Adrian Pang
Encyclopedia
Adrian Pang is a Singaporean Chinese
actor
who trained at the ARTTS International
in Bubwith
, East Riding of Yorkshire
, England. Born in Malacca
, Malaysia, he was educated at Anglo-Chinese School
, Singapore
, and in the United Kingdom
. Although he studied law at Keele University
, he has not practised since. He worked for a number of years in British theatre and television before returning to his native Singapore. While he was based in Britain, he would occasionally return to Singapore for stage work where he first caught the eye of Singaporeans when he starred in the Singaporean movie comedy Forever Fever (1998).
. Pang later switched to SPH MediaWorks
as a producer-presenter when the new company was established in 2001. It was around this time in 2001 that he moved back permanently to Singapore with his family. He quickly established himself as a household name through his work on Channel i
. A versatile talent, he excelled in hosting as well as acting, such as in the comedy Durian King and the main actor in the channel's final production, Six Weeks, before its impending merger with MediaCorp
in 2005. An original idea of his, Pang co-wrote Six Weeks and was part of the creative process from start to finish.
after the merger, he went on to appear in Chinese dramas on MediaCorp Channel 8, such as the blockbuster drama Portrait of Home
(同心圆) in 2005. His portrayal of the eccentric Dadi earned him a Best Actor nomination in Star Awards 2005
. He achieved this accolade despite the fact that he is much more comfortable speaking in English than in Mandarin (something many English-speaking Singaporeans can relate to). Indeed, he admitted he had much difficulty acting in the show. He even describes himself as a 'kentang', a Malay
term, to describe someone who is very Westernised.
He also starred in Jack Neo
's romantic comedy I Do I Do (2005) with Sharon Au
. He also appeared on Makan King on Channel U, Nine Lives on Arts Central and Maggi & Me
on MediaCorp Channel 5. In March 2007, he clinched the coveted Best Actor award at the national Life! Theater Awards for 2006.
He has also appeared in various theatrical performances such as Forbidden City: Portrait of An Empress
(2002), A Twist of Fate (2005), The Dresser, The Odd Couple
and many others.
Pang's humour makes him one of the more sought-after hosts in Singaporean media. He was the host for The Arena
and Deal or No Deal (Singapore)
aired on MediaCorp Channel 5. He has also helped to host the National Day Parade Celebrations in Singapore
as well as Miss Singapore Universe.
He also played the male lead in the series Parental Guidance (TV Series)
opposite Hong Kong actress, Jessica Hsuen. That was also the first time Pang played a legal professional on television.
In 2008, he filmed a Chinese drama serial, Nanny Daddy, which was telecast on Channel 8 in September that year. In 2009, he snared a leading role as a "blind" lawyer named Alex Sung bent on revenge in the Channel 5 blockbuster drama Red Thread.
In 2010, Pang announced that after his current artiste contract with MediaCorp expires in March, he will "experimentally" leave MediaCorp, and establish a drama company with his wife, to be called "PANGDEMONiUM!". According to Pang, the "experimental" leave was made possible via a prior arrangement with MediaCorp executives, and that he is open to returning to MediaCorp, or act in MediaCorp projects, in the future.
PANGDEMONiUM!'s inaugural production was The Full Monty held in June 2010, based on The Full Monty (musical)
. Their next production, Closer
showed from February to March 2011. Their third play, 'Dealer's Choice' will play from 29 September to 12 October 2011.
Singaporean Chinese
Singaporean Chinese may refer to:* Chinese Singaporean, the citizens or residents of Singapore who are of Chinese ancestry* Singaporean Mandarin, the dialect of Mandarin Chinese spoken in Singapore...
actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
who trained at the ARTTS International
ARTTS International
ARTTS International was a multi-discipline film, television, radio and stage training centre in Bubwith, East Riding of Yorkshire, England established by John Sichel in 1990...
in Bubwith
Bubwith
Bubwith is a village and civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. The village is situated about north east of Selby, and north of Goole. It is situated on the east bank of the River Derwent, west of which is the Selby district of North Yorkshire...
, East Riding of Yorkshire
East Riding of Yorkshire
The East Riding of Yorkshire, or simply East Yorkshire, is a local government district with unitary authority status, and a ceremonial county of England. For ceremonial purposes the county also includes the city of Kingston upon Hull, which is a separate unitary authority...
, England. Born in Malacca
Malacca
Malacca , dubbed The Historic State or Negeri Bersejarah among locals) is the third smallest Malaysian state, after Perlis and Penang. It is located in the southern region of the Malay Peninsula, on the Straits of Malacca. It borders Negeri Sembilan to the north and the state of Johor to the south...
