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Yeo Yann Yann

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

In this Chinese name, the family name is Yeo.
Yeo Yann Yann
Born (1977-02-20) 20 February 1977 (age 48)
Johor, Malaysia
Other namesYann Yeo
Yang Yanyan
OccupationActress
Years active1997–present
Spouse
Ma Yuk-sing
​
(m. 2012)​
[1]
Children1
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese楊雁雁
Simplified Chinese杨雁雁
Hanyu PinyinYáng Yànyàn
Hokkien POJIûⁿ Gān-gān

Yeo Yann Yann (born 20 February 1977) is a Malaysian actress. She has worked in theatre, television, and film. Her credits include Singapore Dreaming, Thunderstorm, 881, Ilo Ilo and Wet Season.[2]

She is a pioneer-graduate of Intercultural Theatre Institute (ITI).[3] Besides acting, Yeo also hosts bilingual events and performs for corporate skits and projects.

Early life and education

[edit]

Yeo was born to a fisherman in Kukup, Pontian district, Johor, Malaysia.[4][5] Yeo left Malaysia when she was 19 to study at Intercultural Theatre Institute in Singapore.[5][6]

Career

[edit]

Yeo cites her acting mentor, the late theatre doyen Kuo Pao Kun, as a significant influence in her career.[7]

In 1997, Yeo made her theatre debut with Comedy of Mistakes by Toy Factory Production.[5]

Yeo started her acting career, protraying Chen Mei Li in The Right Frequency, a 1998 Mediacorp drama.

After appearing as Mei in the 2006 film Singapore Dreaming, Yeo was noticed and became famous.[5] The film won the Montblanc New Screenwriters Award at the 54th San Sebastian International Film Festival,[8] and was the first Singaporean film to receive an IFFPA-recognised international feature film award.[9]

Yeo has also been featured in the Singapore Speak Chinese campaign (华语cool!), in-character from her role in the Royston Tan's 2007 film 881.[10]

Yeo had also starred in various television productions, including Food Goin' Bananas (2008) and The A-Go-Go Princess (2009). In 2009 also, she played the leading role in The Iron Lady, produced by ntv7.[11]

In 2013, Yeo played as the mother of the protagonist in Anthony Chen's first feature film, Ilo Ilo.[12] The film debuted at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival where it received a 15-minute long "standing ovation" and earned Chen the Camera d'Or.[13] Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong noted Chen's achievement, and congratulated him and the film's cast on Facebook.[14] The film continued to win success at various film festivals with Yeo picking up awards such as Best Supporting Actress at the 50th Golden Horse Awards,[15] Best Actress at the Vladivostok Film Festival,[16] Best Supporting Actress at the 8th Asian Film Awards[17] among others.

In spring 2018, Yeo reunites with Chen for his second feature film, Wet Season.[18] The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and went on to be nominated for six Golden Horse Awards, with Yeo winning her second Golden Horse, for Best Leading Actress.[19]

In 2020, Yeo was cast as Lian in HBO Asia’s Invisible Stories.[5]

In 2021, Yeo acted as a triad boss in a supporting role in action thriller film Havoc, starring Tom Hardy, written and directed by Gareth Evans.[20] The film was released on Netflix in 2025.[21]

In 2022, Yeo acted as the mother of the main character in American Born Chinese, a television series adaption of a 2006 graphic novel American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang, an American fantasy action comedy television sitcom created by Kelvin Yu for Disney+.[22][23][24] The series consists of eight episodes and premiered on Disney+ on 24 May 2023.[25]

Personal life

[edit]

Yeo met Hong Kong action choreographer Ma Yuk-sing, 17 year her senior, in 2012 while filming Petaling Street Warriors and were married within the year at her hometown.[5][1] They have a daughter born in August 2012.[26][27] In 2013, Yeo moved to Singapore due to post-partum depression.[5]

Filmography

[edit]

