After making his feature film debut in 1964, he rose to fame in 1970 with Bernafas dalam Lumpur (Breathing in Mud).

[3] Over the next five years he appeared in several roles, including in Wim Umboh's Sembilan (Nine, 1967) and Laki-Laki Tak Bernama (Man Without a Name, 1969).

[2] These included roles as the titular fighter in Si Gondrong (1971), the nihilist poet Anwar in Atheis (Atheist, 1974) and the gang member Majid in Laila Majenun (1976).

[2] Afero also actively promoted the development of the cinema of Indonesia; in 1973, for instance, he shaved his head in protest of movie theatres' lack of interest in showing domestic productions and attempted to meet Jakarta governor Ali Sadikin.

He was buried at Tanah Kusir Cemetery in the same grave as his mother at a funeral attended by numerous Indonesian actors and filmmakers, including the screenwriter Misbach Yusa Biran and actresses Nani Wijaya and Widyawati.

[a]Afero was nominated for best actor at the PWI Awards, held by the Jakarta branch of the Indonesian Journalists Association, in 1971 and 1972, winning second and third runner-up, respectively.