Cynthia Koh
Cynthia Koh (born 25 March 1974), also known as Xu Mei Zhen 许美珍, is a Singaporean actress.[2] She is best known for acting in many television dramas produced by MediaCorp Channel 8.
Cynthia Koh | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | 25 March 1974[1] | ||||||
| Nationality | Singaporean | ||||||
| Education | Saint Anthony's Canossian Secondary School | ||||||
| Occupation | Actress | ||||||
| Years active | 1992–present | ||||||
| Awards | Star Awards:
| ||||||
| Chinese name | |||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 許美珍 | ||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 许美珍 | ||||||
| |||||||
Early life
Koh has one younger sister. Her father works in the Singapore Civil Defence Force while her mother is a housewife.[2] Koh received her education at Saint Anthony's Canossian Secondary School.[3]
Career
While still enrolled in Singapore Broadcasting Corporation's (now MediaCorp) 10th Drama Artiste Course, Koh started acting at the TV station at the age of 18 in May 1992.[2][4][5] Having acted in almost 46 dramas to date,[6] Koh made her debut on stage in the critically acclaimed Men at Forty-Eight in 1997. Later, she won the Best Actress Award in Star Awards 1999 with her breakthrough performance in Stepping Out, in which she played a long-suffering woman fighting against her fate.[7][8] This role earned her a nomination in the same category at the Asian Television Awards.
Koh was also part of the cast in three of MediaCorp TV Channel 8's long-running dramas. The 3 long-running dramas include: Holland V (Year 2003, 125 episodes), Portrait of Home (Year 2005, 100 episodes), Kinship (Year 2007, 86 episodes). Koh's role as Fu Baozhu (傅宝珠), a greedy and bossy woman in Portrait of Home granted her another Best Actress nomination in the Star Awards 2005. Unfortunately, she lost the award to veteran Huang Bi Ren. While filming Mediacorp Channel U's blockbuster drama Show Hand in December 2011, it was reported that Koh delayed an ovarian cyst operation to finish filming the series.[9] In 2012, after not receiving an award for 15 years at the annual Star Awards, Koh made her comeback, winning her second Top 10 Most Popular Female Artiste Award.
Koh has gotten 3 out of 10 Top 10 Most Popular Female Artistes from 1997, 2012 and 2022 respectively.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Romance of the Season (恋曲 1991) | Xue Ling's Friend (雪玲朋友) | ||
| 1992 | The Dating Game (爱情乒乓球) | Lin Meifang (林美芳) | ||
| Terms of Endearment (戏剧人生) | Song Wentian (宋文恬) | |||
| Love is in the Air (爱在女儿乡) | Judy | |||
| 1993 | Endless Love (未了缘) | Xiao Xi (小喜) | ||
| The Wilful Siblings (斗气姐妹) | Yang Xixi (杨茜茜) | |||
| Happy Reunion (年年有鱼) | Ma Yuxiang (马玉香) | |||
| 1994 | Those Were The Days (生命擂台) | Luo Xueqi (罗雪琪) | ||
| The Challenger (勇者无惧) | Pan Jingyi (潘静仪) | |||
| 1995 | Dream Hunters (追心一族) | |||
