Lydia Ruth Elizabeth Kandou or better known as Lydia Kandou (born in
Jakarta
Jakarta (; , bew, Jakarte), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta ( id, Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta) is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Lying on the northwest coast of Java, the world's most populous island, Jakarta ...
,
Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
on February 21, 1963) is an Indonesian
actress
An actor or actress is a person who portrays a Character (arts), character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek ...
and
model
A model is an informative representation of an object, person or system. The term originally denoted the plans of a building in late 16th-century English, and derived via French and Italian ultimately from Latin ''modulus'', a measure.
Models c ...
of mixed
Dutch
Dutch commonly refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands
* Dutch people ()
* Dutch language ()
Dutch may also refer to:
Places
* Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States
* Pennsylvania Dutch Country
People E ...
,
Filipino
Filipino may refer to:
* Something from or related to the Philippines
** Filipino language, standardized variety of 'Tagalog', the national language and one of the official languages of the Philippines.
** Filipinos, people who are citizens of th ...
and
Minahasan
The Minahasans (alternative spelling: Minahassa) are an ethnic group native to the North Sulawesi province of Indonesia, formerly known as North Celebes. The Minahasa people sometimes refer to themselves as Manado people. Although the Minahasan p ...
descent.
Biography
Kandou was born in
Jakarta
Jakarta (; , bew, Jakarte), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta ( id, Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta) is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Lying on the northwest coast of Java, the world's most populous island, Jakarta ...
on 21 February 1963. She is of mixed
Manado
Manado () is the capital City status in Indonesia, city of the Indonesian Provinces of Indonesia, province of North Sulawesi. It is the second largest city in Sulawesi after Makassar, with the 2020 Census giving a population of 451,916 distribu ...
and
Dutch
Dutch commonly refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands
* Dutch people ()
* Dutch language ()
Dutch may also refer to:
Places
* Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States
* Pennsylvania Dutch Country
People E ...
descent.
Kandou first found work as a model. When 16 years old, she was invited to act by director Imam Tantowi. She made her feature film debut in Has Manan's ''Wanita Segala Zaman''. During the next five years she acted in over 20 films, including several directed by Nyak Abbas Akup. These included a role as the singer
Chrisye
Hajji Chrismansyah Rahadi (; 16 September 1949 – 30 March 2007), born Christian Rahadi (), better known by his stage name Chrisye (), was an Indonesian progressive pop singer and songwriter. In 2011 ''Rolling Stone Indonesia'' declared hi ...
's love interest in Syamsul Fuad's ''
Seindah Rembulan
''Seindah Rembulan'' (''As Beautiful as the Moon'') is a 1980 Indonesian film directed by Syamsul Fuad. It features Iis Sugianto, Sys NS, Chrisye, and Lydia Kandou in a story about a singer working to support her family. It spawned a soundtrack al ...
'' and several films with the comedy troupe
Warkop
Warkop (an abbreviation of Warung Kopi, meaning "coffee stall") were an Indonesian comedy troupe that enjoyed success in radio, films and television over the 1980s and 1990s. Assembled in Jakarta on 1976 under Prambors management, they initiall ...
.
Kandou was nominated for her first
Citra Award for Best Leading Actress
The Citra Award for Best Actress ( id, Piala Citra untuk Pemeran Wanita Utama) is an award given at the Indonesian Film Festival (FFI) to Indonesian actresses for their achievements in leading roles. The Citra Awards, described by '' Screen In ...
at the 1984
Indonesian Film Festival
The Indonesian Film Festival (Indonesian: Festival Film Indonesia, 'FFI') is an annual awards ceremony organised by the Indonesian Film Board and the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology to celebrate cinematic achievements in ...
. She continued acting at a slower rate; between 1985 and 1990 she performed in 10 films. From these roles, she received two further Citra Award nominations.
In 1986, Kandou, a
Protestant
Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...
, married
Muslim
Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...
singer-cum-actor Jamal Mirdad in a
civil service
The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil servants hired on professional merit rather than appointed or elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leaders ...
. At the time their
interfaith marriage
Interfaith marriage, sometimes called a "mixed marriage", is marriage between spouses professing different religions. Although interfaith marriages are often established as civil marriages, in some instances they may be established as a religiou ...
was considered "sensational" by the news media and led to extensive debate over the legality of such weddings. Ultimately, civil marriages were banned in Indonesia. Owing to their different religions, this wedding was not recognized by the government until 1995, and the case remained common in legal discussions until the 2000s.
In 1990, Kandou was cast in the lead role of Nyak Abbas Akup's film ''Boneka dari Indiana'' (''Doll from Indiana''). After receiving another nomination for the Citra Award she was reportedly nervous; ultimately she received the award, her first win. Her other films that year were all Warkop comedies. She performed in ''Ramadhan dan Ramona'' the following year, which led to another win; her husband, who played the leading man, took
Best Leading Actor.
