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'Fann Woon Fong' (; born January 27, 1971), better known by her stage name 'Fann Wong',[1][2] is a Singaporean actress, singer and model.
At Singapore's Star Awards 1995, Fann became the first actress to win both the Best Actress and Best Newcomer awards in the same year. After gaining regional exposure and popularity in Asia through film and television productions, she became the first Singaporean actress to break into Hollywood, playing Chon Lin in the 2003 film ''Shanghai Knights''. She was also the youngest actress to have earned an All-Time Favourite Award at the Star Awards.
In late 2002, Fann became romantically attached to Malaysian actor Christopher Lee, with whom she has collaborated eight times.[3] She is known to zealously safeguard her privacy.[4]
Biography
Early days: Television career
Fann Wong and Chen Hanwei in ''The Morning Express'' (1995).
Born in Singapore to Hakka middle-class tailor parents, Fann shared her childhood with three siblings - an older sister, as well as a younger brother and sister. She was educated at Temasek Secondary School, where she took her GCE 'O' Level examinations in 1987.[5]
At the age of sixteen, she won a beauty contest organised by ''Her World'', a Singapore fashion magazine.2 She started a successful modelling career in Singapore, and spent the next two years modelling part-time while taking her GCE 'A' Level examinations at a private school. She afterward earned a diploma in fashion merchandising from LASALLE-SIA College of the Arts.5
In 1993, Fann moved to Taiwan to model full-time. One of her earliest successes was in an Oil of Ulan (now Oil of Olay) commercial aired in Taiwan and Singapore. The following year, a Singaporean television producer discovered her and cast her in ''Dreams Come True'', a Singapore drama series. Fann soon starred in two more Singapore television series, ''The Challenger'' and ''Chronicle of Life''.
After a year in the Singapore television industry, her role in ''Chronicle of Life'' won her Best Actress and Best Newcomer awards at Singapore's 1995 Star Awards.[6] In 1996, her role in ''The Unbroken Cycle'' won her first regional nomination at the Asian Television Awards.[7] She continued to star in a large array of drama serials, including ''A Romance in Shanghai'' (produced in Shanghai), ''Wild Orchids'' (filmed in Sydney) and ''Brave New World'' (filmed in Amsterdam and Belgium).
In late 1996, Fann released in Singapore her first Mandarin pop album ''Fanntasy'', which contained a duet with Taiwanese singer Jeff Chang.[8] The album was retitled ''I Live Alone'' and repackaged with two additional songs for the Taiwanese market and won 4 IFPI platinum sales awards in Taiwan, marking the start of Fann's regional success.[9]
Late 90s: Rise of regional popularity
In mid-1998, the release of Fann's hit wuxia drama ''Return of the Condor Heroes'' along with her second album, ''Shopping'', further increased her exposure in Taiwan and China.[10] When Hong Kong director Derek Yee saw Fann's "Shopping" music video on Hong Kong's Channel V, he flew to Singapore to cast her as the lead actress in the Hong Kong art film ''The Truth About Jane and Sam''.10[11] The movie topped the Singapore box office for three weeks[12] and her role as a gritty wild-child won her a Best New Performer nomination at the 19th Hong Kong Film Awards in 2000.[13] In addition, her role as a self-centred stockbroker in ''Out to Win'' attracted a million viewers in Singapore during its finale.[14]
In 1999, Fann released her third album ''Missing You'', recorded ''Private Number'' with British boyband 911,[15] and performed ''Moments of Magic'', Singapore's official millennium song.[16] These musical successes resulted in her being the first Singapore artiste to stage a solo paying concert ("My Story" - Fann Wong In Concert) at the Singapore Indoor Stadium in 2000.[17] That same year, she released her fourth Mandarin album, ''No Problem''.[18]
During the next few years, Fann focused on her acting career. She played a two-timing television reporter in the omnibus Hong Kong film ''When I Fall in Love... With Both'',[19] acted as a lovelorn insurance agent in the Singaporean romantic drama ''Looking For Stars'',[20] as well as played the title character in the Taiwanese period drama ''Madam White Snake''.[21] She also began hosting travelogue shows, including ''Travel Hunt: Japan'' and ''Fann Adventure'', which was filmed in South Africa and Malaysia.[22]
2003: Hollywood
In 2002, Fann became the first Singaporean actress to score a major role in a Hollywood production as Chon Lin in ''Shanghai Knights''. When the film was released in early 2003, Stephen Hunter of the ''Washington Post'' stated:
Fann is an enchanting new film presence. Clearly modelled after Zhang Ziyi of ''Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon'', she combines a dancer's grace with a fighter's speed, and looks great standing still or whirling.[23]
''The Hollywood Reporter's David Hunter noted that Fann was "more than equal to playing the strong woman fighter who's also pretty darn cute", while John Keenan of the ''Omaha World-Herald'' stated that "Fann's stunt work is actually more memorable than Jackie Chan's here".23 In Hong Kong, the ''South China Morning Post'' stated that she "seems set to displace Lucy Liu as Hollywood's Asian babe du jour".23 She was subsequently nominated under the Best Fight category in MTV Movie Awards 2003,[24] and in 2004, won the Singapore Street Festival's Best International Artiste Award.[25]
2004
''Girl, Illustrated'', a self-illustrated comic book published in 2004.