Feature film

[edit]
Year Title Role Notes Ref
2006 High Cost of Living
Singapore Dreaming Mei [5]
One Last Dance
2007 881 Big Papaya [28]
2008 12 Lotus Long 2's girlfriend
Muallaf Cindy [29]
18 Grams of Love (愛情18克)
2009 Love Matters Jia Li
2010 Being Human Zu Er
2011 Petaling Street Warriors Zhung Lichun [5]
2013 Paper Moon (紙月亮)
The Collector (收爛數)
Ilo Ilo Hwee Leng [12]
2014 The Cage (懼場) Ma Yan Ling
Rubbers Baoling [30]
2015 Distance [31]
The Laundryman [zh] Yang Yingying [32]
2017 You Mean the World to Me Hoon [33]
2018 Lee Chong Wei Khor Kim Choi [34]
Republic of Food Virginia Goh [35]
2019 Wet Season Ling Won Best Leading Actress at the 56th Golden Horse Awards [18]
The 9th Precinct (第九分局) Sun Yu-shu [36]
2023 The King of Musang King Liu Mei Lian [37]
2025 Havoc Tsui's Mother [20]
TBA We Are All Strangers [38]

Short film

[edit]
Year Title Role Notes Ref
2003 The Last Flight of the Red Butterflies[39]
2005 Heave
2006 Hello? [40]
Tracks [40]
2007 Ah Ma [41]
Flat Dreams [42]
2009 Tanjong rhu (The Casuarina Cove)

Television series

[edit]
Year Title Role Notes Ref
1998 Right Frequency Chen Meili [4]
2006 Stories of Love: Anthology Series
2007 Do Not Disturb [43]
2008 The A-Go-Go Princess (穿越阿哥哥)
Food Goin' Bananas
2009 The Iron Lady Gao Shiqin
2011 A Time To Embrace (追影·築夢) Zhang Jinrui
Time FM (時光電台) Lucky
Home (家緣)
2012 The Descendant
2013 Time FM 1970 (時光電台1970) Lucky
2020 Invisible Stories Lian [5]
2022 Modern Love Mumbai Sui Episode Mumbai Dragon (2022) [44]
2023 American Born Chinese Christine Wang [45]

Music video appearances

[edit]
Year Artist Song title
2021 Stefanie Sun "The Day Before"

Other production

[edit]
Year Title
2005 GhostBoys (series for 3G phones)
POV Murder (series for 3G phones)

Theatre

[edit]
Year Title Produced by Role Ref
1997 Comedy of Mistakes Toy Factory
1998 Storm Toy Factory [46]
1999 Red Hawk The Theatre Practice
2000 Invisibility Drama Box [47]
The Day I Met The Prince The Theatre Practice
2001 Dragon Dance The Finger Players
2003 The Tiger Tally TTRP
Tartuffe TTRP
Lim Tzay Chuen TTRP/Theatreworks
Lights Up The Theatre Practice
2004 Water Station TTRP [48]
Tempest The Theatre Practice [49]
Private Parts Vizpro [50]
Wu Jun Ru And You and Me And Him (吴君如和你和我和他) The Theatre Practice
2005 Boxing Day The Necessary Stage [51]
The Admiral's Odyssey Action Theatre [52]
Separation Forty The Necessary Stage
2006 A Beautiful Companion Theatreworks [53]
Stranger at Home (独在家乡为异客) DramaBox
National Language Class Spell Seven Performance Club [54]
Thunderstorm (雷雨) The Theatre Practice [55]
Legends Alive Online : Mama Looking For Her Cat 2006 The Theatre Practice [56]
2007 The Tosca Project The Theatre Practice
2008 Chesty Nutty Bang Bang: The Hairspray of the Phoenix STAGES [57]
National Language Class (re-run) Spell Seven Performance Club
To Kill A Mockingbird Sharon Ang
2009 Crab Flower Club Toy Factory Productions
2011 Petaling Street Warriors Juita Entertainment [5]
2016 State of Mind Playground Entertainment [58]
2017 Actor, Forty《演员四十》 The Necessary Stage [59]