| Over the Horizons (展翅高飞) | Xiong Haiyun (熊海韵) | |||
| 1996 | Tofu Street (豆腐街) | Liang Simei (梁四妹) | Nominated for Best Actress in Star Awards | |
| Royal Battle of Wit (妙师爷三斗毒太监) | Chen Wanmei (陈万美) | |||
| Tales of the Third Kind II (第三类剧场II 之《墙里幽魂》) | Sandy (林慧美) | |||
| Give Me A Break (老板放轻松) | Ye Liang/Ah Moon (叶亮) | |||
| 1997 | Crimes and Tribulations (狮城奇案录 之《蝶印》) | Mei Xiaoyu (梅小玉) | ||
| Sword and Honour (铁血男儿) | Wan'er (婉儿) | |||
| Gong Sunyan (公孙燕) | ||||
| 1998 | Around People's Park (珍珠街坊) | Wang Lijuan (王丽娟) | ||
| Myths and Legends of Singapore (石叻坡传说 之《一代狮王》) | He Jinyu (何金玉) | |||
| Season of Love (甜甜的季节) | Xu Liwen (许丽雯) | |||
| 1999 | Stepping Out (出路) | Hongdou (红豆) | Won Best Actress in Star Awards
Nominated for Best Actress in Asian Television Awards |
|
| 2000 | Hainan Kopi Tales | Huang Liuyue (黄六月) | ||
| Growing Up VI (成长岁月 VI) | Tracy | |||
| @Moulmein High (上课一派 I) | Francine Ooi | |||
| Looking For Stars | Cai Feifei (蔡菲菲) | |||
| 2001 | Through Thick and Thin (阿灿正传) | Kailing (凯玲) | ||
| @Moulmein High II (上课一派 II) | Francine Ooi | |||
| The Hotel | Xu Yizhen (许宜珍) | |||
| 2002 | The Wing of Desire (天使的诱惑) | Li Wanping (李婉萍) | ||
| @Moulmein High III (上课一派 III) | Francine Ooi | |||
| 2003 | Holland V | Mo Yanyan (莫燕燕) | ||
| 2004 | Spice Siblings | Ding Zhenzhu (丁珍珠) | ||
| The Ties that Bind (家财万贯) | Xu Minmin (徐敏敏) | |||
| 2005 | Portrait of Home | Fu Baozhu (傅宝珠) | Nominated for Best Actress for Star Awards | |
| Portrait of Home II | ||||
| 2006 | Family Matters | Guan Ji'er (关洁儿) | ||
| House of Joy(欢乐满屋) | Zheng Shuangxi (郑双喜) | |||
| 2007 | Kinship I | Zheng Jinsha (郑金砂) | ||
| Kinship II | ||||
| 2008 | The Little Nyonya | Huang Xiujuan (黄秀娟) | ||
| Her Many Faces | Zheng Jiawen (郑嘉雯) | |||
| 2009 | My School Daze | Tao Guijuan (姚贵娟) | ||
| The Ultimatum | Chen Xiaobao (陈晓宝) | |||
| Daddy at Home | Chen Meihui (陈美惠) | |||
| 2010 | Happy Family | Jian Mei'e/Fatty Mei (姜美鹅) | Nominated for Best Supporting Actress for Star Awards | |
| The Best Things in Life(五福到) | Chen Jiaxin (陈家欣) | |||
| Precious Babes | Katie Ong (王凯蒂) | |||
| Mrs P.I. | Yun Feixue (云飞雪) | |||
| 2011 | The In-Laws | Yan Qiuhua (严秋桦) | ||
| A Song to Remember | She-Sao (蛇嫂) | |||
| 2012 | Show Hand (注定) | Wu Meifang (吴美芳) | ||
| The Day It Rained on Our Parade 那一年我们淋着雨 | Lulu (露露) | |||
| 2013 | 96°C Cafe | Ann | ||
| Gonna Make It | Monica | |||
| 2014 | Zero Calling | Julie | ||
| Mata Mata 2: A New Era | Nancy Ang | |||
| 2015 | Life Is Beautiful | Fang Jie (芳姐) | ||
| Zero Calling 2 | Julie | |||
| Crescendo(起飞) | Wang Yafang (王雅芳) | |||
| 2016 | The Gentlemen | Zou Huimin (邹惠敏) | ||
| 2017 | The Lead | Chen Qiulian (陈秋莲) | ||
| Life Less Ordinary | Zhang Ruoyun (张若云) | |||
| 2018 | A Lonely Fish (寂寞鱼·听见) | Ann | ||
| Say Cheese | Pan Zeguo (潘泽国) | Nominated for Best Supporting Actress for Star Awards
