Ermina Zaenah (11 November 1927 – 4 January 2009) was an Indonesian actress and film producer who was active in the 1950s and 1960s. She was part of Classical Indonesian Cinema.
Life and career
Zaenah was born on 11 November 1927 in Jambi, Dutch East Indies, to Mar'i Yusuf.[1] She had a younger brother, Marzuki Yusuf. Zaenah was married to Nurdin Syam, a navy captain who later became a director at Persari, in 1943.[2] As of 1979, she was resided in Bandung, West Java.[1] Aside from acting in stage plays, Zaenah led her own musical group, the Los Suita Rama, and performed topeng dance.[1]
In 1951, Zaenah entered the film industry. Originally she performed in productions by a number of companies, including Golden Arrow, Fred Young's Bintang Surabaya, and Tan and Wong Bros. In 1953 she migrated to Djamaluddin Malik's Persari, starring in several films for the company, including Supir Istimewa, Pegawai Tinggi (cited by Film Varia as Zaenah's greatest opportunity to gain domestic fame equal to Titien Sumarni),[3] and Bintang Baru.[1]
In the 1960s, as the domestic film industry was suffering, Zaenah moved behind the camera. She worked as producer on four films: Kamar 13 (Room 13, 1961), Lagu dan Buku (Song and Book, 1961), Bakti (Service, 1963), and Ekspedisi Terakhir (The Last Expedition, 1964).[4] She returned to the theater for a short time when she toured Java with the group Sapta Daya. Her fellow actors during this tour included Astaman, Awaludin, and M. Budharasa.[5]
Zaenah was married to her second husband, John R. Sibih, the President Director of Gema Masa Film, in 1965, and was attended by actress Sri Redjeki.[6] By the 1970s, she was working as an entrepreneur, focusing on mercantile efforts.[1] Zaenah died in Cimahi, West Java, on 4 January 2009, at the age of 81.
Filmography
During her sixteen-year career, Zaenah acted in thirty two films. She also produced four productions.[4]
Ardan, S. M.; Hadimadja, Ramadhan Karta; Poeradisastra, Ratih; Sari, Fitria (2004). Jejak Seorang Aktor Sukarno M. Noor dalam Film Indonesia [Footsteps of the Actor Sukarno M. Noor in Indonesian Cinema] (in Indonesian). Jakarta: Aksara Karunia.
Biran, Misbach Yusa, ed. (1979). Apa Siapa Orang Film Indonesia 1926–1978 [What and Who: Film Figures in Indonesia, 1926–1978]. Sinematek Indonesia. OCLC6655859.
Indonesia, Madjalah Mimbar (1965). Mimbar Indonesia (in Indonesian). Pembangunan Politik, Ekonomi, Sosial dan Kebudajan.
"Filmografi Ermina Zaenah" [Ermina Zaenah Filmography]. filmindonesia.or.id (in Indonesian). Konfiden Foundation. Archived from the original on 9 February 2016. Retrieved 7 January 2015.
"Gelanggang Datuk Sari" [Datuk Sari's Corner]. Film Varia (in Indonesian). 1 (11): 28–29. November 1954.