Profile of Fann Wong on Famous Like Me

Fann Wong (范文芳; pinyin: Fàn Wénfāng) (born January 27, 1971), birth name Fann Woon Fong, is a Singaporean Chinese actress, singer and model. She was born in Singapore. She has starred in numerous films and television series in Singapore, Hongkong, Taiwan and China. However, she is most known in the United States for her role as Jackie Chan's sister in Shanghai Knights.

Acting Career

Fann Woon Fong created her stage name Fann Wong by combining her parents' surnames (Fann and Wong, respectively). Born to middle-class parents in Singapore, Fann shared a hectic childhood with three siblings (an elder sister and a younger brother and sister). At the tender age of 16, she won a beauty contest organised by Her World, a Singapore fashion magazine. She started a very successful modelling career in Singapore, and sustained it by basing herself in Taiwan for more modelling work. One of her earliest successes was a highly memorable Taiwan-shot Oil of Ulan (now Olay) TVC, which was aired in Taiwan and Singapore.

In 1994, while modelling in Taiwan, she was discovered by a Singapore TV producer who cast her in a Singapore drama series titled Dreams Come True. Fann soon starred in two more Singapore TV series, The Challenger and Chronicle of Life, which brought her critical accolades and popularity in Singapore.

Her role in Chronicle of Life won her the Best Actress Award and the Best Newcomer Award in Singapore's 1995 Star Awards, an impressive feat considering that she had only been in the Singapore TV industry for only a year. In 1996, her role in The Unbroken Cycle won her her first regional nomination at the Asian Television Awards. She continued to star in an impressive 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 her first Mandarin pop album Fanntasy in Singapore, which contained a duet with Taiwanese singer Jeff Chang. This album, retitled I Live Alone and repackaged with two additional songs for the Taiwanese market, won 4 IFPI platinum sales awards in Taiwan and was the start of Fann's luminous regional success.

In mid-1998, the simultaneous release of her definitive hit gongfu drama Return of the Condor Heroes, and her second album, Shopping (album), further increased her exposure and popularity in Taiwan and China. She was so popular that when the famed Hongkong director Derek Yee caught Fann in her Shopping MTV on Channel V in Hongkong, he flew to Singapore to cast her as the lead actress in the Hongkong art movie The Truth About Jane and Sam. This gritty wild-child role won her a Best New Performer nomination at the 19th Hongkong Film Awards in 2000.

In 1999, Fann released her third album Missing You, recorded Private Number with British boyband 911 and performed Moments of Magic, Singapore's official millennium song. 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. That same year, she released her fourth Mandarin album, No Problem.

Over the next several years Fann began to focus on acting for TV and film, with varied work such as a feminist Hongkong film titled When I Fall in Love...With Both, a romantic Singapore TV series Looking For Stars, and an action-packed Taiwanese period series titled Madam White Snake. During this time she also began hosting travelogue shows, including Travel Hunt: Japan and Fann Adventure (filmed in South Africa and Malaysia).

In 2002, she scored a coup when she became the first Singaporean actress to score a major role in a Hollywood production, Shanghai Knights, directed by David Dobkin. When she appeared in her first Hollywood role Chon Lin alongside international stars Jackie Chan and Owen Wilson in early 2003, she received accolades in the Asian and Western media, and was subsequently nominated under the Best Fight Sequence category in the 2003 MTV Movie Awards. In 2004, she won the Singapore Street Festival's Best International Artiste Award.

In 2004, Fann continued work on China gongfu dramas such as Moon Fairy and My Fair Lady which gradually consolidated her presence as the top Singaporean actress in China. Amidst this, she still had time to shoot a Singapore serial on the SARS virus, Always On My Mind, which won her a Best Actress nomination in the 2004 Star Awards.

In mid-2004, Fann snagged her second English-language lead role in the German-Singapore telemovie, House of Harmony, opposite German-based English actor Philippe Brenninkmeyer and Hongkong actress Maggie Q. She also took on a lead role in a Taiwanese romance film, Dragon Eye Congee, to be released late 2005.

Fann is also well-known for her talent in illustrating comics. In December 2004, she published a comic book, Girl Illustrated, featuring articles, illustrations and exclusive photos of her on the Prague set of Shanghai Knights.

