Mariani

Siti Mariam binti Ismail (Jawi: سيتي مريم اسماعيل ; 20 April 1933 – 1 Desember 2015), lebih dikenal dengan nama panggung Mariani adalah seorang aktris, penyanyi dan model Melayu Malaysia-Singapura yang populer pada tahun 1950an dan 1960an. Dia adalah kakak perempuan Biduanda Saloma dan kakak ipar P. Ramlee. Mariani dianggap sebagai salah satu aktris paling populer di Jalan Ampas Studios di Singapura, yang dijuluki "Zaman Keemasan Sinema Melayu" pada saat itu. Dia membintangi lebih dari 30 film selama rentang karirnya 63 tahun. Karier Mariam dimulai setelah memenangkan Kontes Ratu Singapura pada tahun 1951 ketika ia berusia 17 tahun. Ia merupakan ibu negara yang pernah menyandang gelar tersebut. Namun, dia tidak mewakili Singapura saat itu. Pertunjukan tersebut telah menjadi batu loncatan baginya untuk terjun ke dunia akting. Setelah itu, ia ditawari akting oleh Malay Film Productions, namun ia menolak karena ambisinya menjadi dokter. Dua tahun kemudian, setelah dibujuk Saloma, barulah Mariani bersedia bertindak. Film pertamanya adalah Chemburu yang disutradarai oleh S. Ramanathan pada tahun 1952. Setelah kesuksesan film tersebut, Mariani ditawari akting lain dalam film-film perusahaan tersebut termasuk Palace of Dreams, A Return, Labu Labi, Nasib Si Labu-Labi dan Tiga Abdul. Setelah penutupan Produksi Film Melayu dan pemisahan Singapura dari Malaysia, ia melanjutkan karir aktingnya di Studio Merdeka di Kuala Lumpur. Dia membintangi banyak film di studio seperti Sweet Mashed Film dan Discouraged. Di tahun-tahun terakhirnya, Mariani terus berakting dan penampilan terakhirnya di film adalah Pontianak Harum Sundal Malam 2 yang disutradarai oleh Shuhaimi Baba pada tahun 2005. Ia juga membintangi berbagai drama seperti Nur Qalesya, Bila Larut Malam dan lain-lain. Pada tahun 2007, ia bersama suaminya mendirikan perusahaan produksi, Kus Semangat Sdn. Bhd., yang dimilikinya bersama suaminya, hingga kematiannya pada tahun 2015. Pada 1 Desember 2015, Mariani meninggal setelah berjuang melawan kanker usus besar, di rumahnya di Taman Kosmo Jaya, Sentul, Kuala Lumpur. Dia berusia 82 tahun. Jenazahnya dikirim ke Masjid Al-Hidayah di Jalan Sentul dan dimakamkan di Pemakaman Muslim Jalan Ampang, Kuala Lumpur.

Siti Mariam binti Ismail (Jawi: سيتي مريم اسماعيل ; 20 April 1933 – 1 December 2015), better known by her stage name as Mariani was a Malaysian-Singaporean Malay actress, singer and model popular during the 1950s and 1960s. She was the older sister of Biduanda Saloma and sister-in-law of P. Ramlee. Mariani was considered one of the most popular actresses at Jalan Ampas Studios in Singapore, dubbed the "Golden Age of Malay Cinema" at the time. She starred in more than 30 films over her 63-year career span. Mariam's career began after winning the Singapore Queen Contest in 1951 when she was 17. She was the first lady to ever hold the title. However, she did not represent Singapore at that time. The show has been a stepping stone for her to engage in acting. After that, she was offered an act by Malay Film Productions, but she refused because her ambition was to be a doctor. After two years, it was after being persuaded by Saloma, then Mariani agreed to act. Her first film was Chemburu directed by S. Ramanathan in 1952. After the success of the movie, Mariani was offered another acting in the company's films including Palace of Dreams, A Return, Labu Labi, Nasib Si Labu-Labi and Tiga Abdul. After the closure of Malay Film Productions and the separation of Singapore from Malaysia, she continued her acting career at Studio Merdeka in Kuala Lumpur. She starred in many films in the studio like Sweet Mashed Film and Discouraged. In her later years, Mariani continued to act and her latest appearance in films was Pontianak Harum Sundal Malam 2 directed by Shuhaimi Baba in 2005. She also starred in various dramas such as Nur Qalesya, Bila Larut Malam and others more. In 2007, she along with her husband, founded a production company, Kus Semangat Sdn. Bhd., which she owned with her husband, until her death in 2015. On 1 December 2015, Mariani died after battling with colon cancer, at her home in Taman Kosmo Jaya, Sentul, Kuala Lumpur. She was 82 years old. Her body was sent to Al-Hidayah Mosque in Jalan Sentul and was buried in Jalan Ampang Muslim Cemetery, Kuala Lumpur.