Jack Neo
Jack Neo (born 24 January 1960) is a Singaporean actor, television host, comedian and film director. He was prominently a full-time Mediacorp artiste from 1983 to 2003. In the 1990s and early 2000s, he was best known for his cross-dressing roles, as Liang Po Po (literally: Granny Liang) and Liang Xi Mei (a woman homemaker in her 40s) in the long-running television comedy show Comedy Nite.
Jack Neo | |||||||||||
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Neo in 2013 | |||||||||||
| Born | Jack Neo Chee Keong 24 January 1960 | ||||||||||
| Nationality | Singaporean | ||||||||||
| Education | Tanjong Katong Secondary School | ||||||||||
| Occupation(s) | Film director, Screenwriter, Film producer, Executive producer, Host, Actor | ||||||||||
| Spouse | Irene Kng | ||||||||||
| Children | 4 | ||||||||||
| Chinese name | |||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 梁志強 | ||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 梁志强 | ||||||||||
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Since his debut as a feature director, Neo has proven to be the most commercially successful local director who has also met with some success in Malaysia and Taiwan. He has shown a penchant for the franchise series films. His most critically acclaimed film is I Not Stupid, which satirizes Singapore's streaming educational system in 2002. Despite his box office success, many of his recent films have been panned by local critics as being simplistic, sexist, and having too many blatant product placement.
Career
Neo wrote and acted in a comedy skit for Tanjong Katong Secondary School at the age of 14.[1][2][3]
Neo started his career on television in 1980 and became one of the most successful and recognisable celebrities in SBC for his comedic roles on both film and television. His two most notable cross-dressing roles on film and television are Liang Po Po and Liang Xi Mei, both skits in the long-running comedy variety show Comedy Nite. Neo made his directorial debut in That One Not Enough (1999) and he set up his own artiste management company, J Team Productions, whose members include comedians Mark Lee, Henry Thia and John Cheng.
Neo's films satirise several aspects about Singapore in comical ways, including societal issues such as negligent parenting and school corporal punishment, and foreign issues such as the water disputes between Singapore and Malaysia. Apart from his film and TV career, Neo has also recorded and produced a number of albums.
Neo received the Best Director Award at the Silver Screen Awards in 1998 for his short film and was also awarded with the Lifetime Achievement Award in the following year in recognition of his contributions to Singapore's media industry. Since then, he became a filmmaker and created his first film, Money No Enough, directed by Tay Teck Lock and released into cinemas on 7 May 1998. In 2004, Neo became the first filmmaker in Singapore to be honoured with the Public Service Medal.[4] He also received the Cultural Medallion on 21 October 2005 together with musician Dick Lee.[5]
In 2008, Neo and Mark Lee bought the Singapore master franchise rights for Old Town White Coffee, a coffee retail concept from Ipoh, Malaysia. Their first store at Big Splash opened on 30 March in that year.
In 2013, Neo announced the creation of J Team Academy, an educational institute which aimed to bring together industry experts to groom new film-making talent. The academy opened on 6 April 2013.[6] In September, Neo won the Best Actor award for his role in Homecoming (2011) at the 1st Golden Wau Awards, aimed at promoting Chinese-language Malaysian films.[7]
In October 2014, the Madame Tussauds Singapore museum unveiled a wax figure of Neo.[8]
2015 saw the release of Neo's short film as part of the omnibus 7 Letters to commemorate Singapore's 50th year of independence.[9] Malaysian censors took offence with Neo's segment when it was submitted to them for a screening at Kuala Lumpur's Titian Budaya Festival. They initially requested a cut to the vulgar phrase in Cantonese, “curse your whole family”, but a successful appeal was made by organisers, CultureLink.[10]
Neo released the first two parts of his planned four-part film on the transition from village life to government housing in the first quarter of 2016, Long Long Time Ago and Long Long Time Ago 2.[11]
Personal life
Neo married Irene Kng in 1990 and have three sons and a daughter.[12]
In March 2010, a two-year-long extramarital affair between Neo and freelance model Wendy Chong was publicised and Neo admitted to the affair. Chong, who played a minor role in Neo's 2008 film Money No Enough 2, claimed that Neo initiated the affair. Neo later attempted to end the affair but Chong threatened to hurt herself and the exposé caused much debate and discussion amongst the entertainment circle of Singapore.[13]