In 2004, Fann continued acting in China period dramas such as ''Moon Fairy'' and ''My Fair Lady''.[26] She also starred in a Singapore serial on the SARS epidemic titled ''Always On My Mind'', which won her a Best Actress nomination at the 2004 Star Awards.[27] In mid-2004, Fann was cast in the lead role in the German-Singapore telemovie, ''House of Harmony''.[28] In late 2004, Fann released her first publication, a semi-autobiographical comic book ''Girl Illustrated''.[29] After a musical hiatus of five years, she released her first compilation, ''In Love With You''.[30]
2005 to Present
In April 2005, Fann was invited to the Cannes MIPTV Media Market where she promoted ''House of Harmony'' and discussed possible collaborations with European industry professionals.[31] ''House of Harmony'' has since been telecast in Germany, Austria, France and Belgium to a combined prime-time viewership of over 80 million.[32] That same year, Fann took on a lead role in a Taiwanese art-house romance film, ''Dragon Eye Congee'', which was nominated for five categories at the inaugural Asian Festival of First Films.[33]
In August 2005, she made her voiceover debut in Singapore's first 3D animation film, ''Zodiac, The Race Begins'', which was released in early 2006.[34]
In November 2006, Fann made her first promotional visit to Phnom Penh, Cambodia. She performed at the Tonle Sap Water Festival Mega Concert and visited the Krousar Thmey blind school,[35] where she donated cassette recorders and biscuits.[36]
In early 2007, Fann signed a management contract with China's Huayi Brothers. Fann also became the first Singaporean artiste to release a self-illustrated 3G animation titled Fanntasy World.[37] The release of her Singapore film, ''Just Follow Law'', in which she had to play an uncouth and scruffy man in a woman's body, was a major attraction at the Chinese New Year box office and won her critical acclaim in the Singapore and Malaysian media.[38][39]
Media controversies
Double-contract controversy
In the mid to late-1990s, several controversies about Fann emerged in Singapore press outlets. At the 1995 Star Awards ceremony, where she won three awards, Fann remarked onstage, "Now that I've won the Best Actress award, what's there for me to bag next year?" The remark evoked a media backlash.[40] Subsequently, when ''The Straits Times'' published news of a pre-existing Taiwanese management contract in late 1996, the then-Television Corporation of Singapore suspended their own contract with her.[41] Even though the double-contract controversy was later resolved by Taiwanese television producer and mediator Kuo Jian Hong, the two incidents made Fann an extremely private and somewhat evasive media personality subsequently.[42]
Privacy issues with the Singapore media
In 1999, a controversy ensued over an alleged preference Fann had for Taiwanese media when she cancelled a press conference with Chinese newspaper reporters in Singapore surrounding her debut film, ''The Truth About Jane and Sam''.[43] A press statement by Raintree Pictures had earlier promised that Fann would "reveal the truth about some of the issues the media has been speculating about"; ostensibly her alleged breakup with her boyfriend.[44] However, in a subsequent press statement to cancel the conference, Raintree Pictures stated that "Fann requested not to go ahead with it because she felt the objectives of the press conference could not be met with the prevailing focus of the media on her personal life". Members of the local Chinese press then alleged that she favoured the Taiwanese media by freely volunteering details of the promotional budget for her album, ''Shopping''. In response, Hype Records producer Ken Lim stated that the Taiwanese media found out "because they called us for the figures".[45] He added that Fann is a very private person because 'it gives her the sanity that she needs'. Nevertheless, Hazel Tan of ''The New Paper'' wrote:
So, Fann, you want to be left alone? You want to turn your back on the local media, the same media that helped make you what you are today? No big loss really. All we get from you anyway are bland-as-tap water quotes on how happy you are with your work.
