Nani Widjaja (Perfected Spelling: Nani Wijaya; born 10 November 1943) is an Indonesian actress who has won two Citra Awards for Best Supporting Actress.

Biography

Widjaja was born in Cirebon, East Java, on 10 November 1943. During the late 1950s she became interested in acting. She made her film debut in a bit part in Lilik Sudjio's Darah Tinggi in 1960. During the 1960s she appeared mostly in supporting roles, though she did have some leading roles, such as in Rd Ariffien's Di Balik Dinding Sekolah (1961) and Misbach Yusa Biran's Menjusuri Djedjak Berdarah (1967).

Widjaja took a university education in criminology from the University of Indonesia, and in 1973 she graduated from an acting workshop from Parfi and the Jakarta Art Institute. During the 1970s and 1980s she was highly active, often taking multiple roles in a single year. All of her Citra Award-nominated work was completed during this time.

After the Indonesian film industry collapsed in 1993, Widjaja migrated to television. She acted in such soap operas as Gara-Gara (1993), Bung Besar (1993), Aku Mau Hidup (1994), Mat Beken (1995), Cinta Buat Monita (1995), Masih Ada Kapal ke Padang (1995), Penantian (1997), Gara-gara Plus (1997). Widjaja returned to feature films in 2007 with Rudi Soedjarwo's Cintapuccino. She has continued to appear in feature films, though at a much reduced rate. She also remains active on television. According to the website for Taman Ismail Marzuki, Widjaja's best-known television role was the as the Mother (Emak) in Bajaj Bajuri.

As of September 2013, Widjaja has acted in 111 films; in many of these she played a mother or grandmother. She has been won two Citra Awards for Best Supporting Actress, one in 1978 for Yang Muda Yang Bercinta and one in 1983 for the biopic R. A. Kartini, out of five nominations. In the latter she portrayed Mas Ayu Ngasirah, the mother of Kartini.

Widjaja was married to fellow film activist and former director Misbach Yusa Biran. He died in 2012. Two of their five children also entered the film industry. One of them, Sukma Ayu, was best known for playing a tomboy named Rohaye in the sitcom Kecil Kecil Jadi Manten.