Christopher Lee (Malaysian actor)
- For other people named Christopher Lee, see Christopher Lee (disambiguation).
| Christopher Lee | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Chinese name | 李銘順 (traditional) | ||
| Chinese name | 李铭顺 (simplified) | ||
| Pinyin | Lǐ Míngshùn (Mandarin) | ||
| Birth name | Lee Meng Soon (李明顺) | ||
| Origin | Singapore | ||
| Born |
23 July 1971 Malacca, Malaysia | ||
| Occupation | Actor, host, singer | ||
| Label(s) | Catwalk Production House (Catwalk) | ||
| Years active | 1994–present | ||
| Spouse(s) | Fann Wong (2009–present) | ||
| Children | Zed Lee (9 August 2014-present) | ||
| Ancestry | Hakka | ||
|
Awards
| |||
Christopher Lee Meng Soon (born 23 July 1971) is a Malaysian Singapore-based actor, host and singer.
Early life
Lee studied up to form 5 in Sekolah Menangah Seri Kota, Air Leleh, Malacca, Malaysia. He was an active student in school, serving as a prefect and representing his school in rugby competitions. He has an older sister and two younger brothers, the youngest being Frederick Lee Meng Chong, who is also an actor and model in Malaysia.[1]
Career
Lee joined TCS (later MediaCorp) on a contract in 1995 after emerging as 1st runner-up in the male category of the Star Search programme in 1995. He worked as a factory worker, sales man and part time model before joining star search in 1995. Lee first started acting in Chinese-language television dramas produced by Channel 8.
Lee rose to prominence in his career after winning the Best Actor award at the Star Awards 1997 for his role as a hanjian in the television drama The Price of Peace, set in Japanese-occupied Singapore during World War II. In 1998, he starred as Yang Guo in The Return of the Condor Heroes, an adaptation of Louis Cha's novel of the same title. He was voted in as Taiwan's Most Popular MediaCorp Male Artiste at the Star Awards 1998 for his performance. Since then, Lee has acted in many television series jointly-produced by Singapore and other countries in the Asia-Pacific region, co-starring with actors from Hong Kong and Taiwan, such as Nadia Chan, Vincent Chiao, Jimmy Lin and Jordan Chan.
Apart from acting, Lee also recorded the theme songs of MediaCorp's television dramas. He released his first solo album in 1999 and another one in 2002.
At the 2010 Star Awards, Lee was awarded the coveted "All-Time Favourite Artiste Award" with long-time colleague Mark Lee after being voted the Top 10 Favourite Male Artistes for ten years in a row.[2] He became the first non-Singaporean artiste to win the award. More recently, Lee has also ventured into hosting and has hosted several travel and food programmes. He was nominated for the Best Info-Ed Show Host award at the Star Awards 2012.
Conviction
On 8 October 2006, Lee was involved in a hit-and-run road accident. He had allegedly knocked down a motorcyclist due to suspected drunk driving, causing the motorcyclist and his pillion rider to suffer superficial injuries on their faces and legs. He was arrested and released later on bail.
Despite the incident, Lee managed to win a position among the Top 10 Male Artistes in the Star Awards 2006. In his acceptance speech, Lee said in Mandarin that he had been feeling terrible over the incident during the previous two months, and that he would be responsible for what he did. Speaking to reporters later, he mentioned that he had been unable to sleep at times, adding that he was very grateful to his fans for their support.[3]
On 10 May 2007, Lee was fined S$4,500 and disqualified from driving for three years on charges of drunk driving and other traffic offences, as well as being sentenced to a prison term of four weeks. Lee appealed against his jail sentence but withdrew his appeal later on 28 May. He began serving his sentence at Queenstown Remand Prison on the same day.[4] On 15 June, the prosecution succeeded in appealing against Lee's four-week jail sentence and the court decided to overturn an earlier sentence of a S$3,000 fine for his drunk driving offence. Lee was sentenced to an additional two weeks in prison, making his total prison term six weeks long.[5] On 21 June, the prosecution dropped the last of five charges against Lee for failing to stop after an accident, letting him off with a stern warning instead.[6] Lee was released on 25 June, after receiving a reduction in his prison sentence due to good behavior.[7]
Due to his conviction, Lee was dropped from playing the lead role in the 2007 Channel 8 television series Metamorphosis. He was replaced by actor Thomas Ong.[8]
On 12 July 2007, the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) completed its review on Lee's case and decided to allow him to retain his Singapore Permanent Resident status. However, Lee will be under close observation and the ICA would revoke its decision if Lee violates the law again.[9] After the conviction, he made his comeback in the 2008 television drama Rhythm of Life.
