Wahid Satay
Satay in 1962
Born
Abdul Wahid bin Ahmad

1930 (1930)[1]
Indragiri, Riau, Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia)
DiedMay 22, 2023(2023-05-22) (aged 92–93)
Singapore
NationalitySingaporean
Other names
  • A. Wahid
  • Wahid Satay
  • S. M. Wahid
Occupations
  • Actor
  • comedian
  • singer
Years active1948–2005

Abdul Wahid bin Ahmad (1930[2] – 22 May 2023), also known as Wahid Satay, A. Wahid or S. M. Wahid, was a Singaporean actor, comedian and singer.

Early life and education

Wahid was born in Indragiri, Riau, Sumatra, in the Dutch East Indies.[3] and migrated to Singapore in 1935. He received his early education at the Geylang Malay School.

Career

Prior to his acting career, he took painting, which was his hobby since his school days. Because of the quality of his paintings, Wahid was offered a job as a studio set painter at the Cathay Keris Studios at East Coast Road at the end of 1956.[4] In 1957, director B.N. Rao needed a young comedian to be given a role in the film Pontianak. Rao noted that Wahid was always telling jokes to his co-workers and always making everyone on the set laugh, and thus decided to include him in Pontianak as a comedic role.

The role given to Wahid is the part of a satay seller (hence the stage name 'Wahid Satay', given by Cathay Keris Studios owner Loke Wan Tho) in a village where the people are afraid of Pontianak. Wahid so effectively acted the part of the satay seller that the scene became one of the most memorable scenes of the film Pontianak. The movie Pontianak created its own history when it broke Malay movie theatre records, with total takings of more than one million dollars, the highest amount then in 1957.[5]

Following his huge success in Pontianak, Wahid was promoted from assistant painter to full-time actor with a three-year contract. Wahid was not only competent in the field of acting, but also singing. Besides his skills in front of the camera, Wahid also performed live shows to promote his films. Up to his death, Wahid still got many invitations to perform live on stage. During his Cathay Keris Studio days, Wahid represented his studios at the Asia Pacific Film Festivals in Tokyo, Manila and Hong Kong.[5]

As an actor with Cathay Keris Studios, Wahid starred in numerous lead and supporting actor comic parts, which led him to be labelled "the Jerry Lewis of Singapore and Malaya".[6][7]

Apart from his iconic comedic roles during the 1950s and 1960s, he also rose to fame with another comedic actor, Mat Sentul in the same period. Thus both of them were involved together in numerous comedy films of those eras such as Pak Pandir Moden, 2 kali 5, etc.

Personal life and death

Satay suffered from diabetes and heart disease.[8] He died from complications of diabetes on 22 May 2023, at the age of 93. Satay was found dead on his bed by his grandchild.[8] He was subsequently buried at the Pusara Aman Muslim cemetery at Lim Chu Kang.[4]

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes Ref
1948 Pertaruhan Cameo appearance
1957 Pontianak Ali
1958 Satay Kamil
Serangan Orang Minyak Baning
Sumpah Pontianak Ali
Che Mamat Parang Tajam Mamat
1959 Rasa Sayang Eh... Baning
Jula Juli Bintang Tiga Kering
1960 Pak Pandir Moden Kulop
Che Mamat Parang Tumpul Mamat
1961 Sultan Mahmud Mangkat Dijulang Awang
Sri Mersing Jalak
Lela Satria
Gado Gado
Puteri Gunong Ledang
1962 Chelorong Cheloreng Cheloreng
Badang Badang [8]
Mabuk Kepayang Hassan
Jula Juli Bintang Tujuh Mertoh
Laila Majnun
1963 Masuk Angin Keluar Asap Wahid [9]
Gul Bakawali
Gila Talak Wahid / Wahab
1964 Pontianak Gua Musang Ali
1965 Tiga Botak Wahid
Muda Mudi
1966 Naga Tasik Chini Belitong
Anak Dara Laba [8]
Dua Kali Lima Wahid
1979 Mat Tenggek Wahid
Dendang Perantau Wahid
1980 Tuan Besar Tuan Wahid
2004 Pontianak Harum Sundal Malam Palace Officials Cameo appearance
2005 Senario XX Tok Ketua

Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Nominated Work Status Ref
1966 Asian Film Festival Best Comedian [4]
2007 Pesta Perdana Lifetime Achievement Award — [4]

References

  1. ↑ Reporters, FMT. "Wahid Satay, veteran actor of Malay cinema, dies at age 93". Free Malaysia Today. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
  2. ↑ Reporters, FMT. "Wahid Satay, veteran actor of Malay cinema, dies at age 93". Free Malaysia Today. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
  3. ↑ "Satayman Wahid". eresources.nlb.gov.sg. The Straits Times. 11 September 1990. p. 6. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Correspondent, Eddino Abdul HadiMusic (22 May 2023). "Veteran Singaporean actor-comedian Wahid Satay dies at 93". The Straits Times. ISSN 0585-3923. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
  5. 1 2 "Cinemamalaysia.com.my - Wahid Satay - Info". 1 November 2012. Archived from the original on 1 November 2012. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  6. ↑ "Page 8 Advertisements Column 2". The Straits Times. 3 January 1959. p. 8. Retrieved 13 February 2017 – via NewspaperSG.
  7. ↑ Tan, Bridget (15 July 1988). "Meet Wahid Satay, the Jerry Lewis of Malaya". Weekend East. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  8. 1 2 3 4 "Seniman Wahid Satay meninggal dunia pada usia 93 tahun". BERITA Mediacorp. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  9. ↑ "Actress, comedian seek film awards". The Straits Times. 22 March 1963. p. 10. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
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