Li Nanxing
Jonathan Lee Nam Heng (born 7 November 1964), better known as Li Nanxing (Chinese: 李南星; pinyin: Lǐ Nánxīng; Wade–Giles: Li2 Nan2 Hsing1; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Lí Lâm-seng), is a Singaporean actor and was named as 'Ah-Ge' (大哥, "big brother") of Caldecott Hill. He is also a film director and producer.
Li Nanxing 李南星 | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | Jonathan Lee Nam Heng 7 November 1964 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Nationality | Singaporean | ||||||||||||||||||
| Occupation | Actor & Film director | ||||||||||||||||||
| Years active | 1986–present | ||||||||||||||||||
| Spouse | |||||||||||||||||||
| Awards | Star Awards 2002 : Best Actor Star Awards 2004 : All-Time Favourite Artiste Star Awards 2006 : Best Actor | ||||||||||||||||||
| Chinese name | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Musical career | |||||||||||||||||||
| Also known as | Big Brother of Caldecott Hill | ||||||||||||||||||
| Website | linanxing | ||||||||||||||||||
Li has acted in many Chinese-language television dramas produced by MediaCorp Channel 8. He had won the Best Actor awards three times in the Star Awards, an annual acting awards in Singapore. Li was also one of the first batch of actors to receive the All-Time Favourite Artiste award with Zoe Tay & Chew Chor Meng.
Career
Li Nanxing attended Singapore Broadcasting Corporation's drama training course before debuting in 1986 with Crossroads (红绿灯 之《红灯》).[1] Li gradually rose to stardom in the 1990s. In 1993, he rose to prominence when starring in The Unbeatables I, the first ever gambling drama series produced in Singapore, alongside Zoe Tay. For most of the 1990s, he, Tay and Chew Chor Meng were MediaCorp's three most popular actors and he was voted the Top 10 Most Popular Male Artistes ten years in a row and also won several Malaysia and Taiwan popularity polls at the Star Awards. In 2004 he was awarded the All-Time Favourite Artiste award.
In the 2000s, Li bought a fish farm and managed it with his uncle.[2]
During the late 2000s, his career hit a rocky phase due to personal issues.[3] After a two-year hiatus, Li made his comeback in On the Fringe 2011 and also directed his first film, The Ultimate Winner.[4] He also produced the film, Imperfect, which he co-starred with Ian Fang and Kimberly Chia.[5]
Some of his more famous shows include The Unbeatables trilogy and The Magnate; Li has also acted in 6 telemovies to date, and even sang the theme song of several of his shows. He mostly played in anti-hero roles such in The Vagrant, for which he won the Best Actor award at the Star Awards 2002 and On the Fringe 2011. In September 2012 it was announced that he will be cast in C.L.I.F. II as a police officer, which will be one of the few times he plays a protagonist.[6]
In 2004, Li founded his own talent management agency, LNX Global, named after his initials.[7] Constance Song was LNX's first artiste to be managed under LNX in 2015.[7][8]
In 2019, Li signed under Zhao Wei's management agency to manage his presence in China.[9] He was then cast in Zhao's web drama series, Everyone Wants To Meet You (谁都渴望遇见你), which was filmed in China, in the same year.[10] The series was released in February 2020 on IQIYI.[11]
Personal life
Li married Yang Libing, a fellow Singaporean actress, in 1994 after co-starring together in several drama series. They divorced in 2004 citing irreconcilable personality differences. Both have yet to remarry and they have no children from the marriage.[12]
