Hettipathirannehelage Dayananda Gunawardena (Sinhala: දයානන්ද ගුනවර්ධන) (15 October 1934 – 24 June 1993), better known as Dayananda Gunawardena, was a Sri Lankan playwright, actor, lyricist, dramatist, radio play producer, and Sinhala Radio Play writer.

During his time at Thurstan College as a Teacher Popular musician Lionel Algama helped write some of its memorable songs, such as "Ahala malin gas pirila balanna hari lassanai" and "Kumatada sobaniye kandulu salanne".

[3][4] His next play, Bakmaha Akunu (1962), based on the French drama The Marriage of Figaro, was made into a film.

Kaamare Pore (1962), produced as a single stage drama in Sinhala, is an adaptation of the play Box and Cox by English playwright John Maddison Morton.

[1] This drama picks up the period of war between kings Rama and Ravana, noteworthy events in the country's history and the influence of the western invaders on Sri Lankan culture with the dramatized chronicle of the Hingala (Sinhala) people.

He was awarded the Commonwealth Scholarship for Study of Radio and Television at BBC by Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation (1966).

Gunawardena produced works for theatre, television and cinema:[2] Bak maha Deege– 1969 (Following the Bakmaha Akunu Drama)