Miss Riboet II

Riboet was born in 1908 in Palembang, Dutch East Indies, as the daughter of KNIL soldier.[1] When she was born, there were a conflict after the conquest of the Djambi Sultanate by KNIL troops and the establishment of the Djambi residency in 1906.[1] Her family moved to Sumbawa after her father retired and raised her there.[1] She married and became a widow at the age of 14 and later joined the Menangkabau Opera, a stamboel troupe in Sumbawa.[1]

Riboet was married to Soepingi, a violinist whom she meet during her time in Menangkabau Opera, in 1922.[1] They later moved to Java Island where she gave birth to a daughter, Netty Herawaty, in 1929.[1][2][3] Her daughter went to became an actress and later married Darussalam, an actor, in 1945.[2] They were divorced in 1942 and Riboet later remarried in the same year to Soepingi's brother, Soepilin, who still a cousin of Astaman.[4] She was predeceased by her daughter.

Riboet started her career as a singer in Menangkabau Opera and later moved with her husband to Dardanella when they was performed in Sidoarjo.[1] She performed in August 1927 at Orion Theatre in Surabaya, and later performed in Semarang in next year for the first time.[5] For the next seven years, Riboet toured along with Dardanella to several island in Dutch East Indies such as Java, Celebes, Maluku, Borneo, and Sumatra.[5] She was the top stars of Dardanella along with Tan Tjeng Bok and Astaman.[5] During the Sumatra tour from 1930 until 1931, Riboet fell sick in Tanjungbalai and was replaced by Devi Dja.[6] She later became Dardanella's big five along with Astaman, Tan Tjeng Bok, Dja, and Ferry Kock.[6] In mid 1934, Andjar Asmara announced that Dardanella will doing a tour around Malaya and East Asia in 1935.[6] Riboet and her husband later not willing to go abroad and then left Dardanella, they later joined Orpheus troupe.[6]

During her time as an actress in Orpheus, Riboet changed her name to Miss Riboet Muda.[6] With this troupe, she starred in a play from Dardanella's era such as Rentjong Atjeh, Annie van Mendoet, Si Bongkok, Maha Rani, and etc.[6] In 1936, Tan Tjeng Bok left Dardanella and joined Orpheus followed by Astaman in March 1937.[7] Riboet remained in Orpheus until the troupe was disbanded in the early 1940s.[7] In December 1942, she joined Bintang Djakarta, a troupe who was founded by Henry Duarte with the name Tjahaja Asia in July 1942, and later reunited with Tan Tjeng Bok.[4] In March 1943, she moved to Djawa Baroe troupe and was nicknamed Nyi Riboet.[4] In Hoekoem Alam play, Riboet starred as a woman who is loyal to her evil husband and remains faithful until him repents and returns to her.[4] She later joined Noesantara troupe whom was established in July 1943 in Cheribon, and was the part of Eihai, a Japanese film distribution company.[4] He met Darussalam, and actor and her partner, who later married her daughter, Netty Herawaty.[4]

During the Indonesian National Revolution, Riboet joined Trimurti troupe whom was established by Soepilin. He later gave the troupe to Darussalam and moved with Riboet to Pantjawarna troupe.[3] After 1949, Riboet started her career in film industry as an actress and costume designer.[3] She made her film debut in Solo Di Waktu Malam (1952), along with Astaman.[3] She later starred in few films such as Gara-gara Djanda Muda (1954), Di Balik Dinding (1955), and Kasih dan Tjinta (1956).[3]

In an interview with Star Weekly magazine in 1958, Riboet stated that an actor in the past was faced with higher demands.[3] She later said that acting in the stage was harder rather in film because there has to be a contact with the public and has to have a loud voice to be heard because in her times there were no microphones.[3]

In 1928, Willy A. Piedro was sued by Tio Tek Djien, the owner of Orion troupe and the husband of Miss Riboet.[5] He was annoyed by the news and advertisements that assumed Riboet II who was from Dardanella as Miss Riboet of her troupe, and asked Dardanella's management to stop using the name.[5]