Pierre Png

Pierre Theodore Png Tiang Huat (born 29 October 1973), better known as Pierre Png or Fang Zhanfa, is a Singaporean actor and comedian of Peranakan descent. He is contracted to MediaCorp and is known for starring in dramas on Channel 5 (English language) and Channel 8 (Chinese language). Early in his career he was known for playing Phua Chu Beng, brother of Gurmit Singh's character in Phua Chu Kang Pte Ltd. He is also known for his role as a troubled and unhappy husband in the 2008 year-end blockbuster period drama The Little Nyonya, and as a villain in 2013 drama The Journey: A Voyage.

Career

Png made his television debut on Phua Chu Kang Pte Ltd and several Channel 5 productions. He later began acting in Chinese language dramas on Channel 8 and was nominated for the Most Popular Newcomer Award at the 2001 Star Awards.

In 2006 he received his first Best Actor award nomination at the Star Awards 2006 for his role in The Shining Star. Png won the coveted award on his fourth nomination in 2014 for his vicious role Hei Long in MediaCorp's year-end mega-blockbuster The Journey: A Voyage.

Joanne Peh

Joanne Peh (born 25 April 1983) is a Singaporean actress and contracted artiste under MediaCorp.

Biography

After winning the title of Miss Elegant and Miss Personality in Miss Singapore Universe 2002, Joanne was signed on as an artiste with MediaCorp. Despite having to juggle both work and her university studies at the same time, she won both the Most Popular Newcomer award and the Top 10 Most Popular Female Artistes award at the Star Awards 2004, an annual Singaporean award ceremony for TV personalities.

Joanne was educated in Temasek Secondary School where she was head prefect and Victoria Junior College. After her graduation with a mass communications degree from the School of Communication and Information at Nanyang Technological University, Joanne continued her acting career with the station as a full-time actress. She impressed audiences with her natural acting in drama serials such as Like Father, Like Daughter, The Golden Path, The Little Nyonya and A Tale of 2 Cities. Her compelling portrayal of Yuzhu, the ill-fated girl with a heart of gold in The Little Nyonya, earned her rave reviews, as well as a Best Actress award nod at Star Awards 2009.

The Little Nyonya

The Little Nyonya (Chinese: 小娘惹) is a 2008 drama serial on Singapore's free-to-air MediaCorp TV Channel 8. The storyline, which circles around the biographical flashback of an extended Peranakan family in Malacca, is set in the 1930s and spans to over 70 years and several generations of three families. The series was partly sponsored by the Media Development Authority of Singapore. It debuted on November 25, 2008 and concluded its run on January 5, 2009.

Produced by MediaCorp in commemoration of the channel's 45-year anniversary (45载光芒·8方贺台庆), the series has been acclaimed by viewers and critics, and raked the highest viewership in the country in 14 years. The success of The Little Nyonya has led to the show being broadcast internationally. The series became the first ever Singaporean Chinese drama to be dubbed in Malay and aired on Malay-language channel Suria.

Plot

The story spans over 70 years, from the 1930s till the present day.

Huang Juxiang is born into a large Peranakan family where her mother is a mistress. She is gentle, beautiful and a fantastic cook. Due to a serious illness when she was 9 years old, Juxiang becomes a deaf-mute. Because of her handicap, she is ostracized by people. Right before the Japanese Occupation in Singapore, she is forced to marry Charlie Zhang, a rich Peranakan, and become his concubine. Juxiang resists the marriage and runs away from home. She then meets Yamamoto Yousuke, a young Japanese photographer. After overcoming many obstacles, they finally get married and Juxiang gives birth to a daughter Yueniang. During the World War, Juxiang is injured and she and her husband die, leaving behind their 8-year-old daughter.

Jeanette Aw

Jeanette Aw Ee-Ping (born 28 June 1979), better known by her stage name Ou Xuan (欧萱), is a Singaporean actress and author. She has been a full-time Mediacorp artist for 14 years and is managed by Artiste Networks, a subsidiary of Hype Records. Through her television career, Aw has established herself as one of the most popular and high-profile celebrities in Singapore. She has received several awards, including "All-Time Favourite Artiste" at Mediacorp's Star Awards. Aw has published two books – the best-selling Jeanette Aw: Definitions in 2012 and Sol’s World: Somebody to Love in 2015 – and starred in musical Beauty World in 2015.

While in college, Aw entered Route to Glamour, in which she placed first. She signed on with SPH Mediaworks and made her acting debut in the 2001 drama Touched. Aw then switched to Mediacorp in 2002 and played Mo Jingjing in Holland V (2003). Aw was named as one of the Mediacorp 7 Princesses in 2006, after which she achieved wider success with her leading role in acclaimed drama The Little Nyonya (2008). Aw garnered critical appreciation for portraying flawed actress, Zhao Fei Er, in The Dream Makers (2013) and its 2015 sequel. She holds the record for the most Best Actress nominations at the Star Awards without a win, with six. Aw's off-screen roles include duties as a brand ambassador for several Singapore and international companies.

Qi Yuwu

Qi Yuwu (born 28 November 1976) is a Singapore-based Chinese actor. He is a Permanent Resident of Singapore and a contracted artiste under MediaCorp Singapore and Beijing Enlight Media Group.

Biography

Qi studied at Guangzhou Physical Education Institute before moving to Singapore. He won the title of Champion and Mr Personality in the China Round of Asian Star Search in 1999. Previously, Qi worked as a model and played the lead role in a Guangzhou-produced television series, before signing on a contract with the Television Corporation of Singapore (now MediaCorp).

In 2000, Qi was cast in his debut role as Sikong Zhaixing in Master Swordsman Lu Xiaofeng with other actors from Singapore and the Asian-Pacific region. Following that, Qi was cast in Dare To Strike, another Singapore-Hong Kong co-produced television series.

Apart from acting in Singaporean television dramas, Qi has also starred in international films, some of which were produced by Mediacorp Raintree Pictures. He also starred 2011 in the Australian 3-D Horror film Bait 3-D.