Haji Mohd Mahadi was born in 1914 in Merbuk, Negeri Sembilan State and was educated at Madrasah al-Falah in Makkah. He is the eighth child in a family of fifteen. At 25, he worked as a journalist and then as a supporting actor in the film Penghidupan in 1951. In 1952, he directed Jewel in the Slum which was a commercial failure. He continued his film career as an actor and played in 76 films. He died in 1983.