- Petchara Chaowarat
Infobox actor
name = Petchara Chaowarat
imagesize =
caption = Iconic Thai leading lady of the 1960 and '70s.
birthdate = Birth date and age|1943|1|19|mf=y
location = Rayong,Thailand
height =
deathdate =
birthname = เพชรา เชาวราษฎร์
othername =
homepage =Petchara Chaowarat (Thai: เพชรา เชาวราษฎร์, born
January 19 ,1943 , inRayong Province ,Thailand ) is a Thaifilm actress who starred in around 300 films from 1961 to 1979. An icon of the "Golden Age" of Thai cinema, she was known for her round, pool-like eyes and elaborate hairstyles.Her first film and starring role was in "Banthuk Rak Pimchawee" ("Love Diary of Pimchawee"), in 1961. She co-starred with popular leading man,
Mitr Chaibancha , and they proved to be popular pair, starring together in more than 150 films.One of their most popular films was 1970's "
Monrak luk thung " ( _th. มนต์รักลูกทุ่ง, or "Magical Love of the Countryside"), a musical rhapsodizing Thai rural life.In 1964, Petchara was named best actress by the Thailand National Film Awards committee for her role in "Nok Noi," and received the award from the hands of King Bhumibol.
After Mitr's accidental death on the set of "
Insee tong " in 1970, Petchara continued to act in films.She starred in the 1971 musical comedy "Ai Tui" ("Mr. Tui"), in which she co-starred with
Sombat Metanee , who became a popular leading man after Mitr's death.Her last film was "Ai Khuntong," which was released in 1979.
Her public appearances have dwindled over the years, attributed to her near blindness, thought to have been caused from her many hours of working in front of the bright lights on film sets.
In 2004,
performance artist Michael Shaowanasai co-directed and starred in the film, "The Adventure of Iron Pussy ", in which he portrayed atransvestite secret agent. The character's hairstyle, clothing and demeanor were based on Petchara. The film was co-directed byApichatpong Weerasethakul .More Petchara homage came in 2005, with the film "
Yam Yasothon " ("Hello Yasothon"), a musical-comedy directed by comedian-actorPetchtai Wongkamlao that was set in the 1960s and captured much of the colorful spirit of the Mitr-Petchara era.References
* Tupchai, Suchada (2005) [http://www.pattayamail.com/586/features.shtml Adoring fans remember famous Thai film star Mitr Chiabancha] "Pattaya Mail." Retrieved December 23, 2005.
* Rithdee, Kong (2005) [http://www.bangkokpost.net/en/021205_Realtime/02Dec2005_real01.php Fallen idols] "Bangkok Post." Retrieved December 23, 2005.
* Fleshman, Erich (2005) [http://www.notesfromhollywood.com/page.cfm?typeofsite=storydetail&id=876§ionid=7 A Brief History of Thai Cinema] "Notes from Hollywood." Retrieved December 23, 2005.
* Saenkhum, Tanita (2003) [http://www.nationmultimedia.com/search/search_new.php?page=4107&usrsess=&keyword= Remembering Mitr] "The Nation." Retrieved December 23, 2005.
* Federation of National Film Association of Thailand (2004) [http://www.thainationalfilm.com/english/news_24032001.html Thai Movie Industry News] . Retrieved December 23, 2005.
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