Roosilawaty

Roosilawaty (April 15, 1936 – February 25, 2009) was an Indonesian actress and dancer.

Born with the name Surayi Pendidikan, Roosilawaty adopted her stage name when she started her career as a singer and dancer.

Roosilawaty was born Surayi Pendidikan, on April 15, 1936, in Surakarta, Dutch East Indies, and was raised in a relatively affluent family.

She demonstrated a talent for acting at a young age and attended the Indonesian National Theater Academy (ATNI) following her formal education at a local school.

Leaving the academy before graduating, she had an initial career as a dancer, adopting the stage name Roosilawaty.

After winning the Serampang Twelve dance championships, she represented Indonesia on a dance exchange with Pakistan organised by the president, Sukarno.

Soon after, she turned to acting.

She starred in her first lead role in the film Tjatut in 1956 and continued to appear in Indonesian films until 1963.

Amongst her films are Tiga Dara (Three Virgins) and Lahirnja Gatotkatja (Birth of Gatotkatja), a latter inspired by traditional Indonesian wayang.

She appeared in her first films in 1956, in Tiga Dara (Three Virgins) as a dancer and in the lead role in Tjatut.

This was the beginning of a successful career, with her next appearance a supporting role in the film Delapan Pendjuru Angin (Eight Corners of the Wind) the following year.

In 1960, she starred in Lahirnja Gatotkatja (Birth of Gatotkatja), a film inspired by traditional wayang stories directed by D. Djajakusuma.

Her last film, in 1963, was titled Lembah Hidjau (Valley of Green).

She retired from acting and, after a period as a florist, subsequently founded Les Sphinx Promotion, an agency for artistic talent, in 1972.

She retired and opened a florists in Jakarta the following year but later returned to the acting profession, setting up a talent agency named Les Sphinx Promotion in 1972.

She died in Jakarta on 25 February 2009.

Roosilawaty appeared in the following films: