Sir John Kotelawala was from a rich family. His father, John Kotelawala Snr, was an inspector in the Ceylon Police Force. His mother was Alice Attygalle. John Kotelawala Snr committed suicide when his son was 11. The family were in ruins, Alice Attygalle converted to Christianity from Buddhism. He attended the same Royal College, Colombo, but dropped out after independence riots in 1915.