Meriam Bellina

Ellisa Meriam Bellina Maria Bamboe (born 10 April 1964), or better known by her stage name 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 she has produced several feature films since 2007.

Biography

Meriam was born in Bandung, West Java, on 10 April 1964. Born to G.H. Bamboe and Maria Theresia, she has five siblings, 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. 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. For ''Perkawinan 83'', also released that year, Meriam found further critical claim.

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. During the 1980s she released several albums: ''Simfoni Rindu'', ''Untuk Sebuah Nama'' and ''Belajar Menyanyi''. These were often collaborations with Pance F. Pondaag. 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. Bruce Emond of '' The Jakarta Post'' later described her as "the fantasy girl come true for the movie-going public".

Meriam had a surge of popularity again in 1987 after starring alongside Didi Petet in ''Catatan Si Boy''. 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''.

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''. Between 1993 and 2006 she only acted in a single feature film, ''Kafir'' (2002).

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. 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''.

Personal life

Meriam married fellow co-actor Adi Surya Abdi. She has been divorced in marital relationships twice and, , has two sons. 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. 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.

Filmography

, Meriam has acted in 59 films. During the early stages of her career she was not selective, acting in a variety of genres.

*''Koboi Sutra Ungu'' (1981)
*''Perawan-perawan'' (1981)
*''Roro Mendut'' (1982)
*''Perkawinan 83'' (1982)
*''Dongkrak Antik'' (1982)
*''Neraca Kasih'' (1982)
*''Pengantin Pantai Biru'' (1983)
*''Bumi Bulat Bundar'' (1983)
*''Senjata Rahasia Nona'' (1983)
*''Sorga Dunia di Pintu Neraka'' (1983)
*''Susana-Susana Buktikan Cintamu'' (1984)
*''Permata Biru'' (1984)
*''Cinta di Balik Noda'' (1984)
*''Pelangi di Balik Awan'' (1984)
*''Kabut Perkawinan'' (1984)
*''Bercinta dalam Badai'' (1984)
*''Dia yang Tercinta'' (1984)
*''Kerikil-Kerikil Tajam'' (1984)
*''Titik-Titik Noda'' (1984)
*''Untuk Sebuah Nama'' (1985)
*''Tak Ingin Sendiri'' (1985)
*''Romantika (Galau Remaja di SMA)'' (1985)
*''Kulihat Cinta di Matanya'' (1985)
*''Ketika Musim Semi Tiba'' (1986)
*''Selamat Tinggal Jeanette'' (1987)
*''Tatkala Mimpi Berakhir'' (1987)
*''Makin Lama Makin Asyik'' (1987)
*''Catatan Si Boy'' (1987)
*''Bayar Tapi Nyicil'' (1988)
*''Catatan Si Boy II'' (1988)

*''Namaku... Joe'' (1988)
*''Joe Turun ke Desa'' (1989)
*''Si Kabayan dan Gadis Kota'' (1989)
*''Bercinta dalam Mimpi'' (1989)
*''Catatan Si Boy III'' (1989)
*''Nona Manis'' (1990)
*''Catatan Si Boy IV'' (1990)
*''Sejak Cinta Diciptakan'' (1990)
*''Boneka dari Indiana'' (1990)
*''Wanita'' (1990)
*''Taksi'' (1990)
*''Bernafas dalam Lumpur'' (1991)
*''Bukan Main'' (1991)
*''Peluk Daku dan Lepaskan'' (1991)
*''Saat Kukatakan Cinta'' (1991)
*''Taksi Juga'' (1991)
*''Asmara'' (1992)
*''Kafir'' (2002)
*'' Get Married'' (2007)
*''Tulalit'' (2008)
*''Basahhh...'' (2008)
*''XXL: Double Extra Large'' (2009)
*'' Get Married 2'' (2009)
*''Love and Eidelweiss'' (2010)
*''Kabayan Jadi Milyuner'' (2010)
*'' Get Married 3'' (2011)
*'' BrokenHearts'' (2012)
*''Test Pack: You're My Baby'' (2012)
*''Cinta Brontosaurus'' (2013)
*''Honeymoon'' (2013)
*''Slank Nggak Ada Matinya'' (2013)
*''Kukejar Cinta ke Negeri Cina''(2014)
*''Hijab ''(2015)
*''99% Muhrim: Get Married 5''(2015)
*''Jagoan Instan''(2016)
*''Surat Cinta Untuk Starla the Movie''(2017)

Awards and nominations

References

Works cited

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External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Bellina, Meriam
1964 births
Living people
Indo people
Citra Award winners
Indonesian actresses
20th-century Indonesian women singers
Indonesian people of American descent
Indonesian people of Dutch descent
Indonesian people of German descent
Sundanese people
Indonesian Roman Catholics
People from Bandung