Personal life
After an eight-year courtship, Lee married singer-turned-actress Fann Wong, his co-star in several television series, on 16 May 2009. The wedding ceremony was held at Shangri-La Hotel Singapore, with many of Lee's colleagues from the entertainment industry, such as Zheng Geping and Huang Biren, attending their wedding. The couple have a son Zed, who was born on August 2014.
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | The Best Bet | Lee Yong-Shun | |
| 2009 | The Wedding Game | Fang Zijie | |
| 2010 | Kidnapper | Taxi driver Lim | |
| 2012 | Forgotten | Best Actor in a Mini-Series/TV Movie nominee at the 47th Golden Bell Awards[10] | |
| 2014 | When a Peking Family Meets Aupair | ||
| 2014 | Black & White: The Dawn of Justice | ||
| 2014 | Who is Undercover | ||
| 2017 | The Fortune Handbook |
Television dramas
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Love Knows No Bounds | Hong Jie | television film |
| 1996 | Kungfu Master | Liu Nianrong | |
| 1996 | Of Cops and Man | Liu Jiashun | |
| 1996 | Brave New World | Jiale | |
| 1997 | The Choice Partner | Zheng Fangsheng | |
| 1997 | My Wife, Your Wife, Their Wives | Mai Jiawei | |
| 1997 | The Price of Peace | Xie Guomin | Won Best Actor at Star Awards 1997 |
| 1997 | The Guest People | Zhang Chongzhi | |
| 1998 | The Return of the Condor Heroes | Yang Guo | Best Actor nomination, Star Awards 1998 |
| 1998 | Myths and Legends of Singapore | Zhu Heyi / Zhu Gutou | |
| 1999 | Coup de Scorpio | Xie Tingzhang | Best Actor nomination, Star Awards 1999 |
| 1999 | Riding the Storm | Zhong Qingtang | Best Actor nomination, Star Awards 1999 |
| 2000 | Master Swordsman Lu Xiaofeng | Ximen Chuixue | regional production |
| 2000 | Looking for Stars | Henry | Best Actor nomination, Star Awards 2000 |
| 2001 | Madam White Snake | Xu Xian / Xu Shilin | Singapore-Taiwan co-production |
| 2001 | Master Swordsman Lu Xiaofeng 2 | Ximen Chuixue | regional production |
| 2001 | The Hotel | Shaun | |
| 2002 | Brotherhood | He Ping | Singapore-China co-production |
| 2002 | Palm of Rulai | Lu Xiaoyu | regional production |
| 2003 | Moon Fairy | Houyi | regional production |
| 2003 | True Heroes | Chen Junhao | Best Actor nomination, Star Awards 2003 |
| 2004 | Always on My Mind | Tang Xinyang | |
| Timeless Gift | Wang Jie | Best Actor nomination, Star Awards 2004 | |
| To Mum with Love | Yang Yijie | ||
| 2005 | A New Life | Zhang Youfu | Best Actor nomination, Star Awards 2005 |
| Fairy of the Chalice | Cao Jing | Singapore-China co-production | |
| The Dragon Heroes | Yan Cheng | regional production | |
| You Are the One | Simon | ||
| 2006 | The Lucky Stars | Wu Fuqi | regional production |
| Rhapsody in Blue | Lan Ziyuan | ||
| Through It All | Guo Yihai | ||
| The Peak | Fang Hong'an | ||
| 2007 | A Mobile Love Story | Lin Lizhong | Singapore-China co-production |
| The Shaolin Warriors | Qi Jiguang | Mainland Chinese production | |
| 2008 | Rhythm of Life | Li Junjie | |
| Beach.Ball.Babes | Ma Tianwu | ||
| 2009 | My Buddy | Zeng Youquan | |
| 2010 | Breakout | Situ Dongcheng | Nominated for Best Actor, Star Awards 2011;
Nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Role, Asian Television Awards 2011 |