As the Indonesian film industry saw a downturn in the early 1990s Kandou migrated to television. Beginning in 1993, she was a regular on ''Gara-Gara''; in 1997 she left the show to join ''Selendang Sutra Biru''. She acted in the hit television series ''
Pernikahan Dini
Pernikahan Dini (English translation: ''Dini's Wedding'', or ''Early-age Marriage'') is a soap opera that aired on RCTI in 2001. The soap opera starring An Ensemble Cast such as Agnes Monica, Sahrul Gunawan, Alatarik Syah, Lydia Kandou, and Meriam ...
'' in 2001, playing the titular Dini's mother Shinta.
Kandou made her return to feature films in 2004, when she acted in ''d'Trex'' and ''Ketika''. In 2011 she acted in the comedy ''Kejarlah Jodoh Kau Kutangkap'', the title of which referenced her earlier work.
Kandou filed for divorce from Mirdad in April 2013. The two have four children together: Nana Mirdad, Kenang Kana,
Nasyila Mirdad, and Nathana Ghaza.
Filmography
Kandou has acted in 55 films.
*''Anak-anak Buangan'' (1979)
*''Mencari Cinta'' (1979)
*''Pelajaran Cinta'' (1979)
*''Kisah Cinta Rojali dan Zuleha'' (1979)
*''Remaja Idaman'' (1979)
*''Remaja-remaja'' (1979)
*''Wanita Segala Zaman'' (1979)
*''Hallo Sayang'' (1980)
*''
Seindah Rembulan
''Seindah Rembulan'' (''As Beautiful as the Moon'') is a 1980 Indonesian film directed by Syamsul Fuad. It features Iis Sugianto, Sys NS, Chrisye, and Lydia Kandou in a story about a singer working to support her family. It spawned a soundtrack al ...
'' (1980)
*''Nikmatnya Cinta'' (1980)
*''Kau Tercipta Untukku'' (1980)
*''Darna Ajaib'' (1980)
*''Lima Cewek Jagoan'' (1980)
*''Sekuntum Duri'' (1980)
*''Hilangnya Sebuah Mahkota'' (1980)
*''Bunga-bunga SMA'' (1980)
*''Tempatmu di Sisiku'' (1980)
*''Kembang Padang Kelabu'' (1980)
*''Jangan Sakiti Hatinya'' (1980)
*''Manis-manis Sombong'' (1980)
*''Nostalgia di SMA'' (1980)
*''Aladin dan Lampu Wasiat'' (1980)
*''Melodi Cinta'' (1980)
*''Masih Adakah Cinta'' (1980)
*''Roman Picisan'' (1980)
*''Dalam Lingkaran Cinta'' (1981)
*''Srigala'' (1981)
*''Perawan-perawan'' (1981)
*''Bunga-bunga Perkawinan'' (1981)
*''Perawan Rimba'' (1982)
*''Johanna'' (1983)
*''Tujuh Wanita Dalam Tugas Rahasia'' (1983)
*''Maju Kena Mundur Kena'' (1983)
*''Pokoknya Beres'' (1983)
*''Tahu Diri Dong'' (1984)
*''Untukmu Kuserahkan Segalanya'' (1984)
*''Kejarlah Daku Kau Kutangkap'' (1985)
*''Kesempatan dalam Kesempitan'' (1985)
*''Gadis Hitam Putih'' (1985)
*''Keluarga Markum'' (1986)
*''Memburu Makelar Mayat'' (1986)
*''Pengantin Baru'' (1986)
*''Tirai Perkawinan'' (1987)
*''Bendi Keramat'' (1988)
*''Siapa Menabur Benci Akan Menuai Bencana'' (1988)
*''Cas Cis Cus (Sonata di Tengah Kota)'' (1989)
*''Jangan Bilang Siapa-siapa'' (1990)
*''Antri Dong'' (1990)
*''Gonta Ganti'' (1990)
*''Kepingin Sih Kepingin'' (1990)
*''Boneka dari Indiana'' (1990)
*''Ramadhan dan Ramona'' (1992)
*''d'Trex'' (2004)
*''Ketika'' (2004)
*''Kejarlah Jodoh Kau Kutangkap'' (2011)
*''Benyamin Biang Kerok'(2018)
Awards and nominations
References
Works cited
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External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Kandou, Lydia
1963 births
Indo people
Living people
Indonesian Christians
Citra Award winners
Indonesian female models
Indonesian actresses
Indonesian Protestants
Indonesian people of Dutch descent
Indonesian people of Filipino descent
People of Sangirese descent
Minahasa people
People from Jakarta