Former Malay Film Productions (MFP) top biller, Datuk Ahmad Mahmud (picture above with Datuk Sarimah), passed away (after a long illness) last night at his home in Kampung Tunku in Petaling Jaya. He was 85.
In the late 80's, Uncle Ahmad used to walk over to our house in Kampung Tunku (I think it would have taken him about 15 minutes each away) to have coffee and chat with my father about the old days of Jalan Ampas and also to talk about his movies.
He was enigmatic and full of life - contributing to about 80 percent of the conversation.
If I am not mistaken, he was only one of only two Malays who had directed themselves in a movie and won Best Actor awards for the same movie. He did this with his film Dendam Dari Pusara where he was awarded Best Actor at the National Film Festival awards in 1983. I think the only other person would be Tan Sri Jins Shamsuddin.
As an actor, he was one of the most versatile - though he hardly took on a comic role. I remember him in my father's Raja Bersiong (Vampire King) based on one of the old Malay epic fables - Merong Mahawangsa. He also played detective in Jebak Maut and of course one of the two most memorable Hang Jebats in Malay film history in Phani Majumdar's Hang Tuah starring P. Ramlee. The other famous jebat is Nordin Ahmad who fought M.Amin's portrayal of Tuah in Cathay Keris's Hang Jebat directed by Hussin Haniff.
What is sad is that his passing, though well covered in Malay papers, received a small three inch column in The New Straits Times. There was more space deemed more important by this newspaper to the various pregnancies of Hollywood actresses than the death of one of the most famous Malay actors of our time.
Datuk Ahmad spent most of his later years in life with his family, away from the movie industry he used to love. His son, Ariffin, is an old school friend. I offer my deepest condolences to his family and my doas to the late Uncle Ahmad. Al-Fatihah.
Below is the excerpt from Bernama wires:
Seniman yang popular dengan watak Dr Ismadi menerusi filem Ibu Mertuaku, Datuk Ahmad Mahmood atau lebih dikenali sebagai Ahmad Mahmud, 85, meninggal dunia Rabu malam akibat penyakit buah pinggang. Anaknya, Rogayah berkata seniman tersohor itu meninggal dunia pada pukul 10 malam di rumah keluarganya di Kampung Tunku di sini. Beliau berkata Ahmad Mahmud menerima rawatan di Pusat Perubatan Pantai, Bangsar sejak 22 Julai lepas sebelum dibawa pulang ke rumahnya. "Beliau menghidap penyakit buah pinggang sejak tujuh tahun lepas dan baru sepuluh hari berada di rumah selepas dirawat di Pusat Perubatan Pantai," katanya ketika dihubungi Bernama di sini. Beliau meninggalkan seorang balu, Datin Hadijah Mohamad, tiga orang anak dan sembilan cucu. Jenazah Allahyarham dijangka dikebumikan selepas solat Zohor Khamis, di Tanah Perkuburan Bukit Kiara. Ahmad Mahmud, anak kelahiran Rembau, Negeri Sembilan itu memulakan kerjayanya seawal tahun 1951 sebagai pelakon utama dalam filem Matahari. Dengan memiliki wajah yang tampan, Ahmad Mahmud pernah memegang watak sebagai Hang Jebat dalam filem Hang Tuah pada tahun 1956 bersama Allahyarham Tan Sri P.Ramlee. Sehingga kini, Ahmad Mahmud telah berlakon dalam lebih 20 filem, antaranya Istana Impian, Hang Tuah, Ibu Mertuaku, Dayang Senandung, Isi Neraka, Raja Bersiong dan Lela Manja. Ahmad Mahmud pernah terlibat sebagai pengarah, penerbit, cerita dan lakon layar asal dalam empat buah filem iaitu Mama Oh Mama (1981), Dendam Dari Pusara (1983), Mei 13 dan Komplot (1984). Beliau juga pernah dianugerah pelakon terbaik di Festival Filem Malaysia keempat pada tahun 1983.
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