Kasma Booty ( Jawi: كسم بوتي; born Kasmah binti Abdullah; – 1 June 2007) is an

Indonesian Indonesian is anything of, from, or related to Indonesia, an archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. It may refer to: * Indonesians, citizens of Indonesia ** Native Indonesians, diverse groups of local inhabitants of the archipelago ** Indonesian ...

born-

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

n actress and film star. She was dubbed as "

Elizabeth Taylor Dame Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor (February 27, 1932 – March 23, 2011) was a British-American actress. She began her career as a child actress in the early 1940s and was one of the most popular stars of classical Hollywood cinema in the 1950s. ...

of Malaysia".

Personal life

She was born as Kasmah Abdullah in

Kisaran Kisaran is a city in the North Sumatra province of Indonesia. Kisaran is the administrative capital of Asahan Regency. Kisaran is divided into two administrative districts (''kecamatan'') - West Kisaran District and East Kisaran District. Kisara ...

North Sumatra North Sumatra ( id, Sumatra Utara) is a province of Indonesia located on the northern part of the island of Sumatra. Its capital and largest city is Medan. North Sumatra is Indonesia's fourth most populous province after West Java, East Java and ...

Dutch East Indies The Dutch East Indies, also known as the Netherlands East Indies ( nl, Nederlands(ch)-Indië; ), was a Dutch colony consisting of what is now Indonesia. It was formed from the nationalised trading posts of the Dutch East India Company, which ...

(now

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

) of Dutch and Javanese descent. Beginning her acting and film career at the early age of 15, she ultimately changed her name to Kasma Booty after marrying her husband, Jacob Booty. The couple had four children - Cempaka, Asmara, Purnama (her youngest child) and Suria (who is now deceased).

Acting career

P Ramlee and Kasma Booty, Peran Pemuda dalam Kebangkitan Film Indonesia, p114

She began her film career by acting in a number of films produced by

Shaw Brothers Shaw Brothers (HK) Ltd. () was the largest film production company in Hong Kong, and operated from 1925 to 2011. In 1925, three Shaw brothers— Runje, Runme, and Runde—founded Tianyi Film Company (also called "Unique") in Shangh ...

. Her movies at Shaw Brothers included Cempaka (1947) and Noor Asmara (1949). Kasma next moved to the Cathay Keris Studio in

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...

before moving to the Merdeka Studio in Hulu Kelang,

in the 1960s. She received the Merak Kayangan award for veteran, long time film stars at the seventh annual Malaysian Film Festival in 1987, as well being awarded the Jury Award at the 35th annual Asia Pacific Film Festival in 1990.

Illness and death

Kasma suffered from a number of medical conditions in her later years, including heart problems,

diabetes Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level ( hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased ap ...

high blood pressure Hypertension (HTN or HT), also known as high blood pressure (HBP), is a long-term medical condition in which the blood pressure in the arteries is persistently elevated. High blood pressure usually does not cause symptoms. Long-term high bl ...

and

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity ...

. She was admitted to Ampang Hospital, located in the suburb of Ampang near

Kuala Lumpur , anthem = '' Maju dan Sejahtera'' , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Malaysia#Southeast Asia#Asia , pushpin_map_caption = , coordinates = , su ...

on 13 May 2007, after complaining of shortness of breath due to pneumonia. While being hospitalised, she asked to visit Cameron Highlands in

Pahang Pahang (;Jawi alphabet, Jawi: , Pahang Hulu Malay: ''Paha'', Pahang Hilir Malay: ''Pahaeng'', Ulu Tembeling Malay: ''Pahaq)'' officially Pahang Darul Makmur with the Arabic honorific ''Darul Makmur'' (Jawi: , "The Abode of Tranquility") is a ...

and Pulau Besar in

Malacca Malacca ( ms, Melaka) is a state in Malaysia located in the southern region of the Malay Peninsula, next to the Strait of Malacca. Its capital is Malacca City, dubbed the Historic City, which has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site si ...

. Unfortunately, her final wishes was never granted as she was unable to leave the hospital. According to an interview with her granddaughter, Jeng Riema Booty Purnama, Kasma had been well enough to eat some of her favourite foods in the hospital such as '' lontong'', ''kentang putar'' and ''

nasi kandar Nasi kandar is a popular northern Malaysian dish from Penang, originally introduced by Tamil Muslim traders from India. The meal consists of steamed rice combined with an array of distinct curries, sides dishes, and gravies. The selection of curr ...

''. She died at 2 a.m on 1 June 2007 of pneumonia surrounded by her children. She was 75 at the time and left behind 12 grandchildren and two great grandchildren. Her body was buried at Kampung Klang Gate Cemetery.

Filmography

Studios ** Cempaka (1947) ** Pisau Beracun (1948) ** Noor Asmara (1949) ** Racun Dunia (1950) ** Bakti (1950) ** Dewi Murni (1950) ** Sejoli (1951) ** Juwita (1951) ** Manusia (1951) * Cathay Keris Studio ** Mahsuri (1958) * Merdeka Studio ** Keris Sempena Riau (1961) ** Selendang Merah (1962) ** Siti Payung (1962) ** Ratapan Ibu (1962) ** Tangkap Basah (1963) ** Anak Manja (1963) ** Ragam P. Ramlee (1965) ** Damak (1967)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Booty, Kasma 1932 births 2007 deaths People from Medan Indonesian emigrants to Malaysia Malaysian people of Javanese descent Malaysian people of Indonesian descent Malaysian people of Dutch descent Malaysian Muslims Malaysian film actresses 20th-century Malaysian actresses Deaths from pneumonia in Malaysia Naturalised citizens of Malaysia Indonesian people of Dutch descent Javanese people Indo people Indonesian Muslims Members of the Order of the Defender of the Realm