Yvonne Lim | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1976-09-28) 28 September 1976[1] |
| Other name | Lin Xiangping |
| Alma mater | Singapore Polytechnic |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1997–present |
| Spouse |
Alex Tien (m. 2014) |
| Children | 2 |
| Awards | Full list |
| Chinese name | |
| Traditional Chinese | 林湘萍 |
| Simplified Chinese | 林湘萍 |
| Hanyu Pinyin | Lín Xiāngpíng |
Yvonne Lim (born 28 September 1976) is a Singaporean actress.
Best known for starring in many Chinese-language television dramas in Singapore, Taiwan and mainland China, Yvonne is one of the few actresses to have won both the Best Actress and the Best Supporting Actress awards at Singapore's Star Awards.
Early life and education
Lim was born to Hokkien-speaking family. She studied at CHIJ St Theresa's Convent and graduated with a Diploma in Electronic, Computer, & Communication Engineering (DECC) at Singapore Polytechnic in 1996.[2]
In an interview with SP's alumni magazine, she stated that she was a "shy girl" who rarely took part in extracurricular activities. At the recommendation of some friends, she took part in the Miss Singapore Polytechnic beauty pageant and finished first runner-up. She was a finalist with Go Magazine's Cover Girl Contest and did some modelling before joining Star Search Singapore 1997. While she was eliminated in the finals but she was offered a contract by the Television Corporation of Singapore.
Career
Lim was given a lead role in Starting Point, where she played a young entrepreneur, and was well received by audiences. She was nominated for Best Newcomer and Top 10 Most Popular Female Artistes in the Star Awards 1998 after her debut, Starting Point. Although she did not manage to win the 'Best Newcomer 1998', she was voted into the Top 10 Most Popular Female Artistes for that year.[3] However, her career started to pick up again in 1999 with her role of an unfortunate girl lost in the crowds of Singapore in the early 20th century in Stepping Out.
Her subsequent progress was fairly slow, mainly appearing in minor supporting roles (The Vagrant, A Child's Hope). Some attribute this trend to her petite build, which dwarf her in comparison to other actresses.
She also recorded and released a solo Mandarin album in 2000. In 2002, she participated in the Hong Kong television station ATV 30-part courtroom drama Innocently Guilty, which also starred Anita Yuen, Kent Cheng and Felix Wong.[4]
In 2005, she landed major roles in popular dramas such as A New Life, where she played a poor but contented woman, and Portrait of Home, in which she played one of the antagonists. At the Star Awards 2005, she had the rare honour of being nominated in both acting categories and won the Best Supporting Actress for the latter.[5] That drama's role as a vengeful woman was also named one of the top 10 most memorable villains at the Star Awards 2007 25th anniversary special.
In 2006, her stock rose even further when she landed the lead role in An Enchanted Life, a story of a Taiwanese betel nut seller who journeys to Singapore in search of her long-lost father. She also starred in the hit drama Metamorphosis in 2007, which granted her the coveted Star Awards 2007 Best Actress Award.[6] This award was an important milestone for her as it led to her rising popularity. Metamorphosis also won Best TV Serial in the Star Awards 2007.
Lim appeared on numerous variety and game shows, including Let's Party With Food! and The Giant Show in 2008, after her win for Best Actress in the Star Awards 2007.
Lim has been nominated for Top 10 Most Popular Female Artistes in the Star Awards for every single year since she joined Mediacorp in 1998. After her first win in 1998, she did not win the Top 10 award until 2009.[7]
Personal life
Lim is married to former Taiwanese boy band B.A.D member Alex Tien, who is 3 years younger than her. The couple held their wedding on 7 September 2014, at Ritz Carlton Hotel, Singapore.
