Meriam Bellina

Ellisa Meriam Bellina Maria Bamboe (born 10 April 1965), or better known as Meriam Bellina, is an Indonesian actress who has won three Citra Awards and acted in more than 50 films. Born and raised in Bandung, she dropped out of senior high school to begin a career as a model and actress. By the mid-1980s she was recognised as a "sex bomb" and "fantasy girl". During the 1990s she focused mostly on television series, but has produced several feature films since 2007.

Meriam Bellina
Born
Ellisa Meriam Bellina Maria Bamboe

(1965-04-10) 10 April 1965
Bandung, West Java, Indonesia
NationalityIndonesian
OccupationActress
Singer
Children
  • Abel Poetra Abdi
  • Nigel Philo Abdi
Parent(s)G.H. Bamboe (father)
Maria Theresia (mother)
AwardsCitra Award for Best Leading Actress

1984 Cinta Di Balik Noda

1990 Taksi

Citra Award for Best Supporting Actress

2007 Get Married

Biography

Meriam was born in Bandung, West Java, on 10 April 1965. Born to G.H. Bamboe and Maria Theresia, she is of mixed European and Sundanese descent. She initially wanted to become a stewardess for the airline Garuda Indonesia, but began acting, modelling, and singing while studying in Dago Catholic High School, Bandung.[1] She made her feature film debut in Perawan-perawan (1981) before rising to fame after starring as the titular character in Ami Priyono's 1982 film Roro Mendut, an adaptation of the traditional legend as told by Y. B. Mangunwijaya; after performing sexualised scenes with costar Mathias Muchus, she was dubbed Indonesia's sex bomb.[1][2][3] For Perkawinan 83, also released that year, Meriam found further critical claim.[2]

Owing to her increasingly busy schedule, Meriam dropped out of senior high school while in her second year in order to focus on her career.[2] During the 1980s she released several albums: Simfoni Rindu, Untuk Sebuah Nama and Belajar Menyanyi. These were often collaborations with Pance F. Pondaag.[1] Her films of this period often included steamy scenes; one, in Wim Umboh's Pengantin Pantai Biru, had her having sex while on a deserted island inhabited by savage natives.[4] Bruce Emond of The Jakarta Post later described her as "the fantasy girl come true for the movie-going public".[5]

Meriam had a surge of popularity again in 1987 after starring alongside Didi Petet in Catatan Si Boy.[1] Her films of this period included several romances and comedies, some featuring the troupe Warkop. In the 1990s she acted in several films, including Arifin C. Noer's Taksi.[6]

Following a decrease in proceeds from the domestic cinema, in the early 1990s Meriam began to focus on television series. She received an award for her role in the series Aku Mau Hidup in 1994; other series included Atas Nama Cinta dan Anakku (1995), Wanita (1996), and Bundaku Terpidana.[2] Between 1993 and 2006 she only acted in a single feature film, Kafir (2002).[6]

Beginning in 2007 Meriam returned to regular film production when she took a supporting role in Hanung Bramantyo's comedy Get Married portraying the main character Mae's mother.[7] This was followed by a series of comedies, including two sequels to Get Married (in 2009 and 2011) and the Raditya Dika-written film Cinta Brontosaurus.[6]

Personal life

Meriam was married to fellow actor Adi Surya Abdi.[2] She has been divorced twice and, as of 2009, has two sons.[5] In March 2012 she reported her then-boyfriend, lawyer Hotman Paris Hutapea, to the police for allegedly physically abusing her and harassing her through text messages and phone calls.[8] After several months of arguments and court struggles the case was settled: Meriam withdrew her report and Hutapea agreed to end their relationship and recant a statement that they had married in Las Vegas.[9]

Filmography

As of 17 May 2013, Meriam has acted in 59 films.[6] During the early stages of her career she was not selective, acting in a variety of genres.[1]

Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Recipients Result
Indonesian Film Festival 1983 Citra Award for Best Leading Actress Perkawinan 83 Nominated
1984 Cinta Di Balik Noda Won
1985 Kabut Perkawinan Nominated
1986 Kulihat Cinta Di Matanya Nominated
1988 Tatkala Mimpi Berakhir Nominated
1990 Taksi Won
2007 Citra Award for Best Supporting Actress Get Married Won
2012 Test Pack Nominated

References

Works cited

  • "Ayo Hamil" [Come On, Get Pregnant]. Suara Pembaruan (in Indonesian). 18 September 2009. p. 16.
  • Emond, Bruce (22 April 2009). "'Pretending in real life is the worst part of celebrity'". The Jakarta Post. Archived from the original on 17 May 2013. Retrieved 17 May 2013.
  • "Filmografi Meriam Bellina" [Filmography for Meriam Bellina]. filmindonesia.or.id (in Indonesian). Konfiden Foundation. Archived from the original on 17 May 2013. Retrieved 17 May 2013.
  • "Guess what?: Meriam, Hotman make peace". 1 May 2012. Archived from the original on 17 May 2013.
  • Heider, Karl G (1991). Indonesian Cinema: National Culture on Screen. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press. ISBN 978-0-8248-1367-3.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • "Hotman downplays Meriam's police report". 29 March 2012. Archived from the original on 17 May 2013.
  • "Meriam Bellina". filmindonesia.or.id (in Indonesian). Konfiden Foundation. Archived from the original on 17 May 2013. Retrieved 17 May 2013.
  • "Meriam Bellina" (in Indonesian). Taman Ismail Marzuki. Archived from the original on 17 May 2013. Retrieved 17 May 2013.
  • Muryanto, Bambang (9 December 2012). "Donny, Acha win Citra Awards". The Jakarta Post. p. 2. Archived from the original on 17 May 2013. Retrieved 17 May 2013.
  • "Penghargaan Meriam Bellina" [Awards for Meriam Bellina]. filmindonesia.or.id (in Indonesian). Konfiden Foundation. Archived from the original on 4 May 2013. Retrieved 4 May 2013.
  • "Roro Mendut". filmindonesia.or.id (in Indonesian). Konfiden Foundation. Archived from the original on 27 April 2013. Retrieved 27 April 2013.
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