Won Best Supporting Actress (National Winner for Singapore) for Asian Academy Creative Awards |
[10] | |
| Magic Chef (料理人生) | Amy | |||
| Heart To Heart (心点心) | Li Peizhen (李佩珍) | |||
| 2019 | How Are You? 好世谋 | Pan Meiruo (潘美若) | ||
| Playground (游乐场) | Jen Lin Cuifen (林翠芬) | |||
| Hello From The Other Side - Its Time (阴错阳差 — 时辰到) | Margaret | |||
| C.L.I.F 5 | Li Xiaoying (李晓颖) | [11] | ||
| After The Stars (攻星计) | Zhen Mei (甄美) | Nominated for Best Supporting Actress for Star Awards | ||
| 2020 | A Quest to Heal 我的女侠罗明依 | Li Shao Tong (李少彤) | [10] | |
| How Are You? 2 好世谋2 | Pan Meiruo (潘美若) | |||
| 2021 | My Star Bride 过江新娘 | Zhong Pei Pei (钟佩佩) | Nominated for Best Supporting Actress for Star Awards
Won Best Supporting Actress (National Winner for Singapore) for Asian Academy Creative Awards |
|
| Mind Jumper 触心罪探 | Wiranto | |||
| The Peculiar Pawnbroker 人心鉴定师 | Ye Jingting 葉靜婷 | |||
| Leave No Soul Behind 21点灵 | Wu Yuwei 吴羽微 |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Love Dowry (爱情定金) | Wang Huiling (王慧玲) | Telemovie | |
| Romance in the Seventh Month (七月幽情) | Qiuqing (丘晴) | Telemovie | ||
| 1996 | Legend of Da Bo Gong (大伯公传奇) | Chen Yuzhen / Lei Xiaochun (陈玉珍 / 雷小春) | ||
| 2000 | 2000 A.D. | Theresa | [12] | |
| 2011 | Already Famous | Herself | Cameo | |
| 2022 | My Star Bride - Hi, Mai Phương Thảo 过江新娘 - 你好，梅芳草 | Zhong Pei Pei (钟佩佩) | Telemovie |
Compilation album
| Year | Title | Ref |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | MediaCorp Music Lunar New Year Album 12 (新传媒群星金龙接财神) | |
| 2013 | MediaCorp Music Lunar New Year Album 13 (新传媒群星金蛇献祥和) | |
| 2016 | MediaCorp Music Lunar New Year Album 16 (新传媒群星金猴添喜庆) | |
| 2017 | MediaCorp Music Lunar New Year Album 17 (新传媒群星咕鸡咕鸡庆丰年) |
Accolades
References
- "These 6 facts about our forever-pretty Cynthia Koh will gain more fans for her". 11 November 2015.
- Suzanne Sng (12 September 1999). "I'm just 30% Miss Right". The Straits Times. p. SP20.
- Hong Xinyi (11 July 2004). "Star track". The Sunday Times.
- Guan Libing (31 October 1993). "Enjoy it while it lasts". The Straits Times. p. SP9.
- Rachel Lim (16 July 2006). "Mandarin high". The Sunday Times.
- "Cynthia Koh". Fly Entertainment. Archived from the original on 10 April 2007. Retrieved 30 April 2007.
- "Stepping Out sweeps 5 awards". The Straits Times. 20 December 1999. p. 4.
- Tee Hun Ching (23 December 1999). "I was in shock". The Straits Times. p. L3.
- "Cynthia Koh delays ovarian cyst op to complete filming". AsiaOne. 27 February 2011.
- "Cynthia Koh: Being acknowledged by viewers is a bigger reward than winning awards". 8 Days. Retrieved 22 April 2022.
- "Cynthia Koh Doesn't Know What C.L.I.F Stands For, And Here's Her Excuse". 8 Days. Retrieved 19 October 2021.
- "2000 AD at chinesemov.com".
- "2019 NATIONAL WINNERS". Asian Academy Creative Awards. Retrieved 22 April 2022.
- "NATIONAL WINNERS 2021" (PDF). p. 4.
External links
- Cynthia Koh at IMDb