Hamid (left) receiving the Best Comedian Actor award at the 3rd Malaysian Film Festival in1982.
THIS veteran comedian got his second name “Gurkha”, a term often used for Nepali soldiers in the British colonial army, after he joined the armed forces in 1950. The nickname stuck with him even after he left the army.
“I remember one Sargeant Hassan used to tease me during drills because I was slow although obedient. He said I behaved like the typical Gurkha soldier and from then on, all my squad mates called me that. After four decades using the name Hamid Gurkha, hardly anyone knows my real name except my family members,” said Hamid, whose real name is Abdul Hamid Abdul Rahman.
When Hamid joined the entertainment scene, he decided to use “Hamid Gurkha” as his stage name since it was catchy. At the height of his popularity in the 1970s, Hamid used to share the stage with his peers namely Datuk Jamali Shadat, Param, AR Badul and Norlia Ghani.
“I served the army for seven years, from 1950 till 1957. In fact, I was in the army during the Bukit Kepong tragedy in February 1950.
“I only got involved in the entertainment scene as a comedian and an actor by accident,” said the actor from Klang, Selangor.
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