Lim gave birth to their first child, a son, on 27 December 2014 at Mount Elizabeth Hospital in Singapore, and after which they moved to Taiwan on 25 May 2015. On 6 January 2017, she gave birth to her second child, a daughter, in Taiwan.[8] As of 2018, their daughter acquired her Singapore citizenship.[9]
In 2019, Lim planned to move her family back to Singapore.[10] In November 2024, she announced she is moving back to Singapore in 2025.[11]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Nothing to Lose | Daderufang | [12] | |
| 2007 | Truth Be Told | Renee Donovan / Ling Ling | [13] | |
| 2011 | It's A Great, Great World | Tan Ah Huay | [14] | |
| 2012 | My Dog Dou Dou | Xing's Mother | ||
| 2013 | Popiah | Youngest Auntie | ||
| 2019 | When Ghost Meets Zombie | Judge | [15] |
Television series
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Starting Point | He Xinjie | [16] | |
| Danger in Sight | ||||
| 1998 | The Return of the Condor Heroes | Guo Xiang | ||
| The New Adventures of Wisely | Huang Honghong | |||
| Legend of the Eight Immortals | Long San | |||
| 1999 | Stepping Out | Hai Yan | [11] | |
| Hero of the Times | Lei Xiaoti | [16] | ||
| 2000 | The Voices Within | |||
| Master Swordsman Lu Xiaofeng 2 | Ye Xue | |||
| Don't Worry, Be Happy V | [16] | |||
| 2001 | The Hotel | |||
| The Reunion | Lu Xiuwen | |||
| The Vagrant | Song Xintian | |||
| 2002 | Innocently Guilty | |||
| 2003 | True Heroes | Irene | ||
| A Child's Hope | Fang Xiuyue | |||
| 2004 | Amnesia (telemovie) | |||
| The Dragon Heroes | Princess Yin Qiao | |||
| My Fair Lady | Huai Xiao | [17] | ||
| Celestial Legends | [16] | |||
| 烟花三月 | Chinese production | [16] | ||
| Stranger in the mirror | ||||
| 2005 | Portrait of Home | Chen Fenling (Fyn) | [11] | |
| Portrait of Home II | [16] | |||
| Beautiful Illusions | Lu Xiaofen | |||
| A New Life | Ah Mei | |||
| 2006 | Fairy of the Chalice | |||
| An Enchanted Life | Li Shanqi | |||
| 2007 | A Mobile Love Story | Su Fei | ||
| Metamorphosis | Sheryl Wen Wanrou | [11] | ||
| 2008 | Nanny Daddy | Lin Aihua | [16] | |
| Love Blossoms II | Pan Jiaqi | |||
| Perfect Cut | Herself | |||
| 2009 | Your Hand in Mine | Zheng Aizhen | ||
| 2010 | Secret Garden | [16] | ||
| 2011 | Kampong Ties | Lin Shuixian | ||
| The Oath | Xu Yunwen | |||
| 2012 | Rescue 995 | Xu Wenqian | ||
| 2013 | Marry Me | Liu Xixi | ||
| Break Free | Tian Shishi | |||
| 2014 | World at Your Feet | Zheng Yongyi | ||
| Blessings | Du Shini | |||
| 2015 | The Female Assassins in the Palace | Da Na | Chinese production | |
| 2019 | A World of Difference | Li Jiaying | ||
| While You Were Away | Wu Senmei | [10] | ||
| 2023 | Strike Gold | Lisa Fang | [16] | |
| Whatever Will Be, Will Be | Liu Bizhen | Dialect series | [18] | |
| 2026 | The Grind | Ye Kui | [16] | |
| Timeless Memories | Qian Limin | [16] |
Discography
Compilation albums
| Year | English title | Mandarin title |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | MediaCorp Music Lunar New Year Album 09 | 新传媒福牛迎端年 |
| 2010 | MediaCorp Music Lunar New Year Album 10 | 新传媒金虎迎富贵 |
Awards and nominations
References
- Ziyi, Toh (28 September 2022). "Yvonne Lim Celebrates 46th Birthday; Her First Without Her Kids, Who Are Back In Taiwan". 8days. Archived from the original on 8 December 2022. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
- "SPotlight: Yvonne Lim's Search for Stardom" (PDF). SPAN News, Issue 25 p.15. May 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 January 2018. Retrieved 15 September 2012.
