
During the Japanese occupation, she attended Andjar Asmara's theater school. In 1948, she made her film debut in Air Mata Mengalir di Tjitaroem, using the name Sofia Waldy. After a divorce from first husband S. Waldy, she married actor W.D. Mochtar and began professionally using the name Sofia W.D., starting in 1964. Not just an award-winning actress of both stage and screen who appeared in well over 100 films, Sofia also became one of Indonesia's first female directors with 1962's Badai-Selatan ("Southern Storm"), a horror tale that was nominated for the Golden Berlin Bear Award at the Berlin International Film Festival. She produced, wrote and even operated the camera on a number of films, and was the director of the production companies Film Capital, Libra Film and Dirgahayu Jaya Film over the course of her busy and prolific career.

The White Crocodile
1982

Mystics in Bali
1981 · as Old Leák Queen

The Queen of Black Magic
1981 · as Village Head's Wife

Greedy Appetite
1977 · as Nenek

Malam Pengantin
1975

Fatima
1983

Max Havelaar: or, The Coffee Auctions of the Dutch Trading Company
1976 · as Inah

Roro Mendut
1982 · as (as Sofia)

Treachery of G30S/PKI
1984

Tikungan Maut
1966 · as Sofie

River of Love
1971

Dendang Sajang
1953 · as Halimah

The Longest Dark
1970

Biola
1957

Djakarta di Waktu Malam
1954

Badai Pasti Berlalu
1977

Bulan Purnama
1953 · as Putri Amidra

Golden Queen
1955 · as (as Sofia)