Petchara Chaowarat ( Thai: เพชรา เชาวราษฎร์; born 19 January 1943 in Rayong Province,

Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

) is a Thai actress who starred in around 300 films from 1961 to 1979. An icon of the "Golden Age" of Thai cinema, she was known for her elaborate hairstyles. Petchara was named a

National Artist National Artist is an honorary title issued by some states as the highest recognition of artists for their significant contributions to the cultural heritage of the nation. An equivalent title, People's Artist, has been known in countries of the ...

of Thailand in 2018.

Career

Her first film and starring role was in ''Banthuk Rak Pimchawee'' ('Love Diary of Pimchawee'), in 1961. She co-starred with popular leading man,

Mitr Chaibancha Mitr Chaibancha (; 28 January 1934 – 8 October 1970) was a Thai (ethnic group), Thai film actor. He acted in 266 films from 1956 to 1970. He died on 8 October 1970 at Dongtan Beach, Pattaya#Jomtien Beach, Jomtien, Pattaya, South Pattaya, afte ...

, and they proved to be popular pair, starring together in more than 150 films. One of their most popular films was 1970s '' Monrak luk thung'' (, or 'Magical Love of the Countryside'), a musical rhapsodizing Thai rural life. In 1964, Petchara was named best actress by the Thailand National Film Awards committee for her role in ''Nok Noi'', and received the award from

King Bhumibol Bhumibol Adulyadej (5 December 192713 October 2016), titled Rama IX, was King of Thailand from 1946 until his death in 2016. His reign of 70 years and 126 days is the longest of any Thai monarch, the longest on record of any independent ...

. After Mitr Chaibancha's accidental death on the set of '' Insee tong'' in 1970, Petchara continued to act in films. She starred in the 1971 musical comedy ''Ai Tui'' ('Mr. Tui'), in which she co-starred with

Sombat Metanee Sombat Metanee (; 26 June 1937 – 18 August 2022) was a Thai actor and film director, who was honored as National Artist in the performing arts branch (movies-television drama) in 2016. At one time, he held the Guinness World Record for most ...

, who became a popular leading man after Mitr's death. Petchara's last film was ''Ai Khuntong'', which was released in 1979. Her public appearances have dwindled over the years, attributed to her near blindness, thought to have been caused from her many hours of working in front of the bright lights on film sets.The fame game–Ten heroes and villains who riveted the nation this year
4 December 2009, ''

The Bangkok Post The ''Bangkok Post'' is an English-language daily newspaper published in Bangkok, Thailand. It is published in broadsheet and digital formats. The first issue was sold on 1 August 1946. It had four pages and cost one baht, a considerable amount ...

''A star is reborn–Petchara Chaowarat returns to the spotlight after a 30-year hiatus
, 27 October 2009, ''Bangkok Post'' In 2004,

performance artist Performance art is an artwork or art exhibition created through actions executed by the artist or other participants. It may be witnessed live or through documentation, spontaneously developed or written, and is traditionally presented to a pu ...

Michael Shaowanasai co-directed and starred in the film, ''

The Adventure of Iron Pussy ''The Adventure of Iron Pussy'' () is a 2003 Thai musical-action comedy film written and directed by Apichatpong Weerasethakul and Michael Shaowanasai and starring Shaowanasai as a crossdressing Thai secret agent whose alter ego is a gay male co ...

'', in which he portrayed a

transvestite Cross-dressing is the act of wearing clothes traditionally or stereotypically associated with a different gender. From as early as pre-modern history, cross-dressing has been practiced in order to disguise, comfort, entertain, and express onesel ...

secret agent. The character's hairstyle, clothing and demeanor were based on Petchara. The film was co-directed by

Apichatpong Weerasethakul Apichatpong Weerasethakul (; ; , born 16 July 1970) is a Thai independent film director, screenwriter, film producer and Professor at Tama Art University in Tokyo. Working outside the strict confines of the Thai film studio system, Apichatpong h ...

. More Petchara homage came in 2005, with the film '' Yam Yasothon'' ('Hello Yasothon'), a musical-comedy directed by comedian-actor

Petchtai Wongkamlao Petchtai Wongkamlao, (, , ; born 24 June 1965) is a Thai comedian, actor, martial artist and film director. He is best known in Thailand by his stage name, Mum Jokmok (, , ); and is a popular Thai television personality. He is credited as Mom Jo ...

that was set in the 1960s and captured much of the colorful spirit of the Mitr-Petchara era.

Career

References

Further reading