| 2011 | Secrets for Sale | Zheng Renyi | Wawa production |
| The Oath | Wu Guo'en | Wawa production Nominated for Best Actor, Star Awards 2012 | |
| 2012 | Show Hand | Zhang Qiming | Wawa production Won Best Actor at Star Awards 2013 |
| Game Plan | Zeng Haoren | Wawa production | |
| 2013 | A Good Wife | Li Shaowen | Taiwan Television production Won Best Leading Actor at 49th Golden Bell Awards |
| 2014 | Against The Tide | Di Shen 狄深 | Nominated, Best Actor - Star Awards 2015 |
| The Romance of the Condor Heroes | Huang Yaoshi 黄药师 | Mainland Chinese production | |
| Mr. Right Wanted | Lun Zhe Ming (Benjamin) 倫哲明 | Taiwan Gala Television production | |
| 2015 | Crescendo | Yang Yiwei 杨毅伟 | Wawa production |
Variety shows
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Insiders' Australia | |
| 2008 | Life Transformers 心晴大动员 | Best Variety Show Host nomination, Star Awards 2009 |
| 2009 | Life Transformers 2 | |
| 2011 | The Adventures of Chris 阿顺历险记 | Best Variety Show host nomination, Star Awards 2011 |
Discography
Albums
- Christopher Lee Story (1999)
- Love, No Boundaries (2002)
Singles
| Year / collection | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 错爱今生 | Theme song from The Choice Partner |
| 1997 | 和平的代价 | Theme song from The Price of Peace |
| 1997 | 流浪之歌 | Theme song from The Guest People |
| 1998 | 一生太短暂 | Insert song from The Return of the Condor Heroes |
| 1999 | 逃避 | Opening theme song from Coup de Scorpio |
| 1999 | 不告而别 | Ending theme song from Coup de Scorpio |
| 2000 | 义 | Ending theme song from Master Swordsman Lu Xiaofeng |
| 2002 | 平凡 | Theme song from Brotherhood |
| 2002 | 爱，无国界 | |
| 2003 | 英雄好汉 | Opening theme song from True Heroes |
| 2003 | 每一天的思念 | Insert song from True Heroes |
| 2003 | 在你左右 | Ending theme song from True Heroes |
| 2004 | 非一般烦恼 | Theme song from To Mum with Love |
| 2005 | 相信 | Theme song from You Are the One |
| 2005 | 福禄寿 | Theme song from My Lucky Stars; performed together with Fann Wong |
| Chinese New Year songs | 万年红 | performed together with Fann Wong |
| Chinese New Year songs | 恭喜恭喜07 | performed together with Qi Yuwu, Ann Kok and Dawn Yeoh |
| Chinese New Year songs | 事如意08 | |
| Others | 运气-阳光系列3 | |
| Others | 谈何容易 |
Achievements
| Year | Accolade | Representative work | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 1st Male Runner-up, Star Search 1995 | Won | |
| 1997 | Top 10 Most Popular Male Artistes, Star Awards 1997 | Won | |
| Best Actor, Star Awards 1997 | The Price of Peace | Won | |
| 1998 | Top 10 Most Popular Male Artistes, Star Awards 1998 | Won | |
| Taiwan's Most Popular Male Artiste, Star Awards 1998 | Won | ||
| Best Actor, Star Awards 1998 | The Return of the Condor Heroes | Nominated | |
| 1999 | Best Actor, Star Awards 1999 | Riding The Storm | Nominated |
| Top 10 Most Popular Male Artistes, Star Awards 1999 | Nominated | ||
| 2000 | Best Actor, Star Awards 2000 | Coup de Scorpio | Nominated |
| Top 10 Most Popular Male Artistes, Star Awards 2000 | Won | ||
| 2001 | Best Actor, Star Awards 2001 | Looking for Stars | Nominated |
| Malaysia's Most Popular Male Artiste, Star Awards 2001 | Won | ||
