Maya Karin
Encyclopedia
Maya Karin Roelcke is a Malaysian actress, television personality, and singer. Commonly known as Maya Karin, she is largely known for her roles in supernatural horror and thriller films.
. Her father, Gottfried Roelcke, is German
. Her mother, Che Zan, is from Penang
, Malaysia, and is of Malay
, Chinese and Indian
parentage. She is the oldest of three siblings. Her brother is Armin, and her sister is Irina. Growing up, Maya did some theatre work in Indonesia
. She later graduated from Limkokwing University Of Creative Technology
in media and marketing
.
She was married to Steven David Shorthose from Manchester
, England
, but the couple divorced on 16 July 2010. Their wedding was held in August 2008 in Italy. The couple met in 2001 when Steven was her brother's high school teacher at the Garden International School in Kuala Lumpur
. Steven, who was born in 1969, converted to Islam in 2004, and is also known by his Muslim name Muhammad Ali (after the boxer). He is a mathematics teacher at The Alice Smith School in Seri Kembangan
, Selangor
.
(hair care brand), Wella
(hair care brand) and Halle and Yishion (fashion apparel brand). She also experimented in theatre productions, and was involved in plays for Actor’s Studio such as Mahna Mahna and In the Mind’s Eye. Now she star in the hit theatre Natrah and later Natrah The 2nd.
’s Sri Dewi Malam. The role brought her significant public and media acclaim, and lead her to win the Best New Popular Artist Award at Malaysia’s Anugerah Bintang Popular (or the Popular Star Awards) and the Anugerah Media Hiburan (Media Entertainment Awards) in 2001.
In 2003 she was involved in film Mr. Cinderella 2 opposite established stars Erra Fazira
and Yusry (KRU
). Other films filmed followed, including Metrowealth Pictures’ Tujuh Perhentian (7 Stops), which resulted in her being nominated for the Most Popular Female Artist Award at the Anugerah Bintang Popular (Popular Star Awards) in 2004.
In 2004, her praised performance as the lead female role in Pesona Pictures’ Pontianak Harum Sundal Malam
enhanced Maya’s position as one of the leading Malaysian and regional talents. She received international awards including the Best Actress at the 49th Asia Pacific Film Festival 2004 (Fukuoka
, Japan
) and the Best Actress Estepona Fantasy and Terror Film Festival 2005 (Malaga
, Spain
). In 2005, she won the coveted Most Popular Actress Award at the Anugerah Bintang Popular (Popular Star Awards).
Despite her growing feature film career, Maya continued her involvement in television, and in 2004 was invited by Channel [V] International to join their VJ team. In 2006, she was voted Best VJ in Star Buzz Editor’s Choice Awards 2006. Other shows that she has hosted are the bridal programme ‘Ratu Sehari’ (Queen for a Day) in 2004 for Malaysia’s ASTRO Ria channel and the travelogue programme ‘Beauty Secrets From The East’ in 2005 for Malaysia’s local TV3 channel.
In 2005, Maya reprised her role as the lead in Pontianak Harum Sundal Malam II. Maya received critical acclaim for her portrayal, and received the award for Best Actress at Penghargaan Seniman Pelakon Wanita Terbaik 2006 (Malaysian equivalent to the Screen Actor’s Guild Awards) and a nomination for Best Actress at Pilihan Persatuan Pekerja Filem Malaysia (PPFM) (Malaysian equivalent of the Academy Awards).
In 2007, Maya played the lead in Pesona Pictures’ Waris Jari Hantu, Persona Pictures’ 1957: Hati Malaya and Tayangan Unggul’s Anak Halal, Maya won Best Actress in Festival Filem Malaysia 21 (Malaysia Film Festival) in 2008 for her role as a tomboy
girl in Anak Halal. In 2008's Duyung
, she plays the title role, a mermaid
. In this film, Maya did all the underwater scenes on her own in the open sea of Sipadan Island.
s). Her second album is Bukan Qalamaya (2004). Another album is in production.
, Michael Owen
, Leehom Wang, Robert Pires
and Indonesian popular band, Peterpan
. In August same year Maya was appointed spokesperson for L'Oréal Paris Malaysia and endorsee of its 2006-2007 skincare and cosmetics line. In 2008, Maya shares the role for Celcom brand ambassador together with popular local actors Rita Rudaini, Aaron Aziz, and Fahrin Ahmad.
