Kerima (actress) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Kerima
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Kerima in 1952
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| Born |
Miriam Charrière
10 February 1925 Toulouse, France
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| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1951–1970s |
| Spouse(s) |
Alexis Revidis
(m. 1953, divorced) |
Kerima (born February 10, 1925) is a French former actress. She became famous for her role in the 1951 British film Outcast of the Islands. For publicity, she was often said to have exotic origins. These claims suggested she was from Java or Algeria.
Contents
Kerima's Acting Career
Outcast of the Islands was a movie set in Indonesia. Kerima played the part of a local girl. The director, Carol Reed, searched for almost a year to find the right actress. He looked in places like Egypt, Singapore, and Borneo. He auditioned many people, including dancers and models.
Friends then suggested Kerima. She was described as the daughter of a rich Arab man in Algiers. Even though she was not from Indonesia, the movie's publicity tried to make her seem like a native islander. She was quoted saying, "I live the life of Nature. I ride bareback, I walk barefoot, I swim bare."
Kerima had no acting experience before this film. Her role in the movie had no speaking lines. Director Carol Reed preferred not to use the voices of amateur actors or children. If her voice had been used, her French accent would have been clear.
A scene in the film featured a very long kiss, lasting 112 seconds. This "marathon kiss" was used a lot in the movie's publicity. It was even featured on the cover of Life magazine. Some people found it surprising, and it caused some discussion with American film reviewers.
Kerima continued acting through the 1950s and early 1960s. She worked with famous Italian and American directors. These included Joseph Mankiewicz and Howard Hawks. She also had a contract with producer Dino De Laurentiis. Her last known roles were small parts in 1972. One of these was as a bellydancer in a British TV show called The Adventurer.
Her Background and Public Image
To create more buzz for Kerima and the movie Outcast, an "exotic island girl" image was created. This image matched her role in the film. The movie's executive producer, Alexander Korda, claimed she was born in Algeria.
Later, her husband, Guy Hamilton, confirmed her true background. He was an assistant director on Outcast of the Islands. He explained that Kerima was born in France to French parents. She was a French citizen. Korda created her stage name, Kerima, and the idea of her being an exotic Javanese native. This was all done to help promote the film.
Kerima's unique looks allowed her to play many different nationalities. She played an Egyptian woman in Land of the Pharaohs. She was a Vietnamese character in The Quiet American. She also played an Italian in La Lupa. Besides being called Algerian, she was also described as a "beautiful Pakistani actress." People also thought she was Italian, Indonesian, and Tunisian.
Kerima's Personal Life
Kerima's real name is Miriam Charrière. She was born in Toulouse, France, to French parents. Before she became an actress, she studied medicine. Another story says she was selling jewelry in the South of France.
By the age of 23, she could speak French, Spanish, and Italian very well. The director of Outcast of the Islands, Carol Reed, "discovered" her in Paris.
In January 1953, Kerima married Greek actor Alexis Revidis in Rome. They kept their marriage a secret until October of that year. They later separated. Her second marriage was to Guy Hamilton. He was an assistant director on Outcast of the Islands. They met again many years later in Rome. They lived in a villa on the island of Mallorca from the mid-1970s. Guy Hamilton passed away in April 2016.
Magazine Covers
Kerima was featured on the covers of several magazines:
- the May 19, 1952, issue of Life magazine.
- the August 30, 1952, issue of Tempo.
- the February 22, 1952, issue of Ciné Télé Revue.
- the January 19, 1952, issue of Picturegoer.
- the January 24, 1951, issue of Der Spiegel.
- the February 8, 1952, issue of Cinémonde.
Filmography
- Aissa in Outcast of the Islands, 1951
- The 'She-Wolf' in La lupa (She Wolf), 1953
- Rosario in The Ship of Condemned Women, 1953
- Lola in Fatal Desire (Cavalleria Rusticana), 1953
- Madalena in Tom Toms of Mayumba (Tam Tam Mayumbe) or Native Drums (Mondo Keazunt), 1955
- Queen Nailla in Land of the Pharaohs, 1955
- Lola in I am the Scarlet Pimpernel (Io sono la primula rossa), 1955
- Carola in Goubbiah, My Love, (Goubbiah, mon amour), (Kiss of Fire), 1956
- Phuong's Sister (Miss Hel) in The Quiet American, 1958
- The Warrior and the Slave Girl (La Rivolta dei gladiatori), 1958
- Carmen Herrera in World of Miracles (Il Mondo dei Miracoli), 1959
- Maya in The Night of the Great Attack (La notte del grande assalto), 1959
- Virginia Toriello in Jessica, 1962
- Unnamed girl in The Love Box, 1972
- Belly dancer in The Adventurer, 1972 (TV series)
See also
In Spanish: Kerima para niños
