Saturday, October 11, 2008

Adrian Pang

Adrian Pang is a Singaporean Chinese actor who trained at the ARTTS International in Bubwith, East Riding of Yorkshire, England. Born in Singapore, he was educated at Anglo-Chinese School, 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 .

Homecoming



Upon returning home, he joined MediaCorp TV. He 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 . 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, Adrian co-wrote Six Weeks and was part of the creative process from start to finish.

Post MediaWorks



Re-employed by MediaCorp TV after the merger, he went on to appear in Chinese dramas on MediaCorp TV Channel 8, such as the blockbuster drama Portrait of Home 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 . Indeed, he admitted he had much difficulty acting in the show. He even describes himself as a 'kentang', a term, to describe someone who is very Westernised.

He also starred in Jack Neo's romantic comedy I Do I Do with Sharon Au. He also appears on Makan King on Channel U, Nine Lives on Arts Central and Maggi & Me on . 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 , A Twist of Fate , and The Dresser, The Odd Couple and many others.

Adrian's humour makes him one of the more sought-after hosts in Singaporean media. He was the host for The Arena aired on . And he played the male lead in the series Parental Guidance opposite Hong Kong actress, Jessica Hsuen. He has also helped to host the National Day Parade Celebrations in Singapore as well as Miss Singapore Universe.

He is now hosting the Singaporean version of Deal or No Deal .

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 outside acting with his family.

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