Norodom Sihanouk

Directing · 1922–2012 · Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Norodom Sihanouk born October 31, 1922 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, was a director, writer and composer, Prince Norodom Sihanouk was appointed the King of Cambodia in 1941, when he was merely nineteen years. He remained the ruler of the nation for fourteen years, from 1941 to 1955 and again from 1993 to 2004, interspersed with brief but frequent spells as Prime Minister. Sihanouk was enthusiastic about the trends and glamour of the western world. He introduced "The Twist" in Cambodia in 1960 and became a record producer of Cambodian pop and rock'n roll music. These new cultural expressions upset some groups. Sihanouk banished this opposition to his pop concept from the capital Phnom Penh. Part of the resistance eventually created the movement Khmer Rouge. In 1965 Norodom Sihanouk expanded his modern idea of Cambodia to include film. He wrote, directed, produced and appeared in documentaries and feature films for five years. He resumed filming in North Korea in 1988. Sihanouk's last film, "Le Cid Khmer", was released in Cambodia 2005. Over the years, Prince/King/Prime Minister Norodom Sihanouk resided in, apart from Cambodia, in the People's Republic of China and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. He died of a heart attack on October 15, 2012, in Beijing, China.