Wong Li Lin

Wong Li Lin (Chinese: 黄丽玲; pinyin: Huáng Lìlíng) is a Singapore icon and businesswoman. She was a former actress and host.

This is a Chinese name; the family name is Wong (黄).

Wong Li Lin
Born	30 August Singapore
Nationality	Singaporean
Education	Haig Girls’ School Temasek Secondary School
Occupation	Businesswoman
Years active	1993–2010
Spouse(s)	Allan Wu ​ ( m. 2003; div. 2013)
Children	Sage Wu (daughter) Jonas Wu (son)
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	黃麗玲
Simplified Chinese	黄丽玲
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Huáng Lìlíng

Early life

Li-Lin is the youngest in a family of 4 siblings. She has 3 elder brothers. She was educated at Haig Girls’ School and Temasek Secondary School. She started ballet by chance at age 9 and started teaching at the age of 13 to supplement her fees. Li-Lin was awarded a scholarship to the Royal Ballet School in London, where she was appointed Head Girl.

In Singapore she pioneered Pilates, training many trainers who subsequently started their own studios. She continued teaching prolifically and founded several dance projects. She taught at Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts and founded several dance centres. It was while teaching at Singapore's television station that she was discovered and started a career in the media. Li-Lin remains an icon to this day for her portrayal as Inspector Elaine Tay in Triple Nine. She is a versatile bilingual actress and host. She is particularly admired for her intelligence, forthrightness and clarity of thought.

Li-Lin took time away from showbiz when she was awarded a second scholarship for her Master's degree in Anthropology at University of Surrey. She wrote her dissertation on Falun Gong as it combined her interests in movement, spirituality and her heritage as a Chinese diaspora. Li-Lin graduated in 2001.[1]

Professional background

Wong Li-Lin made her television debut in 1994, and has acted in dramas such as Masters of the Sea (1994) and Rising Expectations (长河) (1997). She became a household name for her lead role as Inspector Elaine Tay in Mediacorp Channel 5 cop drama Triple Nine (Season 1 and 2) from 1995 to 1997. After a brief hiatus from acting in 1999, she returned in 2001 and started acting frequently in Mediacorp Channel 8 dramas such as Love Me, Love Me Not (真爱无敌) (2001), The Challenge (谁与争锋) (2001) and The Reunion (顶天立地) (2001). She was also one of the four judges of the reality TV series "The Dance Floor".

In 2008, Li-Lin starred in the Singapore romance film The Leap Years alongside Ananda Everingham, and was nominated for Best Performer in the Singapore Film Awards 2009. The movie was directed by Jean Yeo. She has also starred in several European movies and telemovies such as Love Under the Sign of the Dragon, The Tiger Team, Love in the Lion City and The Patriarch.

Li-Lin is one of the few media personalities who have transitioned successfully to consultancy and corporate work. She has held leadership roles across multiple sectors and served organisations such as Parkway Pantai, Thomson Medical and the National Environment Agency. She is most recently Chief Operating Officer at a real estate and F&B firm.

Li-Lin is interviewed and quoted frequently in the media. She contributes to publications on a wide range of topics - from entrepreneurship, wellness to parenting. Her articles are frequently circulated and she is regularly invited as keynote speaker and moderator at leadership events. She is also a performance coach for individuals and family offices.

Personal life

Li-Lin was married to Chinese-American actor and host Allan Wu in Los Angeles in December 2003. They have two children, daughter Sage and son Jonas. Li-Lin and Allan divorced in June 2013.

Accolades

Star Awards – Acting Awards
Year	Ceremony	Category	Nominated work	Result
1997	3rd Star Awards Ceremony	Best Newcomer	N/A	Nominated
	3rd Star Awards Ceremony	Top 10 Most Popular Female Artistes	N/A	Won

MediaCorp Dramas

MediaCorp Dramas
Year	Drama	Character	Remarks
1997	Rising Expectations (长河)	Yu Ting Ting
2001	Love Me, Love Me Not (真爱无敌)	Song Jing Jing	真爱无敌 held the record for the highest-rated local 7pm drama in June 2001, with a viewership rating of 17.2%.
	The Challenge (谁与争锋)	Bai Zheng Yu
	The Reunion (顶天立地)
	The Hotel (大酒店)	Song Le Ling	Guest appearance in Episode 12: Li Lin reunites with co-stars Jacelyn Tay and Chen Hanwei (真爱无敌), and Vincent Ng (谁与争锋). Character names in "The Hotel" are a play on the actual names of the artistes.
2002	Springs of Life (春到人间)	Su Fangfang 苏芳芳	In the production of this drama, a "Springs of Life" soundtrack album was concurrently produced, starring both Li Lin and Sharon Au, who plays her sister in this drama series. 春到人间 was a highly successful drama production, which debuted to a viewership rating of 19.1% in December 2002, surpassing the previous record held by 真爱无敌.

References

1. Michelle Tay (18 February 2008). "Leap of love". The Straits Times. Singapore.

External links