Ermina Zaenah

Ermina Zaenah was an Indonesian actress and film producer who was active in the 1950s and 1960s. She was part of the Classical Indonesian Cinema. She was born on 11 November 1927 in Jambi, a city on the island of Sumatra, Dutch East Indies, as the daughter of Mar'i Yusuf. She had a brother named Marzuki Yusuf. She married Nurdin Syam, a navy captain who later became a director at Persari, in 1943. She entered the film industry in 1951 and performed in productions by various companies, such as Golden Arrow, Bintang Surabaya, and Tan and Wong Bros. In 1953, she joined Djamaluddin Malik's Persari and starred in several films for the company, such as Supir Istimewa, Pegawai Tinggi, and Bintang Baru. She was known for her versatility and talent as an actress, and received several awards and honors for her contributions. In the 1960s, as the domestic film industry was suffering, she moved behind the camera and worked as a producer on four films: Kamar 13, Lagu dan Buku, Bakti, and Ekspedisi Terakhir. She also returned to the theater for a short time and toured Java with the group Sapta Daya. She married her second husband, John R. Sibih, the President Director of Gema Masa Film, in 1965. By the 1970s, she was working as an entrepreneur and focused on mercantile efforts. She died on 4 January 2009 in Cimahi, West Java, at the age of 81, after suffering from glaucoma and losing her eyesight. She was buried with her mother in Jabang Bayi Cemetery, Cirebon.