Leena Sequeira (1937 – 8 December 2023), known by her screenname Leelavathi, was an Indian actress and producer who worked predominantly in Kannada and Tamil films, in addition to Telugu, Malayalam, Hindi, and Tulu films. After starting in theatre, Leelavathi made her film debut in a small role as child artist in Nagakannika (1949). She went on to act in more than 600 films throughout her career spanning over five decades.
Leelavathi is known for many performances as a lead actress in films such as Rani Honnamma, Bhakta Kumbara, Valar Pirai, Mana Mecchida Madadi and Santha Thukaram. In the early 1970s, she switched towards performing character roles and was notable in films such as Gejje Pooje, Upasane, Naagarahaavu, Vasantha Geetha, Shravana Banthu and Eradu Nakshatragalu. She was the recipient of the Dr. Rajkumar Award in 1999 and Filmfare Awards.
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Early life
Leena Sequeira was born in Mura, a village in Belthangady town of Dakshina Kannada district in Karnataka which was then a part of Madras Presidency. She lost her parents at the age of 6. Leena and her sister Angelina Sequeira were raised under the care of their elder cousin. Both the sisters had a passion for dancing, and they both earned their living by training people in dance.
