Mariam's career began after winning the
Singapore Queen Contest in 1951 when she was 17. She was the first lady to ever hold the title. However, she did not represent Singapore at that time. The show has been a stepping stone for her to engage in acting. After that, she was offered an act by
Malay Film Productions, but she refused because her ambition was to be a doctor. After two years, after being persuaded by
Saloma, Mariani agreed to act. Her first film was
Chemburu directed by
S. Ramanathan in 1952. After the success of the movie, Mariani was offered another acting role in the company's films including
Palace of Dreams,
A Return,
Labu Labi,
Nasib Si Labu-Labi and
Tiga Abdul. After the closure of Malay Film Productions and the separation of Singapore from Malaysia, she continued her acting career at Studio Merdeka in Kuala Lumpur. She starred in many films in the studio like
Sweet Mashed Film and
Discouraged. In her later years, Mariani continued to act and her latest appearance in films was
Pontianak Harum Sundal Malam 2 directed by
Shuhaimi Baba in 2005. She also starred in various dramas such as
Qalesya,
Bila Larut Malam and others more. In 2007, she along with her husband, founded a production company, Kus Semangat Sdn. Bhd., which she owned with her husband, until her death in 2015. ==Death==