Hiran Abeysekera

Hiran Abeysekera
Born	Colombo, Sri Lanka
Occupation	Actor
Years active	2011–present
Known for	Life of Pi (stage adaptation)

Hiran Abeysekera is a distinguished Sri Lankan actor recognized for his award-winning performance in the theatrical adaptation of Life of Pi, which earned him the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor. His television appearances include roles in Russell T Davies' production of A Midsummer Night's Dream (2016) and the youth-oriented dance series Find Me in Paris (2018–2019).

Early life and education

Abeysekera was born in Colombo and spent his formative years amid the backdrop of the Sri Lankan Civil War. His father operated a garage, while his mother worked as an English educator. He completed his schooling at Nalanda College Colombo.

At the age of 18, following the tragic loss of a friend in a tsunami, he decided to abandon his medical studies to follow a path in theatre, acknowledging the uncertain nature of life. He obtained a diploma from the Lanka Children's and Youth Theatre Foundation and took on the lead role in a British Council staging of Peter Shaffer's Equus in 2007. This experience facilitated his successful audition for drama schools in the UK, culminating in his acceptance to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, where he graduated in 2011.

Career

Abeysekera's professional stage career commenced in 2011 with English Touring Theatre, portraying Valere in Tartuffe. The following year, he joined the Royal Shakespeare Company based in Stratford-Upon-Avon, playing Bartholomew in The Taming of the Shrew. In 2015, he took on the role of Peter Pan in a London theatre production.

He rejoined the RSC in 2016 to perform as Puck in a film adaptation of A Midsummer Night's Dream that was broadcast by the BBC. Additionally, he embodied Posthumus in their stage rendition of Cymbeline at London's Barbican Theatre, as well as Horatio in Hamlet.

Between 2018 and 2019, Abeysekera appeared as Dash Khan on Hulu's series Find Me in Paris. In 2019, he originated the role of Pi Patel in Lolita Chakrabarti's stage adaptation of Life of Pi at Sheffield's Crucible Theatre, earning a UK Theatre Award. That same year, he portrayed Leonardo da Vinci in Botticelli in the Fire at Hampstead Theatre and took on the character Sunil Sharma in Behind the Beautiful Forevers at the Royal National Theatre.

In 2021, Abeysekera reprised his role as Pi Patel when Life of Pi moved to London's West End at Wyndham's Theatre. His portrayal garnered him the Olivier Award for Best Actor in 2022. He made his Broadway debut with this production at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre in 2023, receiving nominations for both Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards.

Looking ahead, Abeysekera is slated to headline as Hamlet in Shakespeare's play directed by Robert Hastie at the Lyttleton Theatre within the Royal National Theatre, scheduled from September to November 2025 during Indhu Rubasingham's first season as artistic director.

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2014	Lion in the Tent	Aamir	Short film
2019	Supervized	Celestro
2026	The Magic Faraway Tree	Angry Pixie	Post-production

Television

Year	Title	Character	Remarks
2016	A Midsummer Night's Dream	Puck	TV movie
2018	Holby City	Tyler Saba	Appeared in 2 episodes
2018–19	Find Me in Paris	Dash Khan	Featured in 27 episodes
2022	The Good Karma Hospital	Prakash Dhatt	Single episode appearance

Stage

Year	Production	Character	Theatre Company	Additional Information
2011	Tartuffe	Valere	UK touring production
	Rats Tales	Wood cutter / Prince / Troll baby	Royal Exchange, Manchester
2012	The Taming of the Shrew	Bartholomew	Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon
2013	You In Mid Air	Theo Oakden	The Circus Space / RADA collaboration
2014	BBC Proms 22: War Horse	Ensemble cast member	Royal National Theatre / Royal Albert Hall, London
	Behind the Beautiful Forevers	Sunil Sharma	National Theatre, London
2015	Peter Pan	Peter Pan	Regent's Park Open Air Theatre, London
2016	Cymbeline	Posthumus Leonatus	Royal Shakespeare Company, Barbican Theatre, London
	Hamlet	Horatio	Royal Shakespeare Company production
2018	The Prisoner	Mavuso	Théâtre des Bouffes du Nord, Paris
2019	Life of Pi	Pi Patel	Crucible Theatre, Sheffield
	Akhrot	—	Edinburgh Fringe Festival
	Botticelli in the Fire	Leonardo da Vinci	Hampstead Theatre, London
2020	Tempest	Wood cutter / Prince / Troll baby	Théâtre des Bouffes du Nord, Paris
2021	Life of Pi	Pi Patel	Wyndham's Theatre, London
2023			Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre, New York
	The Father and the Assassin	Nathuram Godse	Olivier Theatre, Royal National Theatre
2025	Hamlet	Hamlet	Lyttleton Theatre, Royal National Theatre

Audio

Year	Title	Role	Platform
2013	Broken Paradise	Narrator/Reader	BBC Radio
2017	'Tuman Bay'	'Barakat'	'BBC Radio 4'

Awards and nominations

Year	Award Name	Category	Production	Outcome
2011		Ian Charleson Awards	Tartuffe	Nominee
2019	UK Theatre Awards	Best Performance in a Play	Life of Pi	Winner
2022	(Laurence Olivier Awards) Best Actor	Winner

External links

• Hiran Abeysekera profile at RADA