Having been influenced by her father, Maya has been very passionate about the environment from a young age. Maya is actively involved with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). Maya Karin and WWF are in the midst of planning an Elephant Collaring Expedition so as to garner more information about our local elephants in order to help these animals from becoming extinct.
Background
Maya was born in Bayreuth, GermanyGermany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. Her father, Gottfried Roelcke, is German
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
. Her mother, Che Zan, is from Penang
Penang
Penang is a state in Malaysia and the name of its constituent island, located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia by the Strait of Malacca. It is bordered by Kedah in the north and east, and Perak in the south. Penang is the second smallest Malaysian state in area after Perlis, and the...
, Malaysia, and is of Malay
Malay people
Malays are an ethnic group of Austronesian people predominantly inhabiting the Malay Peninsula, including the southernmost parts of Thailand, the east coast of Sumatra, the coast of Borneo, and the smaller islands which lie between these locations...
, Chinese and Indian
Chindian
"Chindian" is a compound word used to refer to an Indian restaurant within the village of Chinnor, Oxfordshire. It is formed simply, yet ingeniously, by putting the "ch" from "Chinnor" in front of the word "Indian"....
parentage. She is the oldest of three siblings. Her brother is Armin, and her sister is Irina. Growing up, Maya did some theatre work in Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
. She later graduated from Limkokwing University Of Creative Technology
Limkokwing University Of Creative Technology
Limkokwing University of Creative Technology is a private international university with a presence across three continents: Africa, Europe and Asia...
in media and marketing
Marketing
Marketing is the process used to determine what products or services may be of interest to customers, and the strategy to use in sales, communications and business development. It generates the strategy that underlies sales techniques, business communication, and business developments...
.
She was married to Steven David Shorthose from Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, but the couple divorced on 16 July 2010. Their wedding was held in August 2008 in Italy. The couple met in 2001 when Steven was her brother's high school teacher at the Garden International School in Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur is the capital and the second largest city in Malaysia by population. The city proper, making up an area of , has a population of 1.4 million as of 2010. Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 7.2 million...
. Steven, who was born in 1969, converted to Islam in 2004, and is also known by his Muslim name Muhammad Ali (after the boxer). He is a mathematics teacher at The Alice Smith School in Seri Kembangan
Seri Kembangan
Seri Kembangan, formerly known as Serdang New Village, is a town located in Selangor, Malaysia. The town is now a considerable city in size - can be seen on the North-South Expressway Southern Route.-History:...
, Selangor
Selangor
Selangor also known by its Arabic honorific, Darul Ehsan, or "Abode of Sincerity") is one of the 13 states of Malaysia. It is on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia and is bordered by Perak to the north, Pahang to the east, Negeri Sembilan to the south and the Strait of Malacca to the west...
.
Career
Maya began her entertainment career as an endorsement model for brands such as PantenePantene
Pantene is a brand of hair care products owned by Procter & Gamble. The product line was first introduced in Europe in 1947 by Hoffman-LaRoche of Switzerland, which branded the name based on panthenol as a shampoo ingredient...
(hair care brand), Wella
Wella
Wella is a German company, and one of the world’s leading cosmetics suppliers. Founded in 1880 by Franz Stroher, with its headquarters in Darmstadt, Germany, the company is represented in over 150 countries....
(hair care brand) and Halle and Yishion (fashion apparel brand). She also experimented in theatre productions, and was involved in plays for Actor’s Studio such as Mahna Mahna and In the Mind’s Eye. Now she star in the hit theatre Natrah and later Natrah The 2nd.
Television and film
In 2000, she was cast as a television show host for Malaysia’s TV3 lifestyle entertainment programme Wavelength, which began her mainstream career and exposure. She began to receive film offers within a year and was soon cast in her first film role as one of the leads in Aziz M. OsmanAziz M. Osman
Aziz M. Osman is a Malaysian actor and director. He has been involved in a number of other areas of the Malaysian film industry as well, having been a producer, screenwriter and editor. He is currently the director general of AceMotion Pictures Sdn Bhd...
’s Sri Dewi Malam. The role brought her significant public and media acclaim, and lead her to win the Best New Popular Artist Award at Malaysia’s Anugerah Bintang Popular (or the Popular Star Awards) and the Anugerah Media Hiburan (Media Entertainment Awards) in 2001.
In 2003 she was involved in film Mr. Cinderella 2 opposite established stars Erra Fazira
Erra Fazira
Erra Fazira is a Malaysian actress, singer, fashion model, TV Host, film producer, as well as former beauty queen....
and Yusry (KRU
KRU
KRU is a Malaysian pop group that was formed in 1992. The group comprises three brothers: Norman Abdul Halim, Yusry Abdul Halim and Edry Abdul Halim...