On 9 March 2010, additional reports were released about Neo having or attempting extramarital affairs with up to 11 women.[14] He tried to ask actress-host Foyce Le Xuan & French student Maelle Meurzec for sexual favours when she was working for him.[15][16] Foyce, who went to the same church as Neo, claimed that she was advised by her City Harvest Church pastor to cease talking to the media, as Neo's pastor was trying to counsel him and his wife after his affair became public.[17][18][19] On 11 March, Neo and Kng held a five-minute press conference, in which Neo admitted his mistake and asked the media to let him off.[20] After that, Kng reiterated her love for Neo and also requested for the media to spare her.[20]
Subsequently, his endorsement deal with Mitsubishi Electric Asia was dropped and TV advertisements featuring the director were taken off air. Other advertisers, such as Bee Cheng Hiang and Goh Joo Hin, initially adopted a "wait-and-see" attitude, but otherwise similarly dropped all endorsement deals.[21]
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 12 Storeys | Ah Gu | Actor | [22] |
| 1998 | Money No Enough | Chew Wah Keong | Writer, Actor | |
| 1999 | Liang Po Po: The Movie | Liang Po Po/Liang Xi Mei | Writer, Actor | |
| The Mirror | James | Actor | ||
| That One No Enough | Hong Haoren | Writer, Director, Actor | ||
| 2002 | I Not Stupid | Mr. Liu | Writer, Director, Actor | |
| 2003 | Homerun | Mr. Tan, Beng Soon's father | Writer, Director, Cameo | |
| 2004 | The Best Bet | Writer, Director | ||
| 2005 | I Do, I Do | Member of Parliament Neo | Writer, Director, Cameo | |
| One More Chance | Reporter | Writer, Director, Cameo | ||
| 2006 | I Not Stupid Too | Steven Yeo | Writer, Director, Actor | |
| 2007 | Just Follow Law | Doctor | Writer, Director, Narrator, Cameo | |
| 2008 | Ah Long Pte Ltd | Composer | Writer, Director, Cameo | |
| Money No Enough 2 | Yang Baoqiang | Writer, Director, Actor | ||
| 2009 | Where Got Ghost? | |||
| Love Matters | Writer, Director | |||
| 2010 | Being Human | Waiter | Writer, Director, Cameo | |
| 2011 | The Ghosts Must Be Crazy | Executive Producer, Writer | ||
| Homecoming | Karen Neo | Actor | ||
| 2012 | We Not Naughty | Writer, Director | ||
| Ah Boys to Men | Writer, Director | |||
| 2013 | Ah Boys to Men 2 | Writer, Director, Cameo | ||
| Everybody's Business | Executive Producer, Cameo | |||
| 2014 | The Lion Men | Writer, Director | ||
| The Lion Men: Ultimate Showdown | Writer, Director | |||
| 2015 | Ah Boys to Men 3: Frogmen | Writer, Director, Cameo | ||
| My Papa Rich | Pokok Lim | Actor | ||
| 7 Letters - Segment "That Girl" | Writer, Director | |||
| 2016 | Long Long Time Ago | Writer, Director, Cameo | [23] | |
| Long Long Time Ago 2 | Writer, Director | |||
| 2017 | Take 2 | Executive Producer | ||
| The Fortune Handbook | Executive Producer | |||
| Lucky Boy | Executive Producer, Cameo | |||
| Ah Boys to Men 4 | Writer, Director | |||
| 2018 | Wonderful! Liang Xi Mei | Liang Xi Mei/Liang Po Po | Writer, Director, Actor | |
| 2019 | Make It Big Big | Himself | Cameo | |
| Killer Not Stupid | Writer, Director | |||
| When Ghost Meets Zombie | "Mr Perfect" audition judge | Cameo | ||
| 2020 | The Diam Diam Era | Writer, Director | ||
| 2021 | The Diam Diam Era Two | Writer, Director | ||
| 2022 | Ah Girls Go Army | Writer, Director, Cameo | [24][25] | |
| Ah Girls Go Army Again | Writer, Director | |||
| Deleted | Actor | |||
| 2023 | The King of Musang King | Writer, Director, Actor |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Liang Ximei S1 & S2 再见梁细妹 S1 & S2 | Liang Ximei 梁细妹 | |
| 2001 | The Return Of Liang Popo 梁婆婆重出江湖 | Liang Po Po 梁婆婆 | |
| 2002 | The Return Of Liang Ximei 笑傲江湖梁细妹 | Liang Ximei 梁细妹 | |
| 2016 | Hero 大英雄 | Liang Po Po 梁婆婆 | Cameo |
Variety shows
| Year | Title | Role | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990-2000 2003-2004 2006 | Comedy Nite 搞笑行动 | Host, co-host with Moses Lim, Liang Popo 梁婆婆, Liang Ximei 梁细妹 | |
| 2016 | Happy Can Already! 欢喜就好 | Liang Ximei 梁细妹 | |
| 2017 | Happy Can Already! 2 欢喜就好 2 | Liang Ximei 梁细妹 | |
| Happy Can Already! 3 欢喜就好 3 | Liang Ximei 梁细妹 | ||
| 2018 | Happy Can Already! 4 欢喜就好 4 | Liang Popo 梁婆婆 |
Discography
Drama soundtracks
| Year | Drama Title | Song Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 118 | 夠力夠力 | Opening Theme Song |
| 2018 | Say Cheese | 喜剧收场 | Opening Theme Song |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Ceremony | Award | Nominated work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Star Awards | Special Achievement Award | — | Won |
| 1998 | Star Awards | Top 10 Most Popular Male Artistes | — | Top 10 |
| 1999 | Star Awards | Top 10 Most Popular Male Artistes | — | Top 10 |
| 2000 | Star Awards | Top 10 Most Popular Male Artistes | — | Top 10 |
| 2001 | Star Awards | Top 10 Most Popular Male Artistes | — | Top 10 |
| 2002 | Star Awards | Top 10 Most Popular Male Artistes | — | Top 10 |
| 2003 | Star Awards | Top 10 Most Popular Male Artistes | — | Top 10 |
| 2016 | Star Awards | Best Theme Song | 118 | Nominated |
| 2018 | Star Awards | Top 10 Most Popular Male Artistes | — | Top 20 |
References
- ^ Walsh, Bryan (1 April 2002). . TIME Asia magazine. Archived from the original on 20 December 2005. Retrieved 25 November 2006.
