism and when signing himself in journalistic forays and for the radio- went as ‘Pana-putra’ (jak (fruit)-son) ‘Kuhumbu-peniya’ (anthoney).
In a preamble to Jackson’s 2020 historical novel Kanda Uda Gindara, a fresh rendition of the romance of Daskon and Queen Pramilla in the reign of the last Sinhala king, Emeritus Prof Sunil Ariyaratne wrote:
“Being a novelist is a new vocation for (Jackson)… But from now on he will be deemed a distinctive practitioner of the craft by fans. Blending into his prose a wealth of historical data painstakingly garnered, he has written Kanda Uda Gindara with the flair of a well-honed novelist. My initial surprise at the lyrical language and style ebbed only when I recalled that he is a Sinhala honours graduate from the Colombo University after all.”
Film star Geetha Kumarasinghe, who played main actress alongside Jackson in both Loku Duwa and Ran Diya Dahara (for both of which films they were adjudged best actor and actress in respective years) recalls a colleague ‘two years younger’ but with so much learning:
“His death leaves a huge gap in the cinema. If you spoke for even two hours with him you learnt a lot. I have been invited to a press conference on his death today (Monday) but I really don’t feel like going though I’m dressed in white… When I visited him at the hospital and touched his hand he opened his eyes… I thought and prayed he would survive.”
Acclaimed actress Kaushalya Fernando who knew Jackson as a senior at Colombo University has this to say:
“We played together in Sugathapala Silva’s Marat/Sade; he was main actor and myself the female lead. I was very fortunate to have worked with him. He was indeed multitalented.”
The only error one could level at the master thespian was that sometimes his vim and vigour was overemphasised but all that energy carried us through- sending a chill down our spines whether he was standing by the majestic ruined ‘Doric’ by the dusky Arippu beach in a documentary, or letting unfurl poignant images with love songs like Desa Piya gath kala mata and Sithe susum nivena on night-time radio…
Jackson leaves behind two sons amply able to shoulder his legacy as actors and announcers – Akila Dhanuddara and Sajitha Anuththara, his wife Kumari who is also a singer and actress, and daughter Madhavi, an archaeology graduate, also a popular actress.
His charisma and erudition on so many fronts are sure to live on, and inspire.