Edmund Chen
Edmund Chen (Chinese: 陈之财; pinyin: Chén Zhīcái) (born 4 February 1961[1]) is a Singaporean former actor and artist. He began his career in 1987 and rose to become one of Singapore's most prominent and popular actors during the 1990s and early 2000s.
Edmund Chen | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
陈之财 | |||||||
| Born | 4 February 1961 | ||||||
| Nationality | Singaporean | ||||||
| Occupation | Actor | ||||||
| Years active | 1987–2007 | ||||||
| Spouse | |||||||
| Children | 1 son 1 daughter | ||||||
| Family | Eric Chen (brother) Loretta Chen (sister) | ||||||
| Chinese name | |||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 陳之財 | ||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 陈之财 | ||||||
| |||||||
Career
Chen entered the entertainment industry after completing the SBC (predecessor of MediaCorp) 7th drama training course in 1987.[2] He starred in several high-profile dramas such as sci-fi drama series Star Maiden, Air Force and police thriller Patrol, where he met and later married co-star Xiang Yun. During the late 1990s he temporarily left showbiz for several years to concentrate on other projects. After returning to MediaCorp his popularity soared and he won the Top 10 Most Popular Male Artistes award seven consecutive times. During the Star Awards 2007 25th anniversary special, he and Ivy Lee, who played his on-screen partner many times, were named the Top 5 Favourite On-screen Couples for their roles as husband and wife in Double Happiness. He left MediaCorp at the end of 2007 for family reasons but made a brief return to the screens as a guest star in Channel 5 comedy Calefare and the second season of Channel U production Perfect Cut. Besides acting, he has also presented and hosted shows ranging from sports events to variety shows to charity galas.
In 2003, Chen acted in a Hong Kong film, Turn Left, Turn Right as Dr Hu, and in 2008, acted as the father of Chun-Li in Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li.[3][4]
Chen directed his first feature film Echoing Love (爱情六重奏), which consists of six shorts directed by six different people and the cast includes Erica Lee, Alaric Tay, Vincent Ng, Nathaniel Ho and his wife Xiang Yun. It was screened at the 24th Singapore International Film Festival in 2011, where it won a Special Achievement Award at the Silver Screen Awards.[5]
Other work
Chen left the entertainment industry in 2007 and he began writing and illustrating Chinese language children's books. Two of his titles Dino Rulez! (欢迎来到我们的世界) and Little Otters To The Rescue! (水獭宝宝救爸爸) have been selected by the National Arts Council for its yearly catalogue.[6]
Endorsements
Chen functions as a brand ambassador and spokesman for many firms and products, including Beijing 101 Hair Consultants (www.beijing101hair.com), Mitsubishi Electric, Chien Chi Tow, G- Spa, Donut Empire and KKC Property in Singapore and throughout the Asian region.
Personal life
Chen is the eldest of three children. His younger brother Eric manages an events management company, while his younger sister is the theatre director and entrepreneur Loretta Chen.[7][better source needed][8]
Chen married fellow MediaCorp actress Xiang Yun in 1989 after meeting on the sets of Patrol and they have two children; a daughter Yixin and a son Yixi.[9]
Filmography
Films
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Yellow Wedding | ||
| Eternal Love | |||
| Super Cop | |||
| 1999 | Where Got Problem | ||
| Ghostories | |||
| 2002 | Sharpened Pencil | ||
| The Eye | Dr Lo | ||
| 2003 | Turn Left, Turn Right | Dr Wu | |
| 2007 | Saigon Eclipse | ||
| 2008 | Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li | Xiang | |
| 2009 | Liliang |
TV series
| Year | Title | Role | Network | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Sunshine After Rain 雨过天晴 | Chen Junjie | Mediacorp Channel 8 | |
| Moving On 变迁 | Ah Wen | |||
| 1988 | Star Maiden 飞越银河 | Jin Guixiang | ||
| Airforce 空军 | Gan Qifeng | |||
| The Last Applause 舞榭歌台 | Guo Xiaoting (Qihua) | |||
| Mystery – Piano 迷离夜 之《琴》 | Tan Jialun | |||
| 1989 | When Hearts Touch 似水柔情 | Xu Daimei | ||
| Fortune Hunters 钻石人生 | Guo Juncheng | |||
| Patrol 铁警雄风 | Luo Yifeng | |||
| Turn of the Tide 浮沉 | Zhou Guodong | |||
| 1990 | Finishing Line 出人头地 | Zhong Chongguang | ||
| Happy Family 开心家族 | Song Kecheng | |||
| 1991 | The Darkest Hour 列血青春 | Ma Zhongyuan | ||