- ^ . Archived from the original on 17 May 2007. Retrieved 11 April 2007.
- ^ . Archived from the original on 9 March 2009. Retrieved 8 March 2009.
- ^ "Recipients of The Public Service Medal". Prime Minister's Office Singapore. 2004. from the original on 25 May 2020. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
- ^ "The rise and fall of Jack Neo". Asiaone.com. from the original on 15 March 2010. Retrieved 30 December 2016.
- ^ . News.asiaone.com. 18 March 2013. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 30 December 2016.
- ^ Loy, Vincent. "Malaysia's 1st Golden Wau Awards 2013". from the original on 25 October 2015. Retrieved 22 March 2016.
- ^ Singh, Bryna (26 October 2014). "Readers vote: Which Madame Tussauds Singapore wax figure looks most like the real McCoy?". Singapore Press Holdings. The Straits Times. from the original on 27 October 2014. Retrieved 27 October 2014.
- ^ Chan, Boon (20 August 2014). "One film for Singapore's 50th year from seven top local directors, including Eric Khoo and Jack Neo". Singapore Press Holdings. The Straits Times. from the original on 23 August 2014. Retrieved 3 September 2014.
- ^ Chua, Genevieve (4 January 2016). "Malaysian censors take issue with Singapore films". MediaCorp. TODAY. from the original on 5 January 2016. Retrieved 6 January 2016.
- ^ Goh, Marcus (25 March 2016). . Yahoo. Yahoo Singapore. Archived from the original on 8 April 2016. Retrieved 28 March 2016.
- ^ "Jack Neo posts retro wedding photos for 31st marriage anniversary". AsiaOne. 25 November 2021. Retrieved 29 September 2022.
- ^ . Archived from the original on 8 March 2010. Retrieved 7 March 2010.
- ^ "Jack Neo involved with 11 women". AsiaOne. 9 March 2010. from the original on 23 October 2017. Retrieved 22 October 2017.
- ^ . Archived from the original on 13 March 2010. Retrieved 20 September 2018.
- ^ "French girl is latest to claim Jack Neo hit on her. And she was only 16". The New Paper. 12 March 2010. from the original on 22 October 2017. Retrieved 22 October 2017.
- ^ . Asiaone. 11 March 2010. Archived from the original on 14 March 2010. Retrieved 19 November 2017.
- ^ . AsiaOne. 15 March 2010. Archived from the original on 22 March 2010. Retrieved 19 November 2017.
- ^ "Boomz Award: Foyce Le Xuan". Asiaone. from the original on 8 February 2011.
- ^ a b Foong Woei Wan (12 March 2010). "He sobs, she collapses: Neo and wife face the press". The Straits Times (Singapore).
- ^ . Archived from the original on 26 March 2010. Retrieved 22 March 2010.
- ^ "Grasping at Singaporean Malaise, '12 Storeys' Is an Outstanding Family Drama Still Relevant 20 Years On". Sinema.SG. 4 August 2020. Retrieved 9 January 2023.
- ^ Han, Wei Chou (29 May 2015). . Channel NewsAsia. Archived from the original on 3 August 2015. Retrieved 6 June 2015.
- ^ Lee, Jan (29 September 2021). "Jack Neo's Ah Girls Go Army coming for Chinese New Year 2022". The Straits Times. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
- ^ "Jack Neo is making Ah Boys To Men spin-off called Ah Girls Go Army". CNA. 30 September 2021. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
External links
- Jack Neo at IMDb
- J Team Productions