Zen Chong
| Zen Chong | |
|---|---|
| Chinese name | 钟证祥 (simplified) |
| Pinyin | Zhōng Zhèngxiáng (Mandarin) |
| Birth name | Chong Cheng Xiong |
| Born |
15 August 1978 Malaysia |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 2001–present |
| Spouse(s) | Geline See (2011–present) |
Zen Chong (Chinese: 钟证祥; pinyin: Zhōng Zhèngxiáng; born Chong Cheng Xiong, Chinese: 钟证祥 on 15 August 1978), is a Singapore-based Malaysian actor.
Career
Chong joined MediaCorp in 2001 after finishing third in that year's Malaysian edition of Star Search Singapore.[1] One of his first major roles was in the 2003 sitcom Lobang King where he was cast alongside veteran artistes Chew Chor Meng, Huang Wenyong and Irene Ang as the smooth-talking employee of Huang's character.
Chong is known for portraying juvenile "ah beng" characters, antiheroes and villains. He shot to fame for his role as a main antagonist in the hit period drama The Little Nyonya.[2] Although initially a replacement for Andrew Seow, he was praised for his convincing portrayal of antagonist Robert Zhang and won a Best Supporting Actor nomination at the 2009 Star Awards, his first ever awards nomination.[3] He was given his first lead role in the 2008 co-production The Thin Line.
Personal life
A native of the gangster-infested "New Villages" in Kuala Lumpur, Chong studied graphic design and worked at an advertising agency prior to joining Star Search Malaysia.[4] He married his long-time girlfriend Geline in January 2011. Guests at the ceremony included fellow MediaCorp artistes Darren Lim, Christopher Lee, Brandon Wong, Alan Tern and Zhang Yaodong.[5] The couple have a daughter Aryssa, who was born in April 2015.
Filmography
Television
| Year | Work | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | The Vagrant 豹子胆 | Zhang Disheng 张迪生 | |
| Kopi-O II 浓浓咖啡乌 | Hong Fuxing 洪福星 | ||
| 2003 | Lobang King 我是Lobang King | Hong Daji 洪大吉 | |
| True Heroes 真心英雄 | Wang Wei 王威 | ||
| Baby Boom 我家四个宝 | James | ||
| A Toast of Love 吃吃面包谈谈情 | Ethan | Guest appearance | |
| Beautiful Trio 大女人 小女人 | Colin | ||
| Home in Toa Payoh 家在大巴窑 | Dino | ||
| 2004 | An Ode to Life 三十风雨路 | Zhang Ruixiang 张瑞祥 | |
| 2005 | Zero to Hero 阴差阳错 | Ping 阿平 | |
| Beyond the aXis of Truth II 法医X档案2 | Woody | ||
| Love Concierge 爱的掌门人 | Ruan Yawan 阮亚万 | ||
| 2006 | Yours Always 让爱自邮 | Eric | Guest appearance |
| The Shining Star 星闪闪 | Ah Pao 阿炮 | ||
| Women of Times 至尊红颜 | Bruce | ||
| Love at 0°C 爱情零度C | Victor | ||
| 2007 | Switched! 幸运星 | Jiang Zhiheng 江志恒 | |
| Fallen Angel 天使的烙印 | Chen Xuewen 陈学文 | Singapore-Malaysia co-production | |
| 2008 | Where the Heart Is 大城情事 | Hong Jiajun 洪家俊 | Singapore-Malaysia co-production |
| Rhythm of Life 变奏曲 | Wang Tianbao 王天宝 | ||
| The Thin Line 还我情真 | Chen Tianyou 陈天佑 | Singapore-Malaysia co-production Nominated – Best Actor, 2010 Golden Awards[6] | |
| The Little Nyonya 小娘惹 | Robert Zhang 罗伯张 | Nominated – Best Supporting Actor, Star Awards 2009 | |
| Zhang Zuye 张祖业 | |||
| 2009 | My Kampong Days 家在半山芭 | Qiao Junwei | Singapore-Malaysia co-production Nominated – Best Supporting Actor, 2010 Asian Television Awards[7] |
| 2010 | Priceless Wonder 游戏人生 | Li Caishun 李财顺 | |
| Unriddle 最火搭档 | Yu Zhenbang 余振邦 | Nominated – Best Supporting Actor, Star Awards 2011 | |
| Injustice 血蝴蝶 | Lin Shunyuan 林顺源 | Singapore-Malaysia co-production | |
| 2011 | Be Happy 生日快乐 | Ken See | |
| Dark Sunset 黑色夕阳 | Qiu Jiawei 邱家维 | Singapore-Malaysia co-production | |
| 2012 | Yours Fatefully 孤男寡女 | Hong Zhiguo 洪治国 | |
| The Quarters 猪仔馆人家 | Luo Hanguo 罗翰国 | Singapore-Malaysia co-production | |
| Poetic Justice 微笑正义 | Eugene | ||
| Game Plan 千方百计 | Li Ziguang 李子光 | ||
| 2013 | It's a Wonderful Life 好运到 | Li Siyuan 李思源 | |
| Sudden 骤变 | Zhang Hongxing | ||
| 2014 | C.L.I.F. 3 警徽天职3 | Ding Youpeng | |
| 2015 | Crescendo 起飞 | Zhang Shixin 张世新 | Secondary Villain of the drama |
Variety Shows
| Year | Work | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | King of Variety 周五娱乐王 | |
| 2006 | Battle of the Best 强中自有强中手 | |
| 2009 | Stars for a Cause 明星志工队 | |
| 2010 | Let's Party With Food! VII 食福满人间 | Guest appearance |
References
- ↑ "Talented wannabes". New Straits Times. 8 June 2001.
- ↑ "Zzen and the Art of Acting". Channel News Asia. 8 February 2010.
- ↑ "Andrew Seow helps HIV-positive friend". AsiaOne. 17 July 2009.
- ↑ 不回家铁链绑上车 章缜翔越鞭越皮 (in Chinese). Nanyang Siang Pau. 29 November 2011.
- ↑ "Zzen Zhang's 'messy' wedding". Channel News Asia. 19 January 2011.
- ↑ "Best actor nominees at the Golden Awards". The Star. 27 August 2010.
- ↑ "Malaysian Actors Nominated in the 15th Asian Television Awards". ntv7.com.my. 19 November 2010.