Born in Surabaya, as a teenager Herawaty toured Java with a number of stage troupes during the Japanese occupation and Indonesian National Revolution.

She graduated from the R.K. Zuster School before becoming active on stage at age thirteen, when she joined Irama Masa, a theatrical company established by the Japanese occupation government.

[1] In 1945, following the surrender of Japan and the proclamation of Indonesian independence, Herawaty and her husband established the troupe Trimurti, based out of Gombong, Central Java.

She joined the company shortly after it was established, appearing in early productions such as Sepandjang Malioboro (1951) and Surjani Mulia (1951), and was often cast along with Rd Mochtar.

[4] In 1952 Herawaty was part of a group of Persari actors and crew members who spent nearly two years in the Philippines to study filmmaking and produce two Ansco Colour films in collaboration with LVN Studio.

In the first of these productions, the Indonesian-language edition of Rodrigo de Villa (1952), she was cast in the role of Jimena, the daughter of a treasonous courtier who falls in love with a loyal royalist.

[8][11] By 1954 Herawaty was considered part of the Persari's "Big Four", together with Darussalam, fellow actress Titien Sumarni, and Mochtar.

[4][10] She and Darussalam were also active on television, with their show Senyum Jakarta (1972–1980); their fellow actors included Fifi Young and Tan Tjeng Bok [id].