, Malaysia, he was educated at Anglo-Chinese School
Anglo-Chinese School
The Anglo-Chinese School ; is a family of Methodist schools in Singapore, and Indonesia.The name is usually abbreviated as "ACS", with the junior college as "ACJC", and its students and alumni referred to as "ACSians" , or "ACS boys" .ACS was the first school...
, Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
, and in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. Although he studied law at Keele University
Keele University
Keele University is a campus university near Newcastle-under-Lyme in Staffordshire, England. Founded in 1949 as an experimental college dedicated to a broad curriculum and interdisciplinary study, Keele is most notable for pioneering the dual honours degree in Britain...
, he has not practised since. He worked for a number of years in British theatre and television before returning to his native Singapore. While he was based in Britain, he would occasionally return to Singapore for stage work where he first caught the eye of Singaporeans when he starred in the Singaporean movie comedy Forever Fever (1998).
Homecoming
Upon returning home, Pang joined MediaCorpMediaCorp
Media Corporation of Singapore, better known as MediaCorp, is a group of commercial media companies in Singapore, with business interests in television and radio broadcasting, interactive media, and, to a lesser extent, print publishing and film-making....
. Pang later switched to SPH MediaWorks
SPH MediaWorks
SPH MediaWorks Ltd was an ephemeral free-to-air terrestrial television broadcaster in Singapore. In 6 May 2001, SPH MediaWorks brought 2 alternative free-to-air terrestrial television channels to the audience in Singapore, operating SPH MediaWorks Channel U and SPH MediaWorks Channel i.A...
as a producer-presenter when the new company was established in 2001. It was around this time in 2001 that he moved back permanently to Singapore with his family. He quickly established himself as a household name through his work on Channel i
SPH MediaWorks Channel i
SPH MediaWorks Channel i as called by the name Channel i is a defunct Singapore English language television channel which began broadcasting on 20 May 2001. It was formerly known as SPH MediaWorks TV Works as called name TV Works...
. A versatile talent, he excelled in hosting as well as acting, such as in the comedy Durian King and the main actor in the channel's final production, Six Weeks, before its impending merger with MediaCorp
MediaCorp
Media Corporation of Singapore, better known as MediaCorp, is a group of commercial media companies in Singapore, with business interests in television and radio broadcasting, interactive media, and, to a lesser extent, print publishing and film-making....
in 2005. An original idea of his, Pang co-wrote Six Weeks and was part of the creative process from start to finish.
Post MediaWorks
Re-employed by MediaCorpMediaCorp
Media Corporation of Singapore, better known as MediaCorp, is a group of commercial media companies in Singapore, with business interests in television and radio broadcasting, interactive media, and, to a lesser extent, print publishing and film-making....
after the merger, he went on to appear in Chinese dramas on MediaCorp Channel 8, such as the blockbuster drama Portrait of Home
Portrait of Home
Portrait of Home is a Chinese language drama serial which was filmed for and broadcast on Singapore's MediaCorp Channel 8 in 2005.The show has 100 episodes telecast in two segments, the first with 60 episodes and the second with 40 episodes. Part 1 was aired from 16 May 2005 to 15 August 2005...
(同心圆) in 2005. His portrayal of the eccentric Dadi earned him a Best Actor nomination in Star Awards 2005
Star Awards 2005
Star Awards 2005 is a television award with the ceremony held on 4 December 2005. It was part of the annual Star Awards organised by MediaCorp for MediaCorp TV Channel 8, and for the first time, included stars from MediaCorp TV Channel U, many of whom were former employees of MediaCorp.Hosted by...
. He achieved this accolade despite the fact that he is much more comfortable speaking in English than in Mandarin (something many English-speaking Singaporeans can relate to). Indeed, he admitted he had much difficulty acting in the show. He even describes himself as a 'kentang', a Malay
Malay language
Malay is a major language of the Austronesian family. It is the official language of Malaysia , Indonesia , Brunei and Singapore...
term, to describe someone who is very Westernised.
He also starred in Jack Neo
Jack Neo
Jack Neo Chee Keong , PBM, credited as Jack Neo on screen, is a Chinese Singaporean film and television actor, host and director...
's romantic comedy I Do I Do (2005) with Sharon Au
Sharon Au
Sharon Au is a MediaCorp actress from Singapore. She was voted one of the Top 10 Most Popular Female Artistes in the annual Star Awards, an award ceremony for Singapore's MediaCorp Channel 8 and Channel U for 5 year between 1999 to 2004.-Career:...
