Desmond Tan (born 19 August 1986) is a Singaporean actor. He won the
Star Awards for Best Actor for his role in ''
When Duty Calls'' in 2018.
Career
Tan first came to prominence in the entertainment industry when he finished runner-up to
Andie Chen in ''
Star Search 2007''. He was awarded a contract with
Mediacorp
Mediacorp Pte. Ltd. is the state media, state-owned media conglomerate of Singapore. Owned by Temasek Holdings—the investment arm of the Government of Singapore—it owns and operates television channels, radio, and digital media properties. ...
and began his part time acting career with some minor roles in various
Channel 8 dramas. After almost five years in the industry, Tan won his first award, the Rocket Award, at the
2012 Star Awards for the biggest breakthrough after a critically acclaimed performance as
rickshaw driver Luo Xiaoxiao in the anniversary drama ''
A Song to Remember''. Tan's rising popularity also earned him the ambassadorship of Samsung's GALAXY Camera in 2012 and later, as Samsung Mobile's Lifestyle Ambassador for the GALAXY S4 in 2013.
Tan has won 8
Star Awards for Top 10 Most Popular Male Artistes in 2014, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024 respectively.
Personal life
Desmond Tan was educated at
Pioneer Secondary School and
Jurong Junior College. After ''
Star Search 2007'', he juggled acting commitments with studies at the
National University of Singapore
The National University of Singapore (NUS) is a national university, national Public university, public research university in Singapore. It was officially established in 1980 by the merging of the University of Singapore and Nanyang University ...
. He studied real estate and graduated with an
honours degree
Honours degree has various meanings in the context of different degrees and education systems. Most commonly it refers to a variant of the undergraduate bachelor's degree containing a larger volume of material or a higher standard of study, ...
in 2011.
He completed his
national service
National service is a system of compulsory or voluntary government service, usually military service. Conscription is mandatory national service. The term ''national service'' comes from the United Kingdom's National Service (Armed Forces) Act ...
in the
1st Commando Battalion (1 CDO BN) with the rank of Captain.
On 7 December 2021, Desmond married his university sweetheart at a ceremony held in France. On 4 October 2023, Desmond announced on social media that his wife was pregnant with a baby girl. They welcomed their baby daughter on 5 March 2024.
On 3 April 2025, Desmond announced via Instagram that his wife is pregnant with their second child, a boy.
Filmography
Television series
Film
Variety show hosting
Discography
Compilation albums
Singles
Awards and nominations
References
External links
on toggle.sg
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tan, Desmond
Living people
1986 births
Singaporean male television actors
National University of Singapore alumni
Singaporean people of Chinese descent
Singaporean male film actors
21st-century Singaporean male actors