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Liesbet Dotulong (born 2 February 1932), better known by her stage name Maria Menado, is a Malay actress and producer who is known for her contributions to Malaysian cinema in the 1950s and 1960s. At the height of her fame she was voted “Malaya’s Most Beautiful” by Times Magazine and the “Best Dressed Woman in South East Asia” by publisher United Press International. In addition to acting, she also sang and went on to direct and produce films under her own production company, Maria Menado Productions.

Menado is Minahasan and was born in Manado, North Sulawesi (present Indonesia). She was the cousin of Indonesian actress Mimi Mariani.

Early life
Liesbet Dotulong was born in the Minahasa Regency of Indonesia in 1932. When she was seven years old, her parents died, and she was sent to live with an aunt and uncle in Makassar. They eventually moved to Jakarta to escape fighting between the Dutch and Indonesian nationalists. By the time Liesbet was seventeen, she was known locally for her beauty, and appeared as a fashion model in magazines and newspapers. In 1950 she accepted a screen offer from the Shaw Brothers' Malay Film Productions in Singapore.

While she was with her aunt and uncle in Malaysia, Liesbet became interested in the Maria Hertogh riots, which were occurring at the time. Maria Hertogh was a Dutch girl who was sent to live with a Malay Muslim family, and became the subject of a highly publicized custody battle which led to religious race riots in Singapore. Due to Liesbet's interest in the case, and her birthplace of Manado, Indonesia, she was dubbed "Maria of Manado" by friends. The name stuck, and for the rest of her career in films she was referred to as Maria Menado.