Jack Neo facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jack Neo
Neo in July 2016
Born	Jack Neo Chee Keong (1960-01-24) 24 January 1960 (age 65) State of Singapore
Nationality	Singaporean
Education	Tanjong Katong Secondary School
Occupation	Film director film producer screenwriter host comedian actor
Spouse(s)	Irene Kng ​ (m. 1990)​
Children	4
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	梁志強
Simplified Chinese	梁志强
Hanyu Pinyin	Liáng Zhìqiáng
Hokkien POJ	Niû Chì-Kiông

Jack Neo Chee Keong (born 24 January 1960) is a famous Singaporean filmmaker, comedian, and actor. He worked full-time for Mediacorp, a media company, from 1983 to 2003. In the 1990s and early 2000s, he was well-known for playing funny characters like "Liang Po Po" (which means "Granny Liang") and "Liang Xi Mei" (a homemaker in her 40s). These characters were part of a long-running TV comedy show called Comedy Nite.

Since he started directing movies, Jack Neo has become one of the most successful local directors. His films have also done well in Malaysia and Taiwan. He often creates movies that are part of a series, like Ah Boys to Men. One of his most praised films is I Not Stupid (2002), which humorously looks at Singapore's school system.

Career

Jack Neo started writing and acting in funny skits when he was only 14 years old, while attending Tanjong Katong Secondary School.

He began his career on television in 1980. He quickly became a very popular and recognizable celebrity in Singapore because of his comedic acting in both movies and TV shows. His most famous roles involved him dressing up as women, like Liang Po Po and Liang Xi Mei. These characters were part of the popular comedy show Comedy Nite.

Jack Neo directed his first movie, That One No Enough, in 1999. He also started his own company, J Team Productions, which manages actors and comedians. Famous comedians like Mark Lee and Henry Thia are part of his team. This trio worked together on Comedy Nite and in many movies, including Money No Enough, That One No Enough, Money No Enough 2, Where Got Ghost?, The King of Musang King and Money No Enough 3.

Neo's films often use humor to talk about different things in Singapore. He makes funny movies about everyday life and important topics like family issues and school rules. Besides his work in film and TV, Jack Neo has also recorded and produced music albums.

In 1998, Jack Neo won the Best Director Award at the Silver Screen Awards for his short film, Replacement Killers. This led him to make a longer movie called Hitman in the City that same year. He then directed his first feature film, Money No Enough, which was released in cinemas in 1998. The next year, he received a special Lifetime Achievement Award for all his contributions to Singapore's media industry. In 2004, he was the first filmmaker in Singapore to be given the Public Service Medal, a special award from the government. He also received the Cultural Medallion in 2005, which is Singapore's highest award for arts and culture.

In 2013, Jack Neo announced that he was creating J Team Academy. This is a school designed to teach new people how to make films, with help from experienced professionals in the industry. The academy opened its doors on 6 April 2013. In September of that year, he won the Best Actor award for his role in the 2011 film Homecoming at the 1st Golden Wau Awards.

In October 2014, the Madame Tussauds Singapore museum, which makes wax figures of famous people, unveiled a wax figure of Jack Neo.

In 2015, Neo released a short film as part of a collection called 7 Letters. This collection was made to celebrate Singapore's 50th year of independence.

In 2016, Jack Neo released the first two parts of a film series about how life changed from living in villages to government housing. These films are called Long Long Time Ago and Long Long Time Ago 2.

Personal life

Jack Neo married Irene Kng in 1990. They have three sons and one daughter.

Filmography

Film

Television series

Variety shows

Discography

Drama soundtracks

Awards and nominations