Rex Kodippili

Rex Joseph Kodippili is born on 6 October 1938 in Badulla. His father Don Henry Kodippili was a surveyor.[2] His mother was Ethan Kodippili. His father died when he was 18 months old by a flooding occurred in Trincomalee district. Along with his two brothers, he was raised by his mother.[3] He along with his two brothers completed education from St.Bede's College. Badulla.[2] Though his brothers left the school early, Rex was boarded in the school. After Ordinary Level, he attended to Sri Siddhartha Central College.[2]

He married Katherine (? - 2016) with whom he had three children.[4]

According to him, he was very good at singing than acting. He started singing since very little stage and also won Best Singer in Uva Province award from the hands of late prime minister S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike at the age of seven.[2] He joined a drama circle named as Rohana Dramatic Society while at the Siddhartha College.[2] They performed about five stage dramas until he joined Police department.

Kodippili was a physical training instructor in the Military Police.[3] He finished his police career in 1961. He was then employed as a manager at the Marina Café and Hotel at Pettah, before becoming the manager at Salaka, where he became friends with Oswald Jayasinghe.[3] In 1969, while he was dropping Jayasinghe off at a film location in Nugegoda, the film's director, K. A. W. Perera, approached him and cast him in the role of a pick-pocket in the film Kathuru Muwath.[3]

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