# Mieke Wijaya

Miecke Marie De Rijder (née Wijaya; 17 March 1940 – 3 May 2022) was an Indonesian actress, model, and politician who won three Citra Awards. She was crowned the best female antagonist in Indonesian film industry along with Suzzanna and Ruth Pelupessy. Wijaya began her career as a teenager and soared to popularity by partaking a role in Usmar Ismail's commercially successful Tiga Dara, her name became increasingly popular after starring in the soap opera Losmen in 1987.

## Biography

Mieke Wijaya was born Miecke Marie De Rijder on 17 March 1940, in Bandung, Dutch East Indies to De Rijder. After graduating senior high school, she studied for some time at the National Theatre Academy of Indonesia in Jakarta. During this period she was active as a singer and actress; she had made her film debut in 1954 with Gagal.
In 1956 Wijaya rose to fame as one of the stars in Perfini's Tiga Dara. The film, directed by Usmar Ismail, saw Mieke play Nana, one of three sisters raised by their grandmother after their mother's death; in 2006 Ade Irwansyah of Tabloid Bintang wrote that Tiga Dara was the eleventh best Indonesian film of all time. Over the next five years she acted in thirteen films, including five in 1961 alone. Through the 1960s, while continuing to act in films, she was a member of Teguh Karya's Teater Populer (English: Popular Theatre), a stage drama troupe.
Through the 1970s and 1980s Wijaya acted in numerous films, including the religious Sembilan Wali (1985), the comedy Bing Slamet Koboi Cengeng (1974), the drama Ranjang Pengantin (1973), and the romances Badai Pasti Berlalu (1977) and Dr. Karmila (1977). In 1987 she acted in three productions.
After a four-year hiatus, during 1991 Wijaya acted in two films, Saat Kukatakan Cinta and Zig Zag (Anak Jalanan). This was followed by another long hiatus from featured films: the Indonesian film industry declined drastically in the early 1990s, and Wijaya began to focus on television series, including Melangkah Di Atas Awan. As of 2013, her most recent feature film role was in Hanung Bramantyo's Ayat-Ayat Cinta.
Wijaya won two Citra Awards for Best Leading Actress, one in 1967 for Gadis Kerudung Putih and one in 1981 for Kembang Semusim. She also received a Citra Award for Best Supporting Actress in 1975 for her role in Ranjang Pengantin. In 1996 she received a Surjosoemanto Prize from the National Film Board in recognition of her lengthy career, and at the 2011 Bandung Film Festival she received a Lifetime Achievement award together with Deddy Mizwar.
She was married to fellow actor Dicky Zulkarnaen (1939–1995) until his death of a stroke. They had four children: Tirza Valentina, Ade Miskarana, Nia, and Barman Morgana Zulkarnaen. The couple's daughter Nia was nominated for a Citra Award in 1991 for her role in Lagu Untuk Seruni.
Wijaya died at her residence in Kemang, South Jakarta, on 3 May 2022, around 12:30 (UTC). Wijaya was suffered from diabetes and later discovered cancer after being hospitalized for a month in Gatot Soebroto Army Hospital at the age of 82.
Her funeral was held at Tanah Kusir Cemetery, Kebayoran Lama, on 4 May 2022. Among the mourners were Deddy Mizwar, Tio Pakusadewo, and Roy Marten.

## Filmography

Wijaya acted in over seventy films during her fifty-year career.

## Awards and nominations

| Award | Year | Category | Work | Result |
| Indonesian Film Festival | 1967 | Citra Award for Best Leading Actress | Gadis Kerudung Putih | Won |
| Indonesian Film Festival | 1975 | Citra Award for Best Supporting Actress | Ranjang Pengantin | Won |
| Indonesian Film Festival | 1981 | Citra Award for Best Leading Actress | Kembang Semusim | Won |
| Bandung Film Festival | 2011 | Lifetime Achievement Award | Lifetime Achievement Award | Won |
| Indonesian Movie Awards | 2015 | Lifetime Achievement Award | Lifetime Achievement Award | Won |
| Asian Television Awards | 1996 | Best Actress in a Supporting Role | Antara Jakarta dan Perth | Won |