Syamsul Yusof facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Syamsul Yusof
شمس اليوسف‎
Syamsul interviewed in MeleTOP in 2016.
Born	Mohd Syamsul bin Mohd Yusof (1984-05-21) 21 May 1984 (age 41) Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Occupation	Actor film director writer producer rapper singer
Years active	1998–present
Spouse(s)	Puteri Sarah Liyana ​ ​ (m. 2014; div. 2023)​ Ira Kazar ​ ​ (m. 2023; div. 2024)​
Children	2
Parents	Datuk Yusof Haslam (father) Datin Fatimah Ismail (mother)
Relatives	Syafiq Yusof (brother) Faizal Yusof (half-brother) Rizal Ashreff (cousin) Sabrina Ali (cousin)
Awards	Best Director (FFM)
Musical career
Genres	Hip hop pop nasheed
Instruments	Vocals
Years active	2012–present
Associated acts	Mawi, Dato' AC Mizal, Shuib Sepahtu

Mohd Syamsul Mohd Yusof (born on May 21, 1984) is a famous Malaysian actor, film director, writer, producer, rapper, and singer. He is the son of well-known producer and director Yusof Haslam. Syamsul became the youngest director to win the Best Director award at the Malaysian Film Festival when he was just 25 years old.

He has won the Best Director award six times at the Malaysian Film Festival and Anugerah Skrin. He was also named Best Director at the 57th Asia Pacific Film Festival for his horror film Munafik. In 2018, its sequel, Munafik 2, became the highest-earning Malaysian film at the time. Later, his 2022 epic war film Mat Kilau broke that record.

Early Life and Family

Syamsul Yusof was born on May 21, 1984, and grew up in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. His father, Yusof Haslam, is a very famous director. Syamsul's brother, Syafiq Yusof, is also a well-known film director. Some of his cousins, Rizal Ashreff and Sabrina Ali, and his half-brother, Faizal Yusof, are also involved in acting and directing TV shows. Syamsul studied film, TV broadcasting, and journalism at the Malaysia Institute of Integrative Media (MIIM).

Syamsul's Film Career

From 2003 to 2007, Syamsul Yusof started directing and acting in many TV series for Malaysian TV channels like RTM and TV3. Some of these shows included Gerak Khas and Air Mata Maria.

Directing His First Films

In 2007, he directed his first full-length movie, Evolusi KL Drift. He co-wrote the script with his cousin, Rizal Ashreff. At first, his father didn't approve the script, so Syamsul had to rewrite it. After making changes, the film project was finally approved with a budget of RM 1.35 million. Even though he was new to directing and felt a lot of pressure to live up to his family's reputation, Evolusi KL Drift was very popular when it came out on April 3, 2008. The movie's success helped him direct many more films.

After his first movie did well, his next film was Bohsia: Jangan Pilih Jalan Hitam. This movie faced some challenges because of its title and other issues, but Syamsul worked through them. The film still became successful. He then directed the sequel to Evolusi KL Drift, called Evolusi KL Drift 2, which was released on March 25, 2010. This film was also a big hit and won him the Best Director award at the 23rd Malaysia Film Festival.

Horror and Action Films

In 2011, Syamsul directed his first horror film called Khurafat: Perjanjian Syaitan, where he also played a main role. The movie earned RM 8 million, which surprised many people in the film industry. Critics praised his first try at directing a horror movie. That same year, he also directed KL Gangster. He was very careful during its production. This film earned almost RM 12 million, even though it was competing with many foreign movies. KL Gangster also won him the Best Director award at the 24th Malaysia Film Festival, making it two years in a row!

He also directed Aku Bukan Tomboy, his first comedy film, released on November 17, 2011. This was followed by Jalan Kembali: Bohsia 2, a sequel to his 2009 film, and KL Gangster 2. After a short break, Syamsul returned with his film Munafik, which came out in February 2016. Later that year, he acted in a mystery science fiction film called Desolasi, directed by his brother Syafiq Yusof. In February 2018, Syamsul appeared in the biographical romance film Makrifat Cinta.

Music and Future Projects

Syamsul also enjoys making music. He released an EP (a short album) called The Love Legacy with Anwar Fazal. This EP included songs like "Bidadari" and "Apakah Semuanya Itu," which was used in Evolusi KL Drift 2. In 2016, he released a new song called "Kalah Dalam Menang" with singer Mawi. This song became the theme song for his film Munafik. They continued to work together on other songs, like "Bukan Propaganda," which was used in Desolasi.

In October 2020, Syamsul shared on Instagram that he was writing the script for Munafik 3, which would be the third movie in the Munafik series. He also plans to direct and produce another horror film called Khawarij with Astro Shaw. This will be their first time working together on a film where Syamsul directs. He had previously acted as Inspector Wahab in the 2017 action comedy film Abang Long Fadil 2, which Astro Shaw co-produced. He finished filming his gangster movie, The Original Gangster, a few days before announcing Khawarij.

Personal Life

Syamsul married actress Puteri Sarah Liyana Megat Kamaruddin on March 8, 2014. They have two children, Syaikhul Islam (born in 2017) and Sumayyah (born in 2019). Their marriage ended in 2023. Syamsul also married Ira Kazar in January 2023, but they divorced in September 2024.

Filmography

Films Syamsul Worked On

Television Series Syamsul Worked On

Telemovies Syamsul Worked On

Discography

EPs (Short Albums)

• "The Love Legacy" (2012; with Dr. Anwar Fazal)

Singles (Individual Songs)

• "Kalah Dalam Menang" (2016; featuring Mawi)
• "Bukan Propaganda" (2016; featuring Mawi)
• "Senorita" (2017; featuring Dato' AC Mizal & Shuib Sepahtu)
• "Selamat Tinggal Masa" (2018; featuring Black)
• "Menangislah" (2018; featuring Mawi)
• "Satu Kalimah" (2020)
• "GK Undercover" (2021)

Awards and Achievements

Syamsul Yusof has won many awards for his work as a director and filmmaker. Here are some of his notable wins:

• 2008: Won for "Effectiveness of Action Adventure on the Silver Screen" for Evolusi KL Drift at the 21st Malaysian Film Festival.
• 2010: Won "Best Film Screenplay" and "Best Director" for Evolusi KL Drift 2 at Anugerah Skrin 2010 and the 23rd Malaysian Film Festival. He also won "Best Editing" for the same film.
• 2011: Won "Best Director" and "Best Editing" for KL Gangster at the 24th Malaysian Film Festival.
• 2012: Won several awards at Anugerah Blokbuster 2012, including "Anugerah Tuan Direktor Terhebat" (Greatest Director Award), "Anugerah Khas PFM" (PFM Special Award), "Anugerah Filem Takut Terhebat" (Greatest Horror Film) for Khurafat: Perjanjian Syaitan, and "Anugerah Filem Terhebat" (Greatest Film) for KL Gangster.
• 2013: Won "Best Cinematography" and "Best Sound" for KL Gangster 2 at the 26th Malaysian Film Festival.
• 2016: Won "Best Director" for Munafik at the 57th Asia Pacific Film Festival, the Malaysia Film Festival, and Anugerah Skrin 2016.