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. She was also the only Singapore star at the 8th Shanghai International Film Festival, and was at Christian Dior's Fall Couture event at Paris in July 2005.

In June 2005, Fann released her first Mandarin compilation album, In Love With You, after a hiatus of 5 years. In August 2005, Fann was the first Singaporean star to do a voiceover recording for Singapore's first 3D animation film, Zodiac, The Race Begins.

She has been making a series of splashes in the China entertainment industry of late, appearing at the Huabiao Film Awards Ceremony, the Mont Blanc Greta Garbo Party and the launch of exclusive landed property in Beijing - titled 'A Force In Asia To Create The Future'.

Fan base

Fann is considered a well-respected industry professional in her home country Singapore. She is arguably the only Singaporean actress who has managed to sustain exposure through a consistent body of work in the Greater Asian showbiz arena. It is precisely this overseas success that has made her a de facto representative of the Singapore entertainment industry across Asia. The Chinese media regard her as '新加坡首席女星' (Singapore's top female star), while in Singapore, she is termed an '阿姐' ('Ah Jie', literally translated as 'Big Sister', a term of affection to mean a female celebrity highly respected in the local entertainment scene).

She has a sizeable fan base in Singapore, China, Taiwan, and much of Southeast Asia - including Vietnam, where she performed at a concert in 2004. Her Hollywood debut in Shanghai Knights exposed her to a global audience, and the upcoming House of Harmony, which will be telecast on European and US TV networks, will be Fann's next shot at pitching herself to an international viewership.

Films

• 2006 : Zodiac, The Race Begins (生肖传奇) (voiceover)
• 2005 : Dragon Eye Congee (龙眼粥)
• 2003 : Shanghai Knights
• 2000 : When I Fall in Love...With Both (月亮的秘密)
• 1999 : The Truth About Jane and Sam (真心话)

Telemovies

• 2006 : Lu Xiao Feng Chuan Qi (陆小凤传奇)
• 2005 : House of Harmony
• 1997 : The Accidental Hero (流氓英雄)
• 1997 : The Matchmaker's Match (四点金)
• 1995 : Somewhere in Time (再世情缘)
• 1995 : Fatal Memory (血案迷情)

Dramas

• 2006 : Lian Lian Hong Chen (恋恋红尘)
• 2006 : Cai Xin Miao Shou (猜心妙手)
• 2006 : Fu Lu Shou San Xing Bao Xi (福禄寿三星报喜)
• 2005 : Beautiful Illusions (镜中人)
• 2005 : My Fair Lady (我爱钟无艳 / 非常皇帝生擒钟无艳)
• 2003 : Always on My Mind (无炎的爱)
• 2003 : Moon Fairy (奔月)
• 2002 : Brotherhood (drama serial) (有情有义 / 兄弟恩仇)
• 2001 : The Hotel (大酒店)
• 2001 : Madam White Snake (青蛇与白蛇 / 白蛇新传)
• 2001 : Heroes In Black (我来也)
• 2000 : Looking For Stars (星锁)
• 2000 : The Legendary Swordsman (笑傲江湖)
• 1999 : Out to Win (步步为赢)
• 1998 : Myths & Legends of Singapore: Lady of the Hill (石叻坡传说之红山林姑娘)
• 1998 : Return of the Condor Heroes (神雕侠侣 / 范文芳的神雕侠侣)
• 1996 : Brave New World (新阿郎 / 一路风尘)
• 1996 : Wild Orchids (再见萤光兰)
• 1996 : A Romance in Shanghai (新上海假期)
• 1996 : The Unbroken Cycle (解连环)
• 1995 : The Golden Pillow (金枕头)
• 1995 : Sparks of Life (生命火花)
• 1995 : Morning Express (阳光列车)
• 1995 : Chronicle of Life (缘尽今生)
• 1994 : The Challenger (勇者无惧)
• 1994 : Dreams Come True (美梦成真)

Web movie

• 2001 : Self Destruction (自体毁灭) (Taiwan)

Travelogues and autobiographical documentaries

• 2002 : Fann Adventure: Malaysia and South Africa (非范之想)
• 2001 : Travel Hunt: Japan (奇趣搜搜搜)
• 2001 : At Home With... Fann Wong (Channel NewsAsia)
• 1998 : Fann Wong's Music Love Story (范文芳的音乐爱情故事) (Taiwan TVBS-G)