- "Star Awards 2010 ~ 红星大奖 2010". Archived from the original on 13 March 2010. Retrieved 27 March 2010.
- "Toggle". Celebs. Archived from the original on 29 March 2010.
- "Star Awards 2010 ~ 红星大奖 2010". Archived from the original on 13 March 2010. Retrieved 27 March 2010.
- "Channel 8 : Star Awards 2010 ~ 红星大奖 2010". Archived from the original on 6 April 2010. Retrieved 27 March 2010.
- "Star Awards Hall of Fame". Archived from the original on 21 September 2012. Retrieved 15 September 2012.
- "Yvonne Lim welcomes her second child". TODAYonline. Retrieved 7 December 2019.
- "Yvonne Lim Is Hatching A Plot To Move Her Family Home To Singapore". 8 Days. Retrieved 7 December 2019.
- "Yvonne Lim Says Her Return To Acting Has Made Her Husband Appreciate Her More". TODAYonline. Retrieved 7 December 2019.
- Lim, Ruey Yan (22 November 2024). "Actress Yvonne Lim moving back to Singapore with family after 10 years in Taiwan". The Straits Times. ISSN 0585-3923. Retrieved 4 August 2025.
- Elley, Derek (9 December 2002). "Nothing To Lose". Variety. Retrieved 12 May 2026.
- "Truth Be Told". The UrbanWire. Archived from the original on 28 July 2023. Retrieved 28 July 2023.
- "Celluloid time machine: "It's a Great Great World"". ChannelNewsAsia. Archived from the original on 22 October 2012. Retrieved 7 February 2011.
- "Oh, the horror! Singaporean horror films haunting our screens this 2019". CNA Lifestyle. Archived from the original on 9 July 2021. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
- "Yvonne Lim". Mediacorp. Archived from the original on 23 May 2022. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
- "《我爱钟无艳》30集全—中国—电视剧—优酷网，视频高清在线观看—又名：《My Fair Lady》《钟无艳》". list.youku.com. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
- "Bird's eye view of Taipei: Yvonne Lim gives us a glimpse of her home". AsiaOne. 11 May 2023. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
- "THE STAR AWARDS NOMINEES". The Straits Times. 25 October 1999. p. 12. Retrieved 12 September 2025 – via NewspaperSG.
- Kong, Jenny (24 October 2001). "And the nominees ...". Today. p. 29.
- "Stars will be coming out for Star Awards". Today. 11 December 2004. p. 52. Retrieved 31 July 2025 – via NewspaperSG.
- "Star Awards 2010". TODAY. Archived from the original on 21 September 2024. Retrieved 25 July 2025.
- Lee, Amanda (30 April 2012). "Of overdue wins and surprising snubs". Today. p. 2. Retrieved 31 October 2025 – via NewspaperSG.
- "Star Awards 2012 nominees are out!". Star Gazing. Archived from the original on 5 February 2012. Retrieved 31 October 2025.
- "Star Awards 2014 Show 1 Winners! Predicted VS Unexpected..." InCinemas SG. 21 April 2014. Retrieved 3 August 2025.
- 钟, 雁龄 (6 March 2014). "《红星》「区域最受欢迎艺人」 范文芳 刘子绚 没合约 出局！". Shin Min Daily News. pp. 10/11.
- Ang, Benson (24 April 2022). "Star Awards 2022 host Chen Hanwei clinches Best Actor award | The Straits Times". www.straitstimes.com. Archived from the original on 25 April 2022. Retrieved 26 April 2022.
- "Yvonne Lim, 47, wins 10th & final Top 10 Most Popular Female Artistes award". mothership.sg. Archived from the original on 22 April 2024. Retrieved 22 April 2024.
- "Yvonne Lim tears up at Star Awards as she thanks mother who passed away when actress was 13". mothership.sg. Archived from the original on 6 July 2025. Retrieved 6 July 2025.
External links
- Profile on xin.msn.com
- Personal Blog