Gurmit Singh facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Gurmit Singh
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Gurmit in 2024
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| Born |
Gurmit Singh Virk Chainchal Singh
24 March 1965 |
| Nationality | Singaporean |
| Education | Outram Secondary School |
| Occupation | Actor, Comedian, Host |
| Years active | 1994–present |
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Notable work
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Phua Chu Kang Pte Ltd Phua Chu Kang Sdn Bhd Phua Chu Kang The Movie |
| Spouse(s) |
Melissa Wong
(m. 1995) |
| Children | 3 |
Gurmit Singh (born March 24, 1965) is a well-known Singaporean actor, comedian, and TV host. He worked full-time for Mediacorp, a big media company, for 20 years, from 1994 to 2014.
Gurmit is most famous for playing the main character, Phua Chu Kang. This role was in the TV shows Phua Chu Kang Pte Ltd and Phua Chu Kang Sdn Bhd, and also in Phua Chu Kang The Movie. He won the Best Actor (Comedy) award at the Asian Television Awards five times for this role. He won in 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, and 2003. He also received a "Highly Commended" prize in 2004 and 2005.
Contents
About Gurmit Singh
Early Life and Family
Gurmit Singh was born in Singapore. His father was a Sikh Indian from Malaysia, and his mother had Chinese and Japanese roots. Gurmit was raised as a Sikh but became a Christian in 1985. He went to Outram Secondary School when he was a teenager.
In 1995, Gurmit married Melissa Wong, who is Chinese. They have three children: Gabrielle (born 1997), Elliot (born 2002), and Mikaela (born 2013). Gurmit was also part of the National Police Cadet Corps (NPCC) and reached the rank of Cadet Inspector.
Gurmit speaks English very well because of his mixed family background. He also speaks Malay fluently. He learned Malay as his "Mother Tongue Language" in school.
Gurmit's Acting Journey
Starting His Career
Gurmit started his career in 1994 on a variety show called Live On 5. Later that same year, he became the host and main actor in his own comedy show, Gurmit's World. In the second season of Gurmit's World in 1995, he played different "relatives" in funny skits.
This is where the character Phua Chu Kang first appeared. Phua Chu Kang was a funny general contractor.
The Rise of Phua Chu Kang
In 1997, a new TV show called Phua Chu Kang Pte Ltd was created. This show was a spin-off from Gurmit's World and focused only on Phua Chu Kang. The show used a local Singaporean English dialect called Singlish. It became very popular not just in Singapore, but also in nearby countries like Malaysia.
Because of its success, another spin-off show, Phua Chu Kang Sdn Bhd, was made in Malaysia from 2009 to 2010. In 2010, a movie called Phua Chu Kang The Movie was also released. Gurmit was nominated for an award for his role in the movie in 2013.
In October 2014, the Madame Tussauds museum in Singapore made a wax figure of Phua Chu Kang. This shows how popular the character became!
Life After Full-Time Acting
In November 2014, Gurmit announced that he would leave his full-time acting career at Mediacorp. He had been there for 20 years. He wanted to spend more time with his family. He still takes on acting jobs, but he chooses them more carefully now.
In 2017, Gurmit became an ambassador for Dover Park Hospice, helping to support their work. In August 2020, Phua Chu Kang became the first Singaporean brand ambassador for Shopee, a popular online shopping company.
Gurmit's Work in Film and TV
Movies
Gurmit Singh has acted in several movies:
- 2001: One Leg Kicking as Tai Po
- 2007: Just Follow Law as Lim Teng Zui
- 2007: Sumolah as Akira
- 2010: Phua Chu Kang The Movie as Phua Chu Kang, Phua Ah Pa (his father), and Phua Ah Kong (his grandfather)
- 2011: It's a Great, Great World as a Security Guard
- 2012: The Million Dollar Job as Alvin
- 2013: Taxi! Taxi! as Professor Chua See Kiat
- 2013: Everybody's Business as John Lu
- 2013: The Million Dollar Job 2: Raffles' Gold as Alvin
- 2016: Young & Fabulous as Mr Boo
- 2024: The Chosen One as Bai Yun
Television Shows
Gurmit has been in many TV shows, often playing different characters:
- 1996: Can I Help You? as Sam Pereira/Phua Chu Kang
- 1997–2007: Phua Chu Kang Pte Ltd as Phua Chu Kang
- 2003: My Sister Harmie as Rani Kaur's brother
- 2003: Brothers 4 as Tony Chung
- 2003: Baby Boom as Adam
- 2005–2008: Lifeline as CPT Daniel De Souza
- 2007: 80's Rewind as Larry Goh
- 2007: The Noose as multiple characters (like Roy Terse and Windy Miao)
- 2008–2009: Calefare as Andy Lau Hong
- 2008–2009: Cosmo & George as Cosmo
- 2009–2010: Phua Chu Kang Sdn Bhd as Phua Chu Kang
- 2014: Say It! as Himself (Season 2)
- 2018: Fam! as Gordon Toh
- 2019: Lion Mums 3 as Edmond Silvani (Guest appearance)
- 2020: Slow Dancing as Gareth
- 2022: Sunny Side Up as Alex Rajendran
- 2023: Downstairs as Himself (Guest appearance)
Hosting and Entertainment Shows
Gurmit has also hosted many shows and appeared in various entertainment programs:
- 1994: Live On 5 (Host)
- 1994: Gurmit's World (Host and lead actor)
- 1995: Family Fun Show
- 1996: Gotcha! (Host)
- 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2018: Singapore National Day Parade (Host)
- 1998, 1999, 2000: Tonight With Gurmit (Host)
- 2004, 2006, 2009: Singapore Idol (Host)
- 2005, 2006, 2008, 2012, 2014, 2018: Our Makan Places: Lost and Found (Host)
- 2008: Don't Forget the Lyrics! (English version) (Host)
- 2016: Don't Forget to Remember (Host)
- 2022: Kin: The Farewell Special (Host)
Awards and Recognition
Gurmit Singh has won several awards for his performances, especially for his role as Phua Chu Kang.
Star Awards – Popularity Awards
He has won the Star Awards for Top 10 Most Popular Male Artistes multiple times:
- 2002: Won
- 2003: Won
- 2005: Won
- 2006: Won
- 2007: Won
He was also nominated for this award in 2004, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2014. In 2003, he was nominated for the Most Popular Regional Artiste (Malaysia) award.
Other Awards
- 2007: Nominated for the Golden Horse Award for Best Leading Actor for his role in Just Follow Law.
Music by Gurmit Singh
Albums
- Gurmit Goes Local (1995) - a comedy album
- Sing Singapore 2002 : One (We Are One) (2002) - a duet with Tay Ping Hui
- Moments (2015) - Gurmit's first music album
Compilations
- One Leg Kicking Original Soundtrack: 'Calling': "Into The House" (2001)
- Love, No Boundaries: "Into the House" (2001) - an album single
- The PCK Sar-vivor Rap (2003)
- A Happy Journey Starts Like That! (2009)
