Actor, Filmmaker, Singer, Songwriter. He is often regarded as an icon in the Malay entertainment scene in Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia. Born Teuku Zakaria bin Teuku Nyak Puteh, he attended the Kampung Jawa Malay School, Francis Light English School and then Penang Free School. His studies there were interrupted by the Japanese occupation from 1942 to 1945, during which he enrolled in Japanese navy school. There, he learnt the basics of music and singing Japanese songs. In 1947, he topped a singing contest organised by the Penang Radio for North Malaya, abbreviating his name to P. Ramlee, "P" standing for Puteh, his father's name. In 1948, while Ramlee was singing at a keroncong show in Penang, he was discovered by film director B. S. Rajhans. The following year, Rajhans invited Ramlee to join the Shaw Brothers studio, Malay Film Productions, as a playback singer. He sang his first composition "Azizah", and the song would later be used in his directorial debut, "Penarek Becha" (The Trishaw Puller) in 1955. He made his first acting role playing a villian in "Chinta" (Love) in 1948. He also performed as a playback singer for the film. In 1950, Ramlee played his first major role in the film "Bakti" (Devotion). He was a prolific songwriter, with around 500 of his songs recorded. Among his best known songs are "Getaran Jiwa", "Dendang Perantau", "Engkau Laksana Bulan", "Joget Pahang", "Tudung Periok", and "Di Mana Kan Ku Cari Ganti". In 1964, he left Singapore for Kuala Lumpur to make films with Merdeka Film Productions. There, he faced constant sabotage from other Malaysian artists due to jealousy, was let go by his record label, and his performance of "Malam Tiga Ramli" at Stadium Chin Woo was booed at by the auditorium. He made 18 films with Merdeka, with his last film being "Laksamana Do Re Mi". With his career in decline, he died of a heart attack in 1973. In 1990, he was posthumously awarded the Malaysian honorific title Tan Sri.