. He also appeared on Makan King on Channel U, Nine Lives on Arts Central and Maggi & Me
Maggi & Me
Maggi & Me is a Singaporean fantasy situation comedy that airs on MediaCorp TV's Channel 5. The English-language series debuted 25 July 2006 and stars Fiona Xie and Adrian Pang in the title roles. The series wrapped up its season 1 finale on 17 October 2006 and the season 2 finale on 12 February...
on MediaCorp Channel 5. In March 2007, he clinched the coveted Best Actor award at the national Life! Theater Awards for 2006.
He has also appeared in various theatrical performances such as Forbidden City: Portrait of An Empress
Forbidden City: Portrait of An Empress
Forbidden City: Portrait of an Empress is a Singapore Musical that tells the story of China's Legendary Empress Dowager Cixi. It was staged by the Singapore Repertory Theatre originally on 17-19 October 2002 at the Esplanade - Theatres on the Bay, as part of its opening festival, and back again in...
(2002), A Twist of Fate (2005), The Dresser, The Odd Couple
The Odd Couple
The Odd Couple is a 1965 Broadway play by Neil Simon, followed by a successful film and television series, as well as other derivative works and spin offs, many featuring one or more of the same actors. The plot concerns two mismatched roommates, one neat and uptight, the other more easygoing and...
and many others.
Pang's humour makes him one of the more sought-after hosts in Singaporean media. He was the host for The Arena
The Arena (Singapore TV series)
The Arena is a debate-style television show produced by MediaCorp Channel 5 in Singapore. Season 1 of the show was broadcast from January-March 2007. A second season, known as The Arena II, was aired from March-May 2008...
and Deal or No Deal (Singapore)
Deal or No Deal (Singapore)
Deal or No Deal is a game show which was aired in Singapore on MediaCorp TV Channel 5 and MediaCorp TV HD5. The show debuted on 13 May 2007 with a million dollar deal show series from Sunday to Wednesday, after which the show aired every Wednesday, 08:30 pm or 20:30...
aired on MediaCorp Channel 5. He has also helped to host the National Day Parade Celebrations in Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
as well as Miss Singapore Universe.
He also played the male lead in the series Parental Guidance (TV Series)
Parental Guidance (TV series)
Parental Guidance is a Singaporean drama produced by local TV station MediaCorp and airs on MediaCorp Channel 5 on Thursdays at 8.30pm starting on 8 February 2007 to 3 May 2007 for a total of 13 episodes.- Cast :- Season One :-Season 2:...
opposite Hong Kong actress, Jessica Hsuen. That was also the first time Pang played a legal professional on television.
In 2008, he filmed a Chinese drama serial, Nanny Daddy, which was telecast on Channel 8 in September that year. In 2009, he snared a leading role as a "blind" lawyer named Alex Sung bent on revenge in the Channel 5 blockbuster drama Red Thread.
In 2010, Pang announced that after his current artiste contract with MediaCorp expires in March, he will "experimentally" leave MediaCorp, and establish a drama company with his wife, to be called "PANGDEMONiUM!". According to Pang, the "experimental" leave was made possible via a prior arrangement with MediaCorp executives, and that he is open to returning to MediaCorp, or act in MediaCorp projects, in the future.
PANGDEMONiUM!'s inaugural production was The Full Monty held in June 2010, based on The Full Monty (musical)
The Full Monty (musical)
The Full Monty is a musical with a book by Terrence McNally and score by David Yazbek.In this Americanized musical stage version adapted from the 1997 British film of the same name, six unemployed Buffalo steelworkers, low on both cash and prospects, decide to present a strip act at a local club...
. Their next production, Closer
Closer (play)
Closer is the third play written by English playwright Patrick Marber. The play was premiered at the Royal National Theatre's Cottesloe Theatre in London in 1997, and made its North American debut at the Music Box Theatre on Broadway on 25 January 1999....
showed from February to March 2011. Their third play, 'Dealer's Choice' will play from 29 September to 12 October 2011.
Personal life
He is married to Tracie Howitt. They have two sons, Zack and Xander. Pang is recognised as a devoted father who spends most of his free time with his family. He frequently ends his messages in the "about" section with lines similar to this: "But all the above nonsense is nothing when compared to his favourite role of all time - Daddy to his two sons, Zack and Xander."External links
- http://movies2.nytimes.com/gst/movies/filmography.html?p_id=241679
- http://www.pangdemonium.com/