Albums

• 2005.06.17 : In Love With You (爱上了你新歌+精选)
• 2000.10.03 : No Problem (没有问题)
• 1999.06.02 : Missing You (想你)
• 1998.07.08 : Shopping (album) (逛街)
• 1997.09.12 : I Live Alone (一个人生活)
• 1996.10.06 : Fanntasy

Soundtracks

• 2001 : Madam White Snake (青蛇与白蛇)
• 2000 : The Legendary Swordsman (笑傲江湖)
• 1999 : The Truth About Jane and Sam (真心话)
• 1998 : Return of the Condor Heroes (神雕侠侣)
• 1995 : The Golden Pillow (金枕头)

Other media

• 2005 : Lunar New Year Compilation (迎春接福喜临门)
• 2004 : Lunar New Year Compilation (花开富贵迎新春)
• 2002 : Love, No Boundaries (爱无国界)
• 2000 to 2002 : Morning Express IV to VI (阳光系列 IV 到 VI)
• 2000 : My Story Concert Single (featuring 月亮的秘密)
• 2000 : Moments of Magic (Millennium Song) AVCD
• 1999 : Private Number single (Fann Wong featuring 911)
• 1999 : Missing You (想你) Karaoke VCD
• 1997 : I Live Alone Karaoke VCD (exclusive to Taiwan) (一个人生活卡拉 VCD)
• 1996 : GEMS (晶粹)
• 1995 : TCS's All Stars Compilation (新视红星歌影集)

Books

• 2004 : Girl, Illustrated (笔芳说) (self-illustrated comic book)
• 2000 : In +he Mood (Hongkong pictorial)

Prominent awards/nominations

• 2004: Singapore Street Festival: Best International Artiste Award
• 2003: Yahoo! Singaporean Of The Year Nomination
• 2003: Singapore Fashion Week: Celebrity Style Award
• 2003: MTV Movie Awards: Best Fight Nomination (Shanghai Knights)
• 2000: Singapore Star Awards: Special Achievement Award
• 2000: Singapore Star Awards: Most Popular MediaCorp Artiste in Malaysia
• 2000: Hongkong Film Awards: Best New Performer Nomination (The Truth About Jane and Sam)
• 1998: Singapore Star Awards: Most Popular MediaCorp Artiste in Taiwan
• 1996: Asian Television Awards: Best Actress Nomination (The Unbroken Cycle)
• 1996: Singapore Hit Awards: Media Recommendation Award (Local Singer)
• 1995: Singapore Star Awards: Best Actress (Chronicle of Life)
• 1995: Singapore Star Awards: Best Newcomer
• 1995-2004: Singapore Star Awards: Top 10 Most Popular Artistes

Endorsements

• 2005 : Ginvera White Tea Spa Hair Care Range
• 2005 : New Moon Bird's Nest
• 2004 : Xando Slimming Tablets and Coffee (-2005)
• 2004 : Ambassador for World Wildlife Fund's Elephant-Protecting campaign in Singapore
• 2004 : Ambassador for Nanjing (China)'s tourism campaign in Asia
• 2004 : Ambassador for Singapore's tourism campaign in China
• 2003 : New Moon Abalone (-2005)
• 2003 : Ambassador for Queensland (Australia)'s tourism campaign in Singapore
• 2003 : Fujitsu Lifebook notebook computers
• 2002 : Bella Skin Care (-current)
• 2002 : Aurias (diamonds)
• 2001 : Emporio Armani (-2005)
• 2001 : Ambassador for Singapore's Speak Mandarin Well Campaign (-2002)
• 2001 : Ambassador for Singapore's Respect Intellectual Property Campaign (-2002)
• 2000 : Avon skincare
• 1999 : Inforian Taiwan (internet services)
• 1998 : Daily-C Taiwan (orange juice) (-1999)
• 1998 : Pantene (shampoo)
• 1998 : De Beers (diamonds)
• 1997 : McDonalds
• 1996 : Jolly Shandy (beverage)
• 1995 : Baby-G (timepiece)
• 1994 : Sanyo (air-conditioners)
• 1994 : Epismile (toothpaste)
• 1993 : Ginvera (shampoo)
• 1992 : Oil of Ulan (now Olay) (face care product)

This content from Wikipedia is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article Fann Wong