| Top 10 Most Popular Male Artistes, Star Awards 2001 | Nominated | ||
| 2002 | Top 10 Most Popular Male Artistes, Star Awards 2002 | Won | |
| Best Actor, Star Awards 2002 | Brotherhood | Nominated | |
| 2003 | Top 10 Most Popular Male Artistes, Star Awards 2003 | Won | |
| Best Actor, Star Awards 2003 | True Heroes | Nominated | |
| '2004 | Top 10 Most Popular Male Artistes, Star Awards 2004 | Won | |
| 2005 | Top 10 Most Popular Male Artistes, Star Awards 2005 | Won | |
| Best Actor, Star Awards 2005 | A New Life | Nominated | |
| 2006 | Top 10 Most Popular Male Artistes, Star Awards 2006 | Won | |
| 2007 | Top 10 Most Popular Male Artistes, Star Awards 2007 | Won | |
| 2009 | Top 10 Most Popular Male Artistes, Star Awards 2009 | Won | |
| Best Variety Show Host, Star Awards 2009 | Life Transformers | Nominated | |
| 2010 | All-Time Favourite Artiste, Star Awards 2010 | Won | |
| 2011 | Best Actor, Star Awards 2011 | Breakout | Nominated |
| Favourite Onscreen Couple, Star Awards 2011 | Breakout | Won | |
| Favourite Onscreen Variety Partners, Star Awards 2011 | Life Transformers | Won | |
| Best Actor, Asian Television Awards 2011 | Breakout | Nominated | |
| 2012 | Best Actor, Star Awards 2012 | The Oath | Nominated |
| Best Info-Ed Programme Show Host, Star Awards 2012 | The Adventures Of Chris | Nominated | |
| Favourite Male Character, Star Awards 2012 | The Oath | Nominated | |
| Favourite Onscreen Couple, Star Awards 2012 | The Oath | Nominated | |
| 2013 | Best Actor, Star Awards 2013 | Show Hand | Won |
| Favourite Male Character, Star Awards 2013 | Game Plan | Nominated | |
| Favourite Onscreen Couple, Star Awards 2013 | Game Plan | Nominated | |
| 2014 | Best Actor (Drama Category), 49th Golden Bell Awards | A Good Wife | Won |
| 2015 | Best Actor, Star Awards 2015 | Against The Tide | Nominated |
| Most Popular Regional Artiste (China), Star Awards 2015 | Won | ||
| Best Actor, Asian Television Awards 2015 | Against The Tide | Nominated | |
| 2016 | Best Actor, Star Awards 2016 | Crescendo | Nominated |
| Favourite Male Character, Star Awards 2016 | Crescendo | Nominated | |
| Best Actor, Asian Television Awards 2016 | Crescendo | Nominated | |
References
- ↑ "No, I'm not Christopher". AsiaOne. 23 December 2011.
- ↑ "Mark Lee and Christopher Lee assume their new heavenly ranks". xin.msn.com. 25 April 2010.
- ↑ Lee, Sze Yong (12 December 2006). "A solemn teary-eyed Lee at Star Awards". The Straits Times. p. 4.
- ↑ Ansley Ng, "Christopher Lee begins jail term", Today, 29 May 2007
- ↑ "TV actor Christopher Lee to spend more time in jail". Channel NewsAsia. Retrieved 15 June 2007.
- ↑ Carolyn Quek, "Last of five charges against actor dropped", The Straits Times, 22 June 2007
- ↑ "Actor Christopher Lee released from jail". Channel NewsAsia. Retrieved 25 June 2007.
- ↑ "李铭顺新剧被换角 王沺裁成得益人". Lianhe Zaobao. Retrieved 19 May 2007.
- ↑ "Actor Christopher Lee to retain permanent resident status". Channel NewsAsia. Retrieved 12 July 2007.
- ↑ Chua, Charlene (7 October 2012). "Christopher Lee nominated for prestigious award". AsiaOne. Retrieved 29 October 2012.
- ↑ Christopher Lee at imdb.com
- ↑ Christopher Lee at chinesemov.com
- Baidu Baike (Chinese)