Ali Sarosa

Ali Sarosa, better known by his stage name A. Sarosa, was an Indonesian actor who was active in the 1940s and 1950s. He was born on 20 February 1918 in Banyumas, Dutch East Indies. He completed his education at MULO and started to take a librarian course. He worked as a librarian at Alg. Centrale Bank in Bandung, West Java, and then moved to Lindeman & Co trading company in 1937. When Fred Young was looking for an actor who graduated from middle school, he cast Sarosa along with Chatir Harro to star in his film Djantoeng Hati (1941). During the Japanese occupation of the Dutch East Indies, Sarosa joined Nusantara troupe who was founded by Ali Joego as a lead actor. He led a fight in Sumedang, West Java, during the Indonesian National Revolution and returned to film industry in the 1950s. He appeared in several films, such as Air Mata Iboe (1941), Ratapan Ibu (1950), Gambang Semarang (1955), and Peristiwa Surabaya Gubeng (1956). He was married twice, first to Komalasari, an actress, who was 13 years his junior, and then to Ellya Rosa, another actress, who was 14 years his junior. He had six children from both marriages. He died in Jakarta, Indonesia, on 19 November 1975, at the age of 57. The cause of his death and the location of his burial place are unknown. He is remembered as one of the pioneers of Indonesian cinema and a versatile actor who could play various roles.