Rendra Karno

Rendra Karno was an Indonesian actor who was active from the 1940s to the 1980s. He was born in Kutoarjo, Central Java, on 7 May 1920 and was one of fourteen children born to J. R. Hunter (also known as Osman) and L. W. Winterberg who were of English and German descent, respectively. Both were stage actors with the Sri Permata Opera, and often traveled. Interested in theatre, he ran away from his elementary school in Yogyakarta to join a troupe in Klaten, under the leadership of Djafar Wirjo. Although Karno was taken as a porter, Wirjo taught him stage techniques as well. Karno's parents ultimately decided to support his career and help him learn to lead a cabaret. In 1941, as the domestic film industry was seeking young, educated actors to improve the public perception of cinema, Karno was approached by Union Films and cast in their production Soeara Berbisa, a film which told of two men who compete for a woman's love before discovering that they are brothers. He appeared in another film, for Union later that year, when he played a young assistant pharmacist in the company's romance Mega Mendoeng. In March 1942, following the Japanese occupation of the Dutch East Indies, Union was closed, and Karno, though working on an adaptation of the legend Damarwulan, was let go. Karno migrated to theatre, spending most of the occupation with the amateur theatre troupe Maya (under Usmar Ismail), though he did act in a single short propaganda film: Di Menara. Following the surrender of Japan in August 1945, the Dutch colonial forces, supported by the Allies, returned to the Indonesian archipelago. In the ensuing Indonesian National Revolution (1945–1949), Karno was active with Fred Young's Bintang Soerabaja professional theatre troupe. In 1948, towards the end of the revolution, Karno returned to film, taking a role in the South Pacific Film Corporation (SPFC) production Anggrek Bulan. On this film, he again worked with Ismail, who was serving as assistant director. Karno took another two roles in SPFC films in 1949, in Harta Karun and Tjitra. When the company was merged with Berita Film Indonesia to form Perusahaan Film Negara (PFN; the State Film Company), Karno migrated to Young's Bintang Surabaja and appeared in a number of their films, including Bintang Surabaja 1951, Djembatan Merah, and Selamat Berdjuang, Masku!. As the 1950s progressed, Karno worked for a number of companies, including Djamaluddin Malik's Persari (Rodrigo de Villa, 1952) and PFN (Penjelundup, 1952). His name became very prominent when he played a comedic role in Krisis (1953). He also had a behind the scenes role, serving as cinematographer for Tirtonadi (1950) and director for Musafir Kelana (1953) and several other films. He married Djuriah Karno, an actress, in 1947 and they had a daughter, Rita Subowo, who later became the chairperson of the Indonesian Olympic Committee. They divorced in 1964 and Karno married another actress, Elviana. He died on 27 November 1985 in Jakarta. The cause and place of his death are unknown. Karno is remembered as one of the pioneers of Indonesian cinema and a versatile actor who could play both comedic and dramatic roles.