Christine Hakim

Herlina Christine Natalia Hakim (born 25 December 1956) is an Indonesian actress, film producer, and activist. Born to a devout Muslim family of a mixed-race background in Jambi, she grew up in Yogyakarta, aspiring to be an architect or psychologist. This changed after she was discovered by Teguh Karya for his 1973 movie Cinta Pertama, a role which garnered her a Citra Award for Best Actress and convinced her to follow a career in acting. Since then, she has starred in numerous films, including 1977's Badai Pasti Berlalu and 1988's Tjoet Nja' Dhien; she also had a minor role in the 2010 Hollywood movie Eat Pray Love. , she has won six Citra Awards, received a lifetime achievement award from the Cinemanila International Film Festival, and served as a member of the jury at the Cannes Film Festival. Hakim began branching out from acting in 1998, beginning with roles as producer of Daun di Atas Bantal and Pasir Berbisik and eventually spreading to documentary film-making and an activist for education and autism. Beginning in 2008, she has served as Indonesia's goodwill ambassador to UNESCO, focusing on educational issues. Biography Hakim was born on 25 December 1956 in Kuala Tungkal, Jambi, and was raised in Yogyakarta, as the daughter of Hakim Thahar and Oma Nurhadiaty. She is of mixed descent, with her relatives coming from Padang, Aceh, Banten, Pekalongan, Madiun, and the Middle East; this caused her to question her identity as a child and teenager. Despite being devout Muslims, her parents named her Christine and Natalia because she was born on Christmas Day. In 2023, Hakim revealed that her given name was after a Germany missionary physician who help her mother when gave birth to her in remote areas of Jambi. Originally, Hakim did not intend to be an actress, but an architect or psychologist. However, she was cast in Teguh Karya's 1973 film Cinta Pertama after he saw pictures of her modelling in a magazine; despite only modelling to help her friend and not wanting to act, she was unable to decline Karya's request for fear of being impolite to such a "warm and friendly" person. She later described Karya as having "reeled [her] in, slowly, slowly, like a fisherman," and considered leaving acting after wrapping up filming. Her work in Cinta Pertama garnered her a Citra Award for Best Actress, which convinced her to continue acting.