). Other films filmed followed, including Metrowealth Pictures’ Tujuh Perhentian (7 Stops), which resulted in her being nominated for the Most Popular Female Artist Award at the Anugerah Bintang Popular (Popular Star Awards) in 2004.
In 2004, her praised performance as the lead female role in Pesona Pictures’ Pontianak Harum Sundal Malam
Pontianak Harum Sundal Malam
Pontianak Harum Sundal Malam is a 2004 Malaysian horror film directed and written by Shuhaimi Baba. Starring Maya Karin, the film is about a restless spirit who seeks revenge upon those who killed her...
enhanced Maya’s position as one of the leading Malaysian and regional talents. She received international awards including the Best Actress at the 49th Asia Pacific Film Festival 2004 (Fukuoka
Fukuoka, Fukuoka
is the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture and is situated on the northern shore of the island of Kyushu in Japan.Voted number 14 in a 2010 poll of the World's Most Livable Cities, Fukuoka is praised for its green spaces in a metropolitan setting. It is the most populous city in Kyushu, followed by...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
) and the Best Actress Estepona Fantasy and Terror Film Festival 2005 (Malaga
Málaga
Málaga is a city and a municipality in the Autonomous Community of Andalusia, Spain. With a population of 568,507 in 2010, it is the second most populous city of Andalusia and the sixth largest in Spain. This is the southernmost large city in Europe...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
). In 2005, she won the coveted Most Popular Actress Award at the Anugerah Bintang Popular (Popular Star Awards).
Despite her growing feature film career, Maya continued her involvement in television, and in 2004 was invited by Channel [V] International to join their VJ team. In 2006, she was voted Best VJ in Star Buzz Editor’s Choice Awards 2006. Other shows that she has hosted are the bridal programme ‘Ratu Sehari’ (Queen for a Day) in 2004 for Malaysia’s ASTRO Ria channel and the travelogue programme ‘Beauty Secrets From The East’ in 2005 for Malaysia’s local TV3 channel.
In 2005, Maya reprised her role as the lead in Pontianak Harum Sundal Malam II. Maya received critical acclaim for her portrayal, and received the award for Best Actress at Penghargaan Seniman Pelakon Wanita Terbaik 2006 (Malaysian equivalent to the Screen Actor’s Guild Awards) and a nomination for Best Actress at Pilihan Persatuan Pekerja Filem Malaysia (PPFM) (Malaysian equivalent of the Academy Awards).
In 2007, Maya played the lead in Pesona Pictures’ Waris Jari Hantu, Persona Pictures’ 1957: Hati Malaya and Tayangan Unggul’s Anak Halal, Maya won Best Actress in Festival Filem Malaysia 21 (Malaysia Film Festival) in 2008 for her role as a tomboy
Tomboy
A tomboy is a girl who exhibits characteristics or behaviors considered typical of the gender role of a boy, including the wearing of typically masculine-oriented clothes and engaging in games and activities that are often physical in nature, and which are considered in many cultures to be the...
girl in Anak Halal. In 2008's Duyung
Duyung
Duyung is a Malaysian fantasy comedy film that was released on March 6, 2008. The film is directed by A. Razak Mohaideen and produced by KRU Films in association with Grand Brilliance Sdn Bhd and Line Clear Motion Pictures...
, she plays the title role, a mermaid
Mermaid
A mermaid is a mythological aquatic creature with a female human head, arms, and torso and the tail of a fish. A male version of a mermaid is known as a "merman" and in general both males and females are known as "merfolk"...
. In this film, Maya did all the underwater scenes on her own in the open sea of Sipadan Island.
Music
In 2002, Maya recorded her debut music album, Erti Cinta (Definition of Love). The album garnered her nominations for Best New Singer and Best Video awards at the Anugerah Industri Muzik (Malaysia's version of the Grammy AwardGrammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
s). Her second album is Bukan Qalamaya (2004). Another album is in production.
Endorsements
Maya’s mass popularity as an actress and entertainer led to her appointment as the first Malaysian Ambassador and Power Icon for local telecommunications giant Celcom in June 2006. By 2007 she is also the only female brand ambassador for Celcom, a role she shares with other celebrities such as Steven GerrardSteven Gerrard
Steven George Gerrard MBE is an English footballer who plays for and captains Premier League club Liverpool. He also has 89 caps for the England national team. He has played much of his career in a centre midfielder role, but he has also been used as a second striker and right winger...
