Teguh Karya was an Indonesian film director. Starting his entertainment career in theatre, he made his directorial debut with Wadjah Seorang Laki-Laki, released three years later. He later directed numerous critically acclaimed films, including Cinta Pertama, Badai Pasti Berlalu, and November 1828. In 2001 Karya died from complications from a 1998 stroke.
Biography
Teguh Karya was born Steve Liem Tjoan Hok on 22 September 1937 in Pandeglang, Banten. He was the first child of Chinese Indonesians Laksana Karya and Naomi Yahya ; there was some Bantenese descent from his grandmother. He attended elementary school in Pandeglang, but moved to Jakarta for junior high school, where he struggled with the exact sciences but did well in the creative arts and history. Karya studied at the Academy of Art, Drama, and Film in Yogyakarta from 1954 to 1955. He then studied at the Indonesian National Theater Academy in Jakarta from 1957 to 1961, where he obtained experience as an actor. He later studied at the East–West Center in Honolulu, Hawaii from 1962 to 1963. Karya acted in Jenderal Kancil, while working at Hotel Indonesia as a stage manager. It was directed at children. That same year he established Teater Populer at his home in Kebon Kacang, Tanah Abang, Jakarta. Members were mainly ATNI students; he often booked them to perform at Hotel Indonesia. The troupe later went on to produce critically acclaimed dramas, including 1971's Pernikahan Darah, 1973's Inspektur Jenderal, Kopral Woyzeck, and 1974's Perempuan Pilihan Dewa. In 1971, Karya released his first adult-oriented film, Wadjah Seorang Laki-Laki. Two years later he released Cinta Pertama, which garnered him his first Citra Award and launched the acting career of its star, Christine Hakim. It was followed by three more romances, Ranjang Pengantin, Kawin Lari, and Perkawinan Semusim. Karya's most commercially successful work, Badai Pasti Berlalu, was released in 1977. Based on a novel of the same name by Marga T, it was watched by 212,551 people in its original run. It later won four awards at the 1977 Indonesian Film Festival. Two years later, Teguh directed the historical epicNovember 1828, which received six Citra Awards. It was followed by Di Balik Kelambu, Secangkir Kopi Pahit, Doea Tanda Mata, Ibunda and Pacar Ketinggalan Kereta. Karya also directed sinetron, or Indonesian soap operas. He released his first sinetron, Pulang in 1987. In 1995 he directed Alang-Alang, sponsored by the Family Planning Coordination Board, and the Johns Hopkins University Population Communication Services. In 1998, Karya suffered from a stroke, which caused some memory loss and put him in a wheelchair for the rest of his life. He died at the age of 64 at the Mintoharjo Navy Hospital in Central Jakarta in December 11, 2001.
Karya won numerous Citra Awards. In 2005, the Twilite Orchestra held a memorial concert featuring songs from Karya's films. Performers included people he had directed, such as Berlian Hutauruk, as well as pop stars like Krisdayanti and Ruth Sahanaya.
Personal life
Karya never married, although he occasionally dated. When asked why, he said that there everyone had "rooms" in them, for art, friends, country, and other things; the order these rooms were filled was different for each person.
