Sunil Santha was born on 14 April 1915 on the Sinhalese New Year's Day in Dehiyagatha, Ja-Ela, Sri Lanka. Both his parents died before he was two years old, and Santha was raised by his grandmother. At an early age he came to the limelight when he played king Dutugamunu in a village play. One villager adorned him with a battery-powered lighted necklace. He had his education at Dehiyagatha Vidyalaya, St. Benedict's College, Colombo and Thudella school.

 

At St. Benedict's College, Santha passed the school leaving certificate examination as the first in the island, with the highest marks in his class as a young adult and was awarded the Weeraratne award. In 1933, he completed the Teachers Final Examination and began work as a teacher at the Mt. Calvary School currently known as St. Aloysius' College, Galle.While tenured there, Santha led the school to three consecutive victories at the Southern Schools Music Competition. In 1939 he passed the Intermediate Gandarva Examination and received a certificate in physical training. He also learned to play the piano and guitar at that time. He acted and produced several dramas including "Hamlet" during this period.

 

In 1952, he married school teacher Bernadet Leelawathi Jayasekara.

 

Santha died on 11 April 1981 from a heart attack shortly after his son Jagath drowned under mysterious circumstances in a swimming pool.

 

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