| 1992 | Fiery Passion 烈焰焚情 | Mingliang | ||
| Crime and Passion 执法先锋 | Lin Wenbin | |||
| 1993 | Hidden Truth 法网晴天 | Zhou Xiaoping | ||
| Switch 妙鬼临门 | Li Tianliang | |||
| 1994 | The Blazing Trail 兰桂坊血案 | |||
| Those Were the Days 生命擂台 | Yan Kaicong | |||
| 1995 | The Teochew Family 潮州家族 | |||
| The Rangers 铁血雄心 | ||||
| Heartbeat 医胆仁心 | Ye Haowei | |||
| Pointed Triangle 杀之恋 | ||||
| It's My World 还我半天边 | ||||
| A Different Life 妈姐情缘 | Shen Tianle | |||
| 1996 | Ace Cops 妙警点三八 | |||
| Courting Trouble 婚姻法庭 | Yang Jianan | |||
| Life on the Line 魂断四面佛 | Xu Mingyang | |||
| 1997 | Immortal Love 不老的传说 | Su Youming | ||
| Crimes and Tribulations 狮城奇案录 | Liang Shui | |||
| 2000 | Catherine Listening to the Rain | |||
| 2001 | The Invincible Squad 迷幻特警 | |||
| The Hotel 大酒店 | Emil Qin | |||
| The Stratagem 世纪攻略 | Zhou Jingxue | |||
| Beyond the Axis of Truth 法医X档案 | Chen Xueming | |||
| 2002 | First Touch | Dr Charles Yong | ||
| The Vagrant 豹子胆 | ||||
| Brotherhood 有情有义 | ||||
| The Wing of Desire 天使的诱惑 | Qin Kailang | |||
| Law 2002 法内情2002 | Qiu Zhishao | |||
| First Touch II | Dr Charles Yong | |||
| Innocently Guilty 法内有情天 | Qiu Zhishao | |||
| 2003 | My Love, My Home 同一屋檐下 | Situ Enming/Situ Ocean | ||
| A Toast of Love 吃吃面包谈谈情 | ||||
| 2004 | When the Time Comes 一线之间 | Jieren | ||
| Double Happiness 喜临门 | Luo Jiaqi | |||
| The Crime Hunters 心网追凶 | Lan Tinghui | |||
| Man at Forty 跑吧！男人 | Chen Longwei | |||
| Timeless Gift 遗情未了 | Wang Yu | |||
| 2005 | Lady of Leisure 贤妻靓母 | Chen Guoqing | ||
| Zero to Hero 阴差阳错 | Xie Jizu | |||
| Beyond the Axis of Truth II 法医X档案II | Chen Xueming | |||
| 2006 | Women of Times 至尊红颜 | Jia Zengtu | ||
| House of Joy 欢乐满屋 | Xu Zhiguo | |||
| 2007 | Live Again 天堂鸟 | Chen Haiming | ||
| The Golden Path 黄金路 | Cheng-Ge | |||
| 2008 | Calefare | Champion Zhang | Mediacorp Channel 5 | |
| 2009 | Perfect Cut 2 一切完美2 | Win Cheong | Mediacorp Channel 8 | |
| 2013 | Serangoon Road | James Lim | ||
| 2017 | Life Less Ordinary 小人物向前冲 | Ye Chengda |
Awards and nominations
Asian Television Awards
| Year | Accolade | Award | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Asian Television Award | Best Actor | First Touch II (as Dr Charles Yong) | Nominated |
Star Awards – Acting/Popularity Awards
| Year | Accolade | Award | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 3rd Star Awards Ceremony | Top 10 Most Popular Male Artistes | — | Top 20 |
| 1997 | 4th Star Awards Ceremony | Top 10 Most Popular Male Artistes | — | Top 20 |
| 2001 | 8th Star Awards Ceremony | Best Actor | Beyond the Axis of Truth (as Chen Xueming) | Nominated |
| 8th Star Awards Ceremony | Top 10 Most Popular Male Artistes | — | Top 10 | |
| 2002 | 9th Star Awards Ceremony | Top 10 Most Popular Male Artistes | — | Top 10 |
| 2003 | 10th Star Awards Ceremony | Top 10 Most Popular Male Artistes | — | Top 10 |
| 2004 | 12th Star Awards Ceremony | Best Actor | Man at Forty (as Chen Longwei) | Nominated |
| 12th Star Awards Ceremony | Top 10 Most Popular Male Artistes | — | Top 10 | |
| 2005 | 13th Star Awards Ceremony | Top 10 Most Popular Male Artistes | — | Top 10 |
| 2006 | 14th Star Awards Ceremony | Top 10 Most Popular Male Artistes | — | Top 10 |
| 2007 | 15th Star Awards Ceremony | Top 10 Most Popular Male Artistes | — | Top 10 |
References
- ^ "8 Local Celebrities that never seems to age".
- ^ "Celeb couple's son makes acting debut". AsiaOne. 27 February 2012. from the original on 8 March 2012. Retrieved 19 August 2012.
- ^ "Edmund Chen almost missed out on 'Street Fighter' role". Channelnewsasia. 10 March 2009. from the original on 14 March 2009. Retrieved 19 March 2009.
- ^ "Edmund Chen". 10 March 2009. from the original on 7 February 2011. Retrieved 19 October 2010.
- ^ "Echoing Love". from the original on 27 September 2011. Retrieved 3 September 2012.
- ^ (PDF). National Arts Council. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 June 2012.
- ^ Chua, Charlene (14 July 2014). "Theatre director Loretta Chen says family support saved her during darkest days". The New Paper. Retrieved 25 March 2022.
- ^ Lee, Lynn (3 June 2005). "POLITICS To HOUGANG with LOVE ...from THE CHENS". The Straits Times. p. 32.
- ^ . 14 March 2000. Archived from the original on 8 August 2002.
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External links
- Edmund Chen at IMDb
- on MediaCorp website