In June 2000, ''The Straits Times'' camped outside Fann's house and printed a prominent round-the-clock report.[46] Fann commented in ''Girl, Illustrated'':
Overnight, everyone in Singapore knew where I lived. People turned up to take pictures of my house, toot their car horns, or shout "Fann, come out!" My house was on exhibition. I got the neighbourhood police to step up their patrols around my house.As someone who really treasures her privacy, I feel very violated when things like that happen. But there's nothing I can do about it. I console myself by being thankful for what I've achieved. And really, compared to foreign celebs, such scrutiny I've endured is nothing.[47]
Fann and Tay rivalry
Throughout the late 1990s, much of Singapore's entertainment press was dedicated to covering the rivalry between Fann and fellow Singaporean actress Zoe Tay. In 1996, Fann described her relationship with Tay as "not friends, only colleagues". Both actresses are considered 'Ah Jies' (阿姐; an affectionate term for highly-respected female celebrities) in the Singapore entertainment scene.42[48]
Personal life
Fann Wong and Christopher Lee holding hands at the 2006 Star Awards.
Fann has been romantically involved with Malaysian actor Christopher Lee since late 2002,[49] although the pair only admitted their relationship in mid-2005. She has had only one prior romance - an 11-year relationship with businessman Anthony Chan.[50]
Fann and Lee have collaborated eight times in television productions, and have played lovers in six of these. The 2004 Star Awards saw colleagues Chew Chor Meng, Zoe Tay, Huang Biren and Mark Lee attempting to out their romance,50 while Zoe Tay urged Lee to propose to Fann at the 2005 Star Awards.[51] After Fann and Lee publicly admitted to their relationship in mid-2005, they were seldom seen together. However, in December 2006, they walked together hand-in-hand down the blue carpet of the 2006 Star Awards ceremony. The gesture was noted by the Singapore media as a rare public acknowledgement of their relationship.[52]
One of the few remaining single Singaporean actresses among her peers, Fann has stated that she does not care when she will get married.42 The Singapore media has noted that she tends to zealously safeguard her private life from media scrutiny.[53] Fann's hobbies include illustrating comics, shopping, eating and sleeping.[54]
Works
Awards
| Year | Recognition |
|---|---|
| 1988 | ★ Her World Magazine (Singapore) Cover Girl Winner |
| 1995 | ★ Singapore Star Awards, Best Actress Award (''Chronicle of Life'') ★ Singapore Star Awards, Best Newcomer |
| 1996 | ★ Asian Television Awards, Best Actress Nomination (''The Unbroken Cycle'') ★ Singapore Star Awards, Best Actress Nomination (''The Golden Pillow'') ★ Singapore Hit Awards, Media Recommendation Award (Local Singer) |
| 1997 | ★ Singapore Star Awards, Best Actress Nomination (''The Matchmaker's Match'') |
| 1998 | ★ Singapore Star Awards, Most Popular MediaCorp Artiste in Taiwan ★ Singapore Star Awards, Best Actress Nomination (''Return of the Condor Heroes'') ★ YES 933 Hit Awards, Most Popular Local Singer |
| 1999 | ★ Singapore Star Awards, Best Actress Nomination (''Out to Win'') |
| 2000 | ★ Singapore Star Awards, Special Achievement Award ★ Singapore Star Awards, Most Popular MediaCorp Artiste in Malaysia Award ★ Singapore Star Awards, Best Actress Nomination (''The Legendary Swordsman'') ★ Hong Kong Film Awards, Best New Performer Nomination (''The Truth About Jane and Sam'') ★ Singapore Hit Awards, Most Popular Female Singer (2nd place) |
| 2001 | ★ Singapore Star Awards, Best Actress Nomination (''Heroes in Black'') |
| 2003 | ★ Yahoo! Singaporean Of The Year Nomination ★ Singapore Fashion Awards, Celebrity Style Award ★ MTV Movie Awards, Best Fight Nomination (''Shanghai Knights'') |
| 2004 | ★ Singapore Street Festival, Best International Artiste Award ★ Singapore Star Awards, Best Actress Nomination (''Always On My Mind'') |
| 2005 | ★ Singapore Star Awards, All-Time Favourite Artiste Award ★ Singapore Star Awards, Best Actress Nomination (''Beautiful Illusions'') |
| 2006 | ★ Singapore Star Awards, Best Actress Nomination (''Women of Times'') |
| 2007 | ★ China Bai He Jiang, Top 10 Most Popular Female Artiste Award'' |
Fann was also an annual recipient of a popularity award at the Singapore Star Awards from 1995 to 2004 (titled 'Top 10 Most Popular Female Artistes'). This culminated in her being awarded the All-Time Favourite Artiste Award at the 2005 Star Awards.
