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Dhalia (10 February 1925 – 14 April 1991) was an Indonesian actress active for over fifty years. She was nominated for three Citra Awards at the Indonesian Film Festival, winning one.
Biography
Dhalia was born in Medan, northern Sumatra, on 10 February 1925, to Tengku Katam. Her father, a stagewriter, named his theatrical troupe Dhalia Opera after her. For her formal education, she studied at a Muhammadiyah-run elementary school then at a Muhammadiyah-run junior high school. In her spare time she focused on acting for her father's troupe. By the 1940s she was already recognised for her singing prowess, although her father intended for her to continue her studies in Islam at Al-Azhar University, Cairo.
In 1941 Dhalia made her feature film debut in Njoo Cheong Seng's musical Pantjawarna, produced by Oriental Film. Her next two appearances saw her playing an orphan in Sutan Usman Karim's drama Panggilan Darah and alongside Rd Mochtar in Moestika dari Djemar, an adaptation of the One Thousand and One Nights. Dhalia's last two films before Indonesia's independence were completed during the Japanese occupation (1942–45): Berdjoang and Hoedjan. Both were works of pro-Japanese propaganda.
During the Indonesian National Revolution (1945–1949), film production almost stopped. Dhalia only returned to the screen in 1952, completing three films that year. By 1955 she had completed eighteen films, taking such roles as the title character in Chandra Dewi (1952) and the prostitute Laila in Lewat Djam Malam (1955). Between 1956 and 1972 Dhalia made no films. After she returned to the industry, she was no longer offered leading roles, instead taking supporting roles. She made her last film in 1990, with the 1980s as the most productive period in her career.
She died in Jakarta on 14 April 1991.
Awards
During her career Dhalia was nominated for three Citra Awards. Her first nomination, in 1955, was for the film Lewat Djam Malam; she won the Citra Award for Best Leading Actress for that performance. In 1981 and 1982 she received two nominations for the Citra Award for Best Supporting Actress, for the films Usia 18 and Bukan Istri Pilihan, respectively.
Filmography
During her fifty-year career Dhalia acted in some fifty-two films.
Works cited
- Biran, Misbach Yusa, ed. (1979). Apa Siapa Orang Film Indonesia 1926–1978 [What and Who: Film Figures in Indonesia, 1926–1978]. Sinematek Indonesia. OCLC 6655859.
- Biran, Misbach Yusa (2009). Sejarah Film 1900–1950: Bikin Film di Jawa [History of Film 1900–1950: Making Films in Java] (in Indonesian). Jakarta: Komunitas Bamboo working with the Jakarta Art Council. ISBN 978-979-3731-58-2.
- "Dhalia". filmindonesia.or.id (in Indonesian). Konfiden Foundation. Archived from the original on 13 October 2013. Retrieved 13 October 2013.
- "Filmografi Dhalia" [Filmography for Dhalia]. filmindonesia.or.id (in Indonesian). Konfiden Foundation. Archived from the original on 13 October 2013. Retrieved 13 October 2013.
- "Moestika dari Djenar". filmindonesia.or.id (in Indonesian). Jakarta: Konfiden Foundation. Archived from the original on 25 July 2012. Retrieved 25 July 2012.
- "Panggilan Darah". filmindonesia.or.id (in Indonesian). Jakarta: Konfiden Foundation. Archived from the original on 26 July 2012. Retrieved 26 July 2012.
- "Penghargaan Dhalia" [Awards for Dhalia]. filmindonesia.or.id (in Indonesian). Konfiden Foundation. Archived from the original on 16 August 2013. Retrieved 16 August 2013.
- Tjasmadi, Muhammad Johan, ed. (1983). Indonesian Film Festival Information. Jakarta: Indonesian Film Festival. p. 342.