| Nurbani Yusuf | |
| Birth Date: | 25 December 1939 |
| Birth Place: | Bengkulu, Dutch East Indies |
| Death Place: | Singapore |
| Burial Place: | Karet Bivak Cemetery |
| Nationality: | Indonesian |
| Alma Mater: | University of Indonesia (S.H.) |
| Years Active: | 1958–1964 (actress) 1977–unknown (lawyer) |
| Party: | Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle |
| Children: | 2 |
Nurbani Yusuf Kusumanagara (25 December 1939 – 22 October 2015) was an Indonesian actress, model, and trader turned lawyer and politician. She debuted in the Indonesian film industry by starring in Usmar Ismail's film Asrama Dara (1958) and reached popularity with Anak Perawan di Sarang Penjamun (1962).
Nurbani Yusuf was born on 25 December 1939 in Bengkulu, Dutch East Indies, as the second child and only daughter of the nine children of Muhammad Yusuf (died 1961).[1] [2] Her brothers were Rusdy (1943–1990), Abdul Salihin (1947–2022), and Yulius Yusuf. Yusuf went to Faculty of Law at University of Indonesia and graduated in 1976.
In 1967, Yusuf was proposed by President Sukarno to became his wife but was rejected by her mother.[3] She later married Kusumanagara, an entrepreneur, in 1968, and has had two daughters. Their marriage lasted until Kusumanagara's death.
Yusuf died at Mount Elizabeth Hospital in Singapore, on 22 October 2015, due to illness at the age of 75.[4]
Yusuf started her career as a model by became a winner in pageant contest in 1958. Her victory then attracted the attention of Usmar Ismail, who invited her to star in his film and cast her in Asrama Dara (1958). Yusuf later starred in Tjita-Tjita Ajah (1960) and Anak Perawan di Sarang Penjamun (1962), followed by Bajangan di Waktu Fajar (1962), a joint production between Perfini and Cathay Keris Films which was shot in Singapore.[5] She made her last film appearance by starring in Tauhid (1964). During the filming process, she performed the Hajj. Yusuf later left the film industry to focused on her study at University of Indonesia.
Yusuf defended Sawito Kartowibowo, an agricultural department employee who was arrested on charges of treason.[6] She later said that Sawito's detention was an "arbitrary act of atrocity" and asserted that he was a victim of calumny on the part of some of Suharto's opponents, whom she referred to as "hidden directors" of the trial.
Yusuf defended Santi, the wife of Machtino and the step mother of Arie Hanggara, a child who was molested and beaten to death by his father on 8 November 1984.[7] Santi was sentenced to two years in prison for helping Machtino torture Hanggara.[8]
During her six year acting career Yusuf acted in some five films.