Awards and nominations

[edit]
Year Awards Category Nominated work Result Ref
2005 5th LIFE! Theatre Awards Best Ensemble Acting Wu Jun Ru And You And Me And Him Nominated
2006 1st Front Awards — — Nominated [60]
2007 7th LIFE! Theatre Awards Best Ensemble Acting Mama Looking For Her Cat Won
7th LIFE! Theatre Awards Best Actress Thunderstorm Won
2009 9th LIFE! Theatre Awards Best Actress National Language Class Nominated
2010 Golden Awards Best Actress The Iron Lady Won [61]
2012 Golden Awards Best Supporting Actress Time FM Won
2013 50th Golden Horse Awards Best Supporting Actress Ilo Ilo Won [62]
Vladivostok Film Festival Best Actress Won [16]
2014 8th Asian Film Awards Best Supporting Actress Won [17]
2019 30th Malaysia Film Festival Best Female Supporting Actress Lee Chong Wei: Rise of the Legend Nominated
56th Golden Horse Awards Best Leading Actress Wet Season Won [19]
2020 14th Asian Film Awards Best Actress Nominated [63]
48th International Emmy Awards Best Performance By An Actress Invisible Stories Nominated
2023 3rd Hollywood Critics Association TV Awards Best Supporting Actress in a Streaming Series, Comedy American Born Chinese Nominated [64]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "Yeo Yann Yann marries HK action director". Asiaone. Retrieved 2 May 2019.
  2. ^ "Talented Singapore director's next film to be a musical set against the colourful and culturally unique backdrop of Chinese 7th month 'getai'". Media Development Authority of Singapore. Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 7 February 2007.
  3. ^ "Intercultural Theatre Institute: Alumni". Intercultural Theatre Institute. Archived from the original on 2 December 2013. Retrieved 25 November 2013.
  4. ^ a b "Yeo Yann Yann once told by director 'you're not pretty, not very talented, why are you still acting?'". AsiaOne. 9 October 2020. Retrieved 13 May 2025.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Bhagchandani, Umesh (13 May 2022). "Meet Yeo Yann Yann, star of Amazon Prime's Modern Love Mumbai". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 13 May 2025.
  6. ^ "From kampung girl to award-winning actress: Who is the real Yeo Yann Yann?". CNA Luxury. Retrieved 14 May 2025.
  7. ^ "Founding Artistic Director - KUO Pao Kun (1939)". Archived from the original on 26 July 2007. Retrieved 31 March 2007.
  8. ^ "Altadis New Director's Award", San Sebastian International Film Festival, Mister-i Mobile Solutions S.L., 29 September 2006. Archived from the original Archived 23 November 2008 at the Wayback Machine on 23 November 2008.
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  36. ^ "《第九分局》金馬女配魔化演出 楊雁雁首度挑戰大銀幕反派！". Yahoo News (in Chinese). 29 August 2019. Retrieved 15 May 2025.
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  58. ^ "State of Mind (2016) | SG Theatre Archive". www.centre42.sg. Retrieved 15 May 2025.
  59. ^ "Theatre review: Actor, Forty affectionately welcome Yeo Yann Yann back to local stage after hiatus". The Straits Times. 5 February 2017. ISSN 0585-3923. Retrieved 13 May 2025.
  60. ^ "Arts Central - Your One Stop Dance Studio". www.artscentral.sg.
  61. ^ "{title}". Archived from the original on 13 October 2010. Retrieved 9 October 2010.
  62. ^ "Golden Horse: Yeo Yann Yann wins Best Supporting Actress for Ilo Ilo". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 1 December 2013. Retrieved 18 September 2018.
  63. ^ Lim, Ruey Yan (11 September 2020). "Yeo Yann Yann up for Best Actress at Asian Film Awards". The Straits Times. ISSN 0585-3923. Retrieved 15 May 2025.
  64. ^ Moye, Clarence (11 July 2023). "2023 Hollywood Critics Association TV Awards: 'Yellowjackets', 'The Boys' lead All Nominees with 14 Nominations". Awards Daily. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
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