, Michael Owen
Michael Owen
Michael James Owen is an English professional footballer who plays as a striker for Manchester United.The son of former footballer Terry Owen, Owen began his senior career at Liverpool in 1996. He progressed through the Liverpool youth team and scored on his debut in May 1997...
, Leehom Wang, Robert Pires
Robert Pirès
Robert Emmanuel Pirès is a former French international footballer. He is perhaps best known for his time with Arsenal, with whom he won three FA Cups and two FA Premier League titles including the club's famous unbeaten season of 2003–04...
and Indonesian popular band, Peterpan
Peterpan (band)
Peterpan is a multi-award–winning Indonesian pop rock band. The band originally consisted of six members, known as Andika, Indra, Ariel, Uki, Loekman, and Reza, the first two of whichhave since left the band...
. In August same year Maya was appointed spokesperson for L'Oréal Paris Malaysia and endorsee of its 2006-2007 skincare and cosmetics line. In 2008, Maya shares the role for Celcom brand ambassador together with popular local actors Rita Rudaini, Aaron Aziz, and Fahrin Ahmad.
Conservation activism
Filmography
- Sri Dewi Malam (2001)
- No Problem (2001)
- Mr. Cinderella 2 (2003)
- Pontianak Harum Sundal MalamPontianak Harum Sundal MalamPontianak Harum Sundal Malam is a 2004 Malaysian horror film directed and written by Shuhaimi Baba. Starring Maya Karin, the film is about a restless spirit who seeks revenge upon those who killed her...
(2004) - Tujuh Perhentian (2004)
- Pontianak Harum Sundal Malam II (2005)
- Waris Jari HantuWaris Jari HantuWaris Jari Hantu is a 2007 Malay-language horror film in Malaysia. This film is directed by Suhaimi Baba-Plot:Tok Wan Rimau, the custodian of the spiritual tiger, is searching for a female heir to inherit her powers. Tina and Ari are the relatives of Tok Wan. They are also best friends...
(2007) - 1957: Hati Malaya1957: Hati Malaya1957: Hati Malaya is a Malaysian historical film released on 25 October 2007.-Synopsis:The spirit of Merdeka – remember the sacrifices made by our founding fathers to free us from colonialism...
(2007) - Anak Halal (2007)
- DuyungDuyungDuyung is a Malaysian fantasy comedy film that was released on March 6, 2008. The film is directed by A. Razak Mohaideen and produced by KRU Films in association with Grand Brilliance Sdn Bhd and Line Clear Motion Pictures...
(2008) - Punggok Rindukan BulanPunggok Rindukan BulanPunggok Rindukan Bulan is a 2008 Malaysian film in the Malay language. It was directed by Azharr Rudin and produced by Da Huang Pictures. It premiered at the 2008 Pusan International Film Festival...
(2008) - Pisau CukurPisau CukurPisau Cukur is a Malay term meaning gold-digger. The literal meaning of Pisau Cukur in Malay is razor blade, a metaphor of a woman who shaves a man off his money endlessly. This term is mostly used in the Malay-speaking countries such as Malaysia and Brunei....
(2009) - Taming Sari (2010)
- CUN (2011)
- Magika
Television performances
- Wavelength, TV3 (2000)
- Ratu Sehari Astro, RIA (2004 — )
- Beauty Secrets From The East (2005)
- Channel [V] (2004–2007)
- Nona, TV3 (2010 - )
Endorsements
- Pantene
- Wella
- Yishion
- Halle
- MYEG
- Tag Heuer
- Celcom Telecommunications
- L'Oreal Paris
- VONO
- BRAND'S InnerShine
Awards
| Year | Awards |
|---|---|
| 2001 |
|
| 2004 |
|
| 2005 |
Anugerah Bintang Popular Anugerah Bintang Popular which is originally called as Anugerah Pelakon/Penyanyi Popular, is an award presented annually by Berita Harian of Malaysia to recognize excellence of professionals in the entertainment industry, including the film industry, as well as record industry... : Most Popular Female Artist Karaoke |
| 2006 |
|
| 2008 |
Anugerah Bintang Popular Anugerah Bintang Popular which is originally called as Anugerah Pelakon/Penyanyi Popular, is an award presented annually by Berita Harian of Malaysia to recognize excellence of professionals in the entertainment industry, including the film industry, as well as record industry... : Most Popular Film Actress Award |