The ones who made history at Star Awards

Star Awards: Records, milestones & fun facts

Photos: Toggle, i-Weekly, Mediacorp

Which actor picked up two acting awards in the same year? Who became the youngest Best Actress winner at 23 years old? And which celebrity couple has the most acting nominations in total for the Best Actor and Best Actress categories? We’ve got the answers—and more Star Awards record holders—in our roundup. Click on for more.

The one who picked up a Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor award in 1996: Xie Shaoguang

Only one out of seven artistes nominated for both Best Actor/Actress and Best Supporting Actor/Actress in the same year have achieved the feat of winning both accolades so far... and that guy is Shaoguang.

Others who have scored double nominations in the Best Actor/Actress and Best Supporting Actor/Actress categories are: Zeng Hui Fen, nominated for Dr Justice and The Teochew Family in 1996; Chen Shu Cheng, nominated for Viva Le Famille and The Wing of Desire in 2002; Hong Hui Fang, nominated for Housewives' Holiday and Together in 2010; Chen Han Wei, nominated for Blessings and The Journey: Tumultuous Times; Rebecca Lim, nominated for Sudden and The Dream Makers in 2014; and Joanne Peh, nominated for C.L.I.F. 3 and The Journey: Tumultuous Times in 2015.

Fun fact: Did you know Joanne Peh picked up the Best Supporting Actress award in 2015 for her role as a wartime rape victim despite appearing in only three episodes of The Journey: Tumultuous Times?

Most wins for Best Actor: Xie Shaoguang, Chen Hanwei

When Chen Hanwei picked up Best Actor for his role as a male nanny in The Gentlemen at Star Awards 2017, he became one of two thespians with the most wins for Best Actor, an honour he now shares with former actor Xie Shaoguang, whose last win was in 2004 for Double Happiness I.

If Hanwei is named Best Actor yet again at this year's ceremony (he is nominated for his role in A Million Dollar Dream), he will break the record previously set by Shaoguang, and be the only proud owner of six shiny Best Actor gongs.

Most wins for Best Actress: Chen Li Ping, Huang Biren and Ivy Lee

Li Ping, Biren and Ivy are celebrated actresses in their own right so their three-way tie for most wins for Best Actress award should come as no coincidence. Although Ivy has bowed out completely (and has no intention of returning to the small screen, unfortunately), we’re still blessed with the presences of Li Ping and Biren.

If either Zoe Tay, Rebecca Lim, or Joanne Peh are crowned Best Actress this weekend, the victor will join this prestigious hall of fame, as the three of them each has two wins under her belt.

Fun Fact: Ivy Lee was only 33 years of age when she won her third Best Actress award in 2006. She is also one of the only two Mediacorp actresses who have won the Best Actress award at both Star Awards and Asian TV Awards with the same role; the other being Rui En.

Most wins for Best Supporting Actor: Huang Yiliang

Also best remembered as the guy who jumps at every opportunity to take a dig at his ex-wife Lin Meijiao at every award acceptance speech (for the record: he won a total of three times). The last time he did it was in 2006, when he picked up an award for Women of Times. For those who don’t remember, he went on a lengthy rant about their divorce and eventually dedicated the award to her.

Fun fact: After years of being on the receiving end of her ex-husband's disses, Lin Meijiao took "revenge" when she won the Best Supporting Actress award in 2013 for her role in Game Plan. 

Most wins for Best Supporting Actress: Xiang Yun

Xiang Yun is the first ‘Ah Jie’ of local TV and a well-respected veteran amongst her peers and juniors. If her total number of Best Supporting Actress nominations (11 times) are of any indication, she’s also really good at her craft. With that in mind, it should come as no surprise that Xiang Yun holds the record for most number of wins in the same category (four times, to be exact). 

Youngest Best Actress winner: Fann Wong at 23 years old

Fann Wong made history when she picked up a total of three awards in 1995 (left picture), also known as the first year the acting categories were introduced at the Star Awards. The model-turned-actress swept both Best Newcomer Award and Best Actress Award, as well as a Most Popular Female Artiste award that year. The best part? She was only 23 years old when she achieved this triple feat and still holds the record for being the youngest Best Actress Award winner to date.

Fun fact: Fann raised hackles when she said, “Which award should I win next year?” during her award acceptance speech on stage in 1995. The remark did not go down well with fans and critics alike who believed that Fann was boasting about her triple victory.

10 consecutive “Top 10” wins: Zoe Tay, Fann, Li Nanxing, Chew Chor Meng, Shaoguang, Rui En, Elvin Ng

In the early days of Star Awards, the popularity polls were a lot more competitive with only five winners selected in the Most Popular Male and Female Artiste categories. Despite the tough competition, seven actors and actresses have successfully secured a Most Popular Artiste win for 10 consecutive years, and we’re talking about Zoe Tay, Fann Wong, Li Nanxing, Chew Chor Meng, Xie Shaoguang, Rui En and Elvin Ng. Special mention goes out to Rui En and Elvin for being the only two other actors from the newer generation to have achieved this feat.

Here’s some consolation to those who failed to make the cut this year: most All-Time Favourite artistes (there are a total of 20 artistes in this category) don’t win 10 awards in a row and it’s absolutely normal to drop in and out of the top 10 popularity polls. 

Youngest Top 10 Most Popular Male/Female Artiste winners: Fiona Xie, Xu Bin, Shane Pow

Former Mediacorp artiste and Crazy Rich Asians star Fiona Xie holds the record for being the youngest Top 10 winner at the age of 19 years old (she won during her debut year in showbiz, by the way). However, Carrie Wong is poised to be the youngest ever All-Time Favourite Artiste winner at 31 years of age in 2025 - provided she picks up 10 consecutive popularity awards (she has six more to go!) She could potentially break the record currently held by Fann, who was awarded the prestigious accolade when she was 33 years old.

Over on the men’s side, Xu Bin and Shane Pow are tied as the youngest Top 10 Most Popular Male Artistes winners: Xu Bin picked up his first trophy in this category in 2014, at the age of 25, while Shane got his first taste of Top 10 victory the following year, also at the age of 25.

Oldest Top 10 Most Popular Male/Female Artiste winners: Huang Wenyong, Jin Yinji

Both Huang Wenyong and Jin Yinji waited 14 long years between their first Top 10 nomination and first Top 10 win. They are also the oldest first-time winners in their respective categories: the late Wenyong was 59 the year he was finally inducted into the Top 10 Most Popular Male Artistes’ list in 2011, while 71-year-old Yinji’s first Top 10 Most Popular Female Artistes win (also her first Star Awards win ever) at least year’s show was celebrated with a standing ovation.

Most wins for Young Talent Award: Regene Lim

We practically witnessed young Regene grow up on Channel 8. The child actress ruled the Star Awards Young Talent category for three years, from 2009 to 2011, with her winning streak for Perfect Cut (2008), Reunion Dinner (2009) and Happy Family (2010).

The couple with (coincidentally) the most acting nominations: Christopher Lee and Fann Wong

Is this a coincidence or what? We counted the nominations and the results are uncanny – both Chris and Fann have chalked up the most acting nominations in the Best Actor and Best Actress categories respectively (he has 14 nominations and two wins; she has 13 nominations and one win).

Fun fact: Before this celebrity couple “officially” got together, they were constantly teased by their co-workers for their ambiguous relationship at the Star Awards ceremonies in the 00’s. Guess that’s another unofficial accolade we can add to their name: the most number of times a couple kenna made fun of on national TV.