References
1. At Home With... Fann Wong
2. ''Fann-tastic reason''
3. The lovebirds come clean, finally; Fann Wong and Christopher Lee have their families' blessings, too
4. A boyfriend? What's the big deal, Fann? Hazel Tan
5. ''Chronology''
6. Fann Wong: I hope I will not be too drunk celebrating Shzr Ee Tan
7. Fann Wong’s nominations
8. Fann to pair up with two Taiwan kings? Soo Fang Chin
9. Fann: Now I'm going Oriental Soo Fang Chin
10. She helps Singapore Fann out; catalogue model rises to TV stardom and recording artiste Susan Long (also see Susan Long)
11. Derek Yee
12. Truth is out... Fann's film is tops
13. The 25th Hong Kong Film Awards
14. Fanntom Matters; time to fann the flames of ardour for the glowing star who strikes back into the limelight with a new album and a debut movie
15. That one still no enough Hun Ching Tee
16. Moments of Magic MV
17. Star light, star bright, Fann shines, all right!
18. No Problem CD
19. When I Fall In Love…With Both
20. Looking for Stars VCD
21. Madam White Snake
22. Fann Adventure
23. Fann gets raves; Described as enchanting in her Hollywood debut, Fann Wong is set to act in the sequel to Shanghai Knights Clarissa Oon
24. Awards for Shanghai Knights
25. Fann Wong’s awards
26. Gallen's so-so... but Fann makes her mark Wendy Teo
27. Star Awards 2004 Nominations
28. Fann goes back in time Xinyi Hong
29. Fann fare; Fann Wong launches a comic book about herself to mark a decade of showbiz
30. > The Recording Industry Association (Singapore)
31. Singapore Programmes at International TV Trade Show
32. Asian 'Lady Chatterley's Lover' to debut on Chinese TV
33. Asian Festival of First Films 2005 Nominations
34. Ready, get cat, go; Fann Wong, the voice behind the cat and snake in Zodiac, almost lost her voice doing it
35. Blind kids get a touch of glamour
36. Cambodian Fann-fare
37. Still a Fann of her man Sor Luan Ng
38. I feel like a 'whore' Wendy Teo
39. Just follow Neo Elizabeth Tai
40. Things you did not know about the Star Awards
41. Fann Wong's contract row with TCS over Soo Fang Chin
42. 'I do not care when I get married' Xinyi Hong
43. Evasive Fann labelled a dodger Kelvin Tong
44. Fann sticks to her guns Lynn Seah
45. Record company defends Fann Pau Lin Teo
46. Our stakeout of Fann's house Shin Gee Tan
47. Fann Wong. (2002). ''Girl, Illustrated.'' MediaCorp Publishing ISBN 888-74-5701-183-2, at p 49
48. Another Zoe-Fann face-off?
49. Fann throws him surprise party
50. Are Fann and Christopher finally tying the knot? Yvonne Kwok
51. Zoe Tay's attention-seeking antics at Star Awards 2005
52. Love is on the air Jeanine Tan
53. 'I felt like a goldfish'
54. Fann Wong's biography, I Live Alone
External links
★ Life Story and Photo Gallery of Fann Wong
★
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