Jack Neo
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Jack Neo (born 24 January 1960) is a Singaporean actor, television host, comedian and film director. He was prominently a full-time
Mediacorp Mediacorp Pte. Ltd., doing business as Mediacorp and stylised as mediacorp, is a media conglomerate in Singapore. Owned by Temasek Holdings—the holding company of the Government of Singapore—it owns television, radio, and digital media prope ...
artiste from 1983 to 2003. In the 1990s and early 2000s, he was best known for his cross-dressing roles, as Liang Po Po (literally: Granny Liang) and Liang Xi Mei (a woman homemaker in her 40s) in the long-running television comedy show ''Comedy Nite''. Since his debut as a feature director, Neo has proven to be the most commercially successful local director who has also met with some success in
Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...
and
Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...
. He has shown a penchant for the franchise series films. His most critically acclaimed film is ''
I Not Stupid ''I Not Stupid'' () is a 2002 Singaporean comedy film about the lives, struggles, and adventures of three Primary 6 pupils who are placed in the academically inferior EM3 stream. Written and directed by Jack Neo, and produced by Mediacorp Raint ...
'', which satirizes Singapore's streaming educational system in 2002. Despite his box office success, many of his recent films have been panned by local critics as being simplistic, sexist, and having too many blatant product placement.


Career

Neo wrote and acted in a comedy skit for Tanjong Katong Secondary School at the age of 14. Neo started his career on television in 1980 and became one of the most successful and recognisable celebrities in SBC for his comedic roles on both film and television. His two most notable cross-dressing roles on film and television are Liang Po Po and Liang Xi Mei, both skits in the long-running comedy variety show ''Comedy Nite''. Neo made his directorial debut in ''That One Not Enough'' (1999) and he set up his own artiste management company, J Team Productions, whose members include comedians Mark Lee,
Henry Thia Henry Thia (; born 25 February 1952), also known as , is a Singaporean actor and comedian. Career Thia was a member of the main cast of ''Comedy Nite'' throughout its run. Although he had many roles in various sketches, his most memorable role ...
and
John Cheng John Cheng Yeow Nam (also credited as Zhong Yao Nan; known in entertainment circle as Ah Nan or Ah Nam) (1961 – 22 January 2013) was a Singaporean actor and Getai compere who made his screen debut in ''Money No Enough'' and was most notable ...
. Neo's films satirise several aspects about Singapore in comical ways, including
societal A society is a group of individuals involved in persistent social interaction, or a large social group sharing the same spatial or social territory, typically subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations. Societ ...
issues such as negligent parenting and
school corporal punishment School corporal punishment is the deliberate infliction of physical pain as a response to undesired behavior by students. The term corporal punishment derives from the Latin word for the "body", . In schools it may involve striking the student on ...
, and foreign issues such as the
water disputes Water conflict is a term describing a conflict between countries, states, or groups over the rights to access water resources. The United Nations recognizes that water disputes result from opposing interests of water users, public or private. A ...
between Singapore and
Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...
. Apart from his film and TV career, Neo has also recorded and produced a number of albums. Neo received the Best Director Award at the Silver Screen Awards in 1998 for his short film and was also awarded with the Lifetime Achievement Award in the following year in recognition of his contributions to Singapore's media industry. Since then, he became a filmmaker and created his first film, ''
Money No Enough ''Money No Enough'' () is a 1998 Singaporean comedy film about three friends with financial problems who start a car polishing business together. Original story by J P Tan and written by Jack Neo, directed by Tay Teck Lock and produced by JSP Fi ...
'', directed by Tay Teck Lock and released into cinemas on 7 May 1998. In 2004, Neo became the first filmmaker in Singapore to be honoured with the Public Service Medal. He also received the
Cultural Medallion The Cultural Medallion is a cultural award in Singapore conferred to those who have achieved artistic excellence in dance, theatre, literature, music, photography, art and film. It is widely recognized as Singapore's pinnacle arts award. Histo ...
on 21 October 2005 together with musician
Dick Lee Richard Lee Peng Boon (born 24 August 1956) is a Singaporean singer-songwriter, playwright and film director. Early life Lee was born to a Peranakan father, Lee Kip Lee, (who wrote for ''The Straits Times'') and his wife , Elizabeth Tan. He was th ...
. In 2008, Neo and Mark Lee bought the Singapore master franchise rights for Old Town White Coffee, a coffee retail concept from
Ipoh , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Ipoh in Perak , pushpin_map = #Malaysia#Asia#Earth , pushpin_mapsize = 275px , pushpin_map_caption = Ipoh in Malaysia , coordinates ...
,
Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...
. Their first store at Big Splash opened on 30 March in that year. In 2013, Neo announced the creation of ''J Team Academy'', an educational institute which aimed to bring together industry experts to groom new film-making talent. The academy opened on 6 April 2013. In September, Neo won the Best Actor award for his role in ''Homecoming'' (2011) at the 1st Golden Wau Awards, aimed at promoting Chinese-language Malaysian films. In October 2014, the
Madame Tussauds Madame Tussauds (, ) is a wax museum founded in 1835 by French wax sculptor Marie Tussaud in London, spawning similar museums in major cities around the world. While it used to be spelled as "Madame Tussaud's"; the apostrophe is no longer us ...
Singapore museum unveiled a wax figure of Neo. 2015 saw the release of Neo's short film as part of the omnibus ''
7 Letters ''7 Letters'' is a 2015 Singaporean anthology drama film directed by seven different directors. It comprises seven short stories celebrating Singapore's 50th anniversary. The film was selected as the Singaporean entry for the Best Foreign Langu ...
'' to commemorate Singapore's 50th year of independence. Malaysian censors took offence with Neo's segment when it was submitted to them for a screening at Kuala Lumpur's Titian Budaya Festival. They initially requested a cut to the vulgar phrase in Cantonese, “curse your whole family”, but a successful appeal was made by organisers, CultureLink. Neo released the first two parts of his planned four-part film on the transition from village life to government housing in the first quarter of 2016, ''
Long Long Time Ago Long Long Time Ago (Chinese: 我们的故事; Hokkien: 我儂个故事; POJ: ''Guá-lâng ê kòo-sīr''; literally "Our Story") is a 2016 Singaporean period film directed by Jack Neo. The film commemorates Singapore's 50th birthday and stars Aile ...
'' and '' Long Long Time Ago 2''.


