Roekiah | |
|---|---|
 Roekiah, c. 1941 | |
| Born | 31 December 1917 |
| Died | 2 September 1945 (aged 27) Djakarta, Indonesia |
| Nationality | Indonesian |
| Occupation(s) | Actress, singer |
| Years active | 1920s–1944 |
| Notable work | Terang Boelan |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 5, including Rachmat Kartolo |
| Relatives | Wolly Sutinah (sister-in-law) Aminah Cendrakasih (niece) |
Roekiah (Perfected Spelling: Rukiah; 31 December 1917 – 2 September 1945), often credited as Miss Roekiah,[a] was an Indonesian kroncong singer and actress. The daughter of two stage performers, she began her career at the age of seven; by 1932 she had become well known in Batavia, Dutch East Indies (now Jakarta, Indonesia), as a singer and stage actress. Around this time she met Kartolo, whom she married in 1934. The two acted in the 1937 hit film Terang Boelan, in which Roekiah and Rd Mochtar played young lovers.
After the film's commercial success, Roekiah, Kartolo, and most of the cast and crew of Terang Boelan were signed to Tan's Film, first appearing for the company in their 1938 production Fatima. They acted together in two more films before Mochtar left the company in 1940; through these films, Roekiah and Mochtar became the colony's first on-screen couple. Mochtar's replacement, Rd Djoemala, acted with Roekiah in four films, although these were less successful. After the Japanese invaded the Indies in 1942, Roekiah took only one more film role before her death; most of her time was used entertaining Japanese forces.
During her life Roekiah was a fashion and beauty icon, featuring in advertisements and drawing comparisons to Dorothy Lamour and Janet Gaynor. Though most of the films in which she appeared are now lost, she has continued to be cited as a film pioneer, and a 1969 article stated that "in her time [Roekiah] reached a level of popularity which, one could say, has not been seen since".[1] Of her five children with Kartolo, one – Rachmat Kartolo – entered acting.
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- ^ Moderna 1969, Miss Roekiah, p. 30.