Ermina Zaenah: Years active 1951–1964

Ermina Zaenah (born 11 November 1928) is an Indonesian actress and film producer active in the 1950s and 1960s. Born in Jambi, she completed her elementary school education before pursuing a career in entertainment, acting in stage plays. Zaenah led a musical group, the Los Suita Rama, and performed topeng dance. In 1951 Zaenah entered the film industry, performing in productions by Tan and Wong Bros and Golden Arrow, and Fred Young's Bintang Surabaya.

She later migrated to Djamaluddin Malik's Persari, starring in several films for the company, including Supir Istimewa. Zaenah moved behind the camera in the 1960s, working as producer on four films, Kamar 13 ('Room 13'), Lagu dan Buku ('Song and Book'), Bakti ('Service'), and Ekspedisi Terakhir ('The Last Expedition'). She later returned to the theater for a short time when she toured Java with the group Sapta Daya. During her fourteen-year career in the entertainment industry, Zaenah acted in thirty films.
This picture is a three-quarter portrait of Zaenah from a postcard, taken around 1960 and printed on silk-finish paper.

Biography: Zaenah was born in Jambi, a city on the island of Sumatra, Dutch East Indies, on 11 November 1928. She completed her education up to the elementary school level, but soon focused on a career in entertainment. Aside from acting in stage plays, Zaenah led her own musical group, the Los Suita Rama, and performed topeng dance.

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), and Bintang Baru.

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). 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, Awaluddin, and M. Budharasa. By the 1970s Zaenah was working as an entrepreneur, focusing on mercantile efforts.