Personal life

Neo married Irene Kng in 1990 and have three sons and a daughter. In March 2010, a two-year-long extramarital affair between Neo and freelance model Wendy Chong was publicised and Neo admitted to the affair. Chong, who played a minor role in Neo's 2008 film ''
Money No Enough 2 ''Money No Enough 2'' () is a Singaporean comedy film written and directed by Jack Neo and produced by Neo Studios, Mediacorp Raintree Pictures and Scorpio East Pictures. It is a sequel to the 1998's film ''Money No Enough'', which was directed ...
'', claimed that Neo initiated the affair. Neo later attempted to end the affair but Chong threatened to hurt herself and the exposé caused much debate and discussion amongst the entertainment circle of Singapore. On 9 March 2010, additional reports were released about Neo having or attempting extramarital affairs with up to 11 women. He tried to ask actress-host Foyce Le Xuan & French student Maelle Meurzec for sexual favours when she was working for him. Foyce, who went to the same church as Neo, claimed that she was advised by her
City Harvest Church City Harvest Church () or CHC is a pentecostal megachurch located within the Yunnan subzone of Jurong West planning area, Singapore. Founded in 1989 by Kong Hee, the church officially bases its values on Charismatic and Pentecostal teachin ...
pastor to cease talking to the media, as Neo's pastor was trying to counsel him and his wife after his affair became public. On 11 March, Neo and Kng held a five-minute press conference, in which Neo admitted his mistake and asked the media to let him off.Foong Woei Wan (12 March 2010). "He sobs, she collapses: Neo and wife face the press". ''The Straits Times'' (Singapore). After that, Kng reiterated her love for Neo and also requested for the media to spare her. Subsequently, his endorsement deal with
Mitsubishi Electric , established on 15 January 1921, is a Japanese multinational electronics and electrical equipment manufacturing company headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. It is one of the core companies of Mitsubishi. The products from MELCO include elevators an ...
Asia was dropped and TV advertisements featuring the director were taken off air. Other advertisers, such as
Bee Cheng Hiang Bee Cheng Hiang () is a Singaporean company that produces Chinese-style foodstuffs, especially that of Singaporean cuisine. Starting as a market stall in 1933 in Singapore, the company has expanded its operations beyond Singapore to more than 370 ...
and Goh Joo Hin, initially adopted a "wait-and-see" attitude, but otherwise similarly dropped all endorsement deals.


Filmography


Television


Variety shows


Discography


Drama soundtracks


Awards and nominations


References


External links

*
J Team ProductionsJack Neo's Blog
{{DEFAULTSORT:Neo, Jack Living people 1960 births Converts to Christianity from Buddhism People of Hokkien descent Singaporean people of Hokkien descent Singaporean Charismatics Singaporean television personalities Singaporean male film actors Singaporean film directors Recipients of the Cultural Medallion 20th-century Singaporean male actors 21st-century Singaporean male actors