Tan Sri P. Ramlee was a Malaysian film star, comedian, singer, director, and songwriter. P. Ramlee was born Teuku Zakaria Teuku Nyak Puteh to Teuku Nyak Puteh Teuku Karim and Che Mah Hussein at his grandmother’s house and right now opened as P. Ramlee House, in Counter Hall, Penang, Malaysia.
Malaysia’s most beloved and versatile entertainer received his early education in Sekolah melayu Kampung Jawa and then the Francis Light School. He was very active in sports, especially sepak takraw, badminton, and football in school. During the Japanese Occupation he worked in a tin factory and attended a school set up by the Japanese navy, where he learnt Japanese songs. In 1945, he entered a singing contest organised by Penang Radio for North Malaya, where he emerged third. He was the runner-up in the following year and the winner in 1947.
His big break came on 1 June 1948 when he was spotted by Indian film director B. S. Rajhans from Malay Film Productions (MFP) of Jalan Ampas, Singapore at a cultural festival in early 1948, where P. Ramlee sang his own composition “Azizah”.
Rajhans invited P. Ramlee to work as a backup singer for the Shaw Brother’s MFP. P. Ramlee accepted the offer, and the next few weeks saw him working as a clapper-boy, assistant cameraman, and continuity person in addition to singing.
His first acting role came in 1948 in Cinta (Love) as a villain. The director was so impressed with Ramlee, that in that same year, he was cast in the lead for the film Bakti (Piety). Seven years later, P. Ramlee directed his first film Penarik Becha (The Trishaw Man). P. Ramlee acted in a total 65 films, directed 35 films, made two television drams, directed two stage plays, and wrote or co wrote 359 songs. P. Ramlee won several acting and composing awards at the Asian Film Festival in the 1950s and 1960s.
Among his films that received awards are:
· Best Musical Score for Hang Tuah –Third Asian Film Festival, Hong Kong (1956);
· Best Male Actor for Anak-ku Sazali (My son, Sazali) – Fourth Asian Film Festival, Tokyo (1957);
· Best Comedy Film for Nujum Pak Belalang (Pak Belalang, The Fortune Teller) – Seventh Asian Film Festival, Tokyo (1960).
In 1968, in homour of his contributions to te Malaysian entertainment industry, the P. Ramlee Memorial was set up in Setapak, Kuala Lumpur.
