Background
Zaenah was born in Jambi, a city on the island of Sumatra, Dutch East Indies, on 11 November 1928.
Zaenah was born in Jambi, a city on the island of Sumatra, Dutch East Indies, on 11 November 1928.
She completed her education up to the elementary school level, but soon focused on a career in entertainment.
Aside from acting in stage plays, Zaenah led her own musical group, the Los Suita Rama, and performed topeng dance. In 1951 Zaenah entered the film industry. Originally she performed in productions by a number of companies, including Golden Arrow, Fred Young"s Bintang Surabaya, and Tan and Wong Brothers
In 1953 she migrated to Djamaluddin Malik"s Persari, starring in several films for the company, including Supir Istimewa, Pegawai Tinggi, and Bintang Baru.
In the 1960s, as the domestic film industry was suffering, Zaenah moved behind the camera. She worked as producer on four films.
By the 1970s Zaenah was working as an entrepreneur.