Veteran Malaysian actress and Pontianak star Maria Menado dies at 94

Malaysian actress Maria Menado, one of the most prominent film stars from the golden era of Malay cinema from the 1950s to the early 1960s, died on April 30. She was 94.

Her son-in-law, Mr Sairul Amar Ayob, confirmed her death at a private medical centre in Kuala Lumpur to Malaysian news channel Astro Awani.

Born Liesbet Dotulong in 1932 in Minahasa, North Sulawesi, she made a name for herself after moving to Singapore, where she joined Malay Film Productions and Cathay-Keris Film Productions.

Also known as Datuk Seri Maria Abdullah, she is famed for her title role in Pontianak (1957), widely regarded as one of the earliest Malay-language horror films.

She was also Malaysia’s first female producer. She formed her own company, Maria Menado Production, which released films she also starred in, such as Siti Zubaidah (1961) and Darahku (My Blood, 1963).

In a 2005 interview with The Straits Times, she said she had fond memories of living in Singapore. She first visited the country at the age of 17 with her aunt for a kebaya fashion show tour.

Maria’s beauty attracted film producers from Shaw Brothers, which ran the Malay Film Productions studio in Singapore, and she was invited for a screen test.

She was then offered a five-year contract, and made her first movie Penghidupan (Life) with the late Malaysian entertainment icon P. Ramlee in 1951. The role earned her a Best Supporting Actress prize at the 1951/1952 Malaysian Film Festival.

Before her Shaw contract was up, she received an offer from Shaw’s competitor Cathay-Keris Films, which produced Pontianak, a massive hit. It led to her winning Best Actress at the 1957 Malaysian Film Festival.

The movie, in which she played the eponymous female vampire of Malay folklore, spawned four sequels and was dubbed in Cantonese for the Hong Kong market.

Maria was married to Pontianak’s scriptwriter Abdul Razak from 1950 until their divorce in 1963. In the same year, she wed the then Sultan of Pahang, who died in 1974. In 1978, she married a veterinarian-turned-businessman, who died in 2000. She leaves behind three sons and two daughters.

In a social media post on April 30, Malaysia’s Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil paid tribute and offered condolences on behalf of the ministry.

“Her performances, especially in the iconic 1957 film Pontianak, not only created a sensation, but also paved the way for the local horror genre as we know it today,” he wrote.

“Her passing is not just the loss of an actor, but also the loss of a part of our artistic heritage and collective memory. Many grew up watching her performances, and the aura she brought to the screen continues to be felt to this day.”