Zoe Tay

Zoe Tay (born 10 January 1968) is a former model and a Singaporean actress. Mediacorp's indisputable Queen of Caldecott Hill, she is often referred to as "Ah Jie (阿姐)" or "big sister".^[1] In Star Awards 2004, Tay took the All Time Favourite Artistes Award.

In 2014, a wax figurine was modelled after her by Madame Tussauds Singapore, and is currently on display in the museum.

Personal life

Tay is the sixth of seven children born to Teochew parents. Her father worked at a pig farm in Lim Chu Kang while her mother was a housewife. Tay attended the now-defunct Kay Hua Primary School and later, Yuan Ching Secondary School, where she completed her O-level examinations. She studied design at the Baharuddin Vocational Institute.

She is fluent in Mandarin, Teochew and Cantonese.

Tay is married to Philip Chionh, an RSAF pilot.^[2] They were engaged in 1995 and held their wedding ceremony in 2001. They have 3 sons together: Brayden, Ashton and Nathan.^[3]

Career

Tay started out as a model at the age of sixteen, being groomed by IMP International and stylist David Gan. In 1987, she was named Model of The Year. After Tay was crowned champion of the inaugural Star Search in 1988, she was offered a 3-year contract with the Singapore Broadcasting Corporation (SBC), now known as Mediacorp. While Tay had initially disliked acting, she began feeling passionate for her craft after her role in Crime and Passion in 1991. Her breakthrough performance as a materialistic young woman in Pretty Faces catapulted her into stardom. Her popularity was affirmed with a Top 10 Most Popular Female Artiste Award at the Star Awards every year for ten consecutive years since its inception in 1994. In 2004, she was the first actress to have been awarded the prestigious All-Time Favourite Artiste Award. Tay also won the Best Actress award for her role in The Golden Pillow.

Other than television dramas, Tay also forayed into films. In 2010, she starred opposite Hong Kong actor Kenny Ho in Love Cuts, playing the role of a terminally ill woman who has breast cancer. In 2013, she appeared in her first fully English-speaking role in Mister John with Irish star Aidan Gillen.

Tay has collaborated with many artistes in her various projects. Her on-screen chemistry with Li Nanxing in The Unbeatables and other serials has put them in the list of the Top 5 Best Onscreen Couples at the Star Awards 25th Drama Anniversary show. In 2015, she collaborated for the first time with her good friend and fellow veteran actress, Huang Biren, in The Dream Makers II.

Filmography

Television

1988

• 窈窕淑女 My Fair Ladies
• 奇缘之怨偶天成 Strange Encounters II

1989

• 铁警雄风 Patrol
• 亲心唤我心 A Mother's Love

1990

• 出人头地 Finishing Line
• 壮志豪情 Navy

1991

• 最后一个大侠 The Last Swordsman
• 三面夏娃 Pretty Faces

1992

• 霹雳红唇 Ladies In Action
• 执法先锋 Crime and Passion
• 戏剧人生 Terms of Endearment

1993

• 暴雨狂花 Angel of Vengeance
• 卿本佳人 Ride The Waves
• 双天至尊 The Unbeatables
• 欢喜冤家 Happy Foes

1994

• 惊天大阴谋 Thunder Plot
• 爱情定金(电视电影) Love Dowry
• 聪明糊涂心 Truly Yours
• 一号凶宅 Shadow In the Dark

1995

• 潮洲家族 Teochew Family
• 甜甜屋(电视电影) Love Knows No Bounds
• 金枕头 Golden Pillow

1996

• 杀之恋 (电视电影) Pointed Triangle
• 妈姐情缘 A Different Life
• 双天至尊II The Unbeatables II

1997

• 101老婆之老婆柠檬茶 My Wife, Your Wife, Their Wives
• 富贵双城 Love in A Foreign City
• 长河 Rising Expectations
• 迷情专访(电视电影) The Scoop

1998

• 神雕侠侣 Return of the Condor Heroes
• 卫斯理传奇 The New Adventures Of Wisely

1999

• 另类佳人 Lost Soul
• 千年虫 The Millennium Bug

2000

• 家事 My Home Affairs

2001

• 世纪攻略 The Stratagem
• 大酒店 The Hotel

2002

• 加东Miss Oh Katong Miss Oh
• 双天至尊III The Unbeatables III

2003

• PCK Pte Ltd V 鬼马家族V
• 我家四个宝 Baby Boom

2004

• 跑吧男人 Man at 40
• 野蛮亲家 My Mighty In Laws

2006

• 闲妻靓母 Lady of Leisure
• 百万宝 A Million Treasures

2008

• 绝对佳人 La Femme
• 不凡的爱 By My Side

Hosting

2001

• 真心真意郑惠玉
• 真心真意携手同行－柬埔寨之旅 With Heart And Soul - Cambodia Trip

2002

• 奇趣搜搜搜－印度之旅 Travel Hunt - India
• 歌舞欢腾迎新喜2002 Lunar New Year All Stars Variety 2002
• 一切由慎开始 Health Matters
• 真心真意蒙古之行 Journey Across Mongolia 2003
• 一切由慎开始II Health Matters II
• 惠眼看世界 Wonders of the World
• 真心真意莱索托之行 Journey Across Lesotho

2004

• 我爱我家之真情实录 Chronicles of Life
• 惠眼看世界II Wonders of the World II
• 阿姐有喜了 Zoe's Mommy Tips

2005

• 阿姐有个宝 Zoe's Treasure Trove

2013

• Ladies Nite 女人聚乐部

Film

1999

• 梁婆婆重出江湖(友情客串) Liang Po Po The Movie (special appearance)

2001

• 孩子.树 The Tree

2010

• 割爱 Love Cuts

2013

• Mister John

Awards and nominations

References

External links

• Official website at Mediacorp
• Zoe Tay on Instagram
• Zoe Tay at Toggle
• Zoe Tay at the Internet Movie Database