Li battled with gambling addiction and had to work as a Hollywood ‘calefare’ to pay off his debts in the 1990s.[13] During this period, he became a Christian, having credited a miraculous experience he had while on a karaoke trip with a friend in Thailand.[14]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Work | Role | Notes | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | The Ultimate Winner | Shi Tian Cai | Directorial debut and actor | [4][15] |
| 2012 | Imperfect | Zhihua | Producer and actor | [5] |
Television
| Year | Work | Role | Notes | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Neighbours 芝麻绿豆 | |||
| Under One Roof 家和万事兴 | Lixin 李欣 | |||
| Crossroads 红绿灯 之《红灯》 | Lu Rihua 卢日华 | |||
| 1987 | Sunshine After Rain 雨过天晴 | Wu Jingtang 吴敬堂 | ||
| Paint a Rainbow 调色板 | Wu Qifan 吴启凡 | [16] | ||
| Moving On 变迁 | Gao Xiaosheng 高晓生 | |||
| 1988 | Airforce 空军 | Li Zhengting 李政庭 | ||
| On the Fringe 边缘少年 | Chen Yong 陈勇 | [16] | ||
| Teahouse in Chinatown 牛车水人家 | Chen Dejian 陈得建 | |||
| My Fair Ladies 窈窕淑女 | Ding Lei 丁磊 | |||
| Song Of Youth 生活歌手 | Wei Jiahao 韦家豪 | |||
| 1989 | Good Morning Sir 早安老师 | Zhou Wenjie 周文杰 | ||
| Splash To Victory 绿水英姿 | Li Jiajun 李嘉俊 | |||
| A Mother's Love 亲心唤我心 | Ye Jianhui 叶兆辉 | [16] | ||
| 1990 | Finishing Line 出人头地 | Xia Dejian 夏德建 | ||
| Happy Family 开心家族 | Situ Zhengting 司徒正廷 | |||
| Happy World 多多富贵多多情 | Wang Baiwan 王百万 | |||
| 1991 | Private Eyes 妙探智多星 | Chen Ya Jin 陈亚锦 | ||
| Black Phoenix 黑凤凰 | Wu Yunkai 巫云开 | |||
| 1992 | Modern Romance 男欢女爱 | Li Junhao 李君豪 | ||
| My Buddies 浪漫战场 | ||||
| Mystery II 迷离夜II | Yang Tianwei / Wen Yufei 杨 天威/ 温宇飞 | |||
| Breaking Point 暴风边缘 | Bai Yufeng 白宇风 | |||
| 1993 | Smouldering Heat 赤道谜情 | Lu Haojie 吕浩杰 | ||
| Angel of Vengeance 暴雨狂花 | Qiao Kang 乔康 | |||
| The Great Conspiracy 莲花争霸 | Shen Cong 沈冲 | [16] | ||
| The Unbeatables I | Li Jianfei / Yan Fei 林建飞/ 言飞 | [16] | ||
| 1994 | Dreams Come True 美梦成真 | Lu Wenyang 陆文杨 | ||
| Twin Bliss 龙凤呈祥 | You Long 游龙 | |||
| The Magnate 叱咤风云 | Song Zhigao 宋志高 | |||
| 1995 | The Shadow Mission 地下猎人 | Chen Zhixin 陈志新 | ||
| 1996 | The Unbeatables II | Yan Fei 言飞 | [16] | |
| Dairy of a Teacher 老师日记 | Yu Mingxing 余明星 | |||
| 1997 | Rising Expectations 长河 | Shi Guoying/Stone 石国英/石头 | ||
| Crime and Tribulations 狮城奇案录 | Chen Zhenwen 陈振文 | |||
| My Wife, Your Wife, Their Wives 101老婆 | Jian Qiang 健强 | |||
| 1998 | The New Adventures of Wisely | Guo Zeqing 郭则清 | [5] | |
| The Return of the Condor Heroes | Lu Liding 陸立鼎 | |||
| 1999 | Coup de Scorpion 天蝎行动 | Zheng Nanshun 郑南顺 | ||
| Bright Future 同一片蓝天 | Haisheng 海生 | |||
| 2000 | Dare to Strike 扫冰者 | Wang Shen 王深 | ||
| 2001 | The Hotel 大酒店 | Cloudy | ||
| Heroes in Black 我来也 | Song Dou/Wolaiye 宋斗/我来也 | |||
| In Pursuit of Peace 何日军再来 | Sakagami Ichiro 坂上一郎 | |||
| 2002 | The Unbeatables III | Yan Fei 言飞 | ||
| The Vagrant 豹子胆 | Ah Bao/Liu Xiaoming 阿豹/刘小明 | [5] | ||
| 2003 | Home in Toa Payoh 家在大巴窑 | Li Baomei 李保美 | ||
| Baby Boom | Tim | |||
| Romance De Amour | Huang Weide 黄维德 | |||
| 2004 | A Child's Hope II 孩有明天 2 | Hu Yiming 胡逸名 | ||
| 2006 | A Million Treasures | Ma Da 马达 | [17] | |
| Through It All | Guo Xianghai 郭向海 | |||
| The Undisclosed 迷云二十天 | Chen Musheng 程木胜 | |||
| 2007 | The Homecoming 十三鞭 | Dong Weihong 董伟宏 | ||
| The Golden Path 黄金路 | Ah Jin/Jin Long 阿金/金龙 | |||
| 2009 | Daddy at Home 企鹅爸爸 | Liu Bang 刘帮 | ||
| The Ultimatum 双子星 | Zhang Feng/Zhou Zhida 章风/周志达 | |||
| 2011 | On The Fringe 2011 边缘父子 | Tian Yibang 田一邦 | ||
| 2012 | Beyond | Jiang Wei 江维 | ||
| 2013 | The Journey: A Voyage 信约：唐山到南洋 | Zhang Tianpeng 张天鹏 | [16] | |
| 2014 | The Journey: Tumultuous Times | Cameo | ||
| C.L.I.F. 3 | Wei Lantian 魏蓝天 | |||
| Justice Heroes 廉政英雄 | 夏竣鴻 / 陈学良 | Taiwan long form drama
14 episodes |
||
| 2015 | Dowry 嫁妝 | 孙文华 | ||
| The Dream Makers II | Lin Tao 林韬 | [2] | ||
| A Blessed Life | Ye Daji 叶大吉 | |||
| 2016 | C.L.I.F. 4 | Wei Lantian 魏蓝天 | [2] | |
| 2017 | My Teacher Is A Thug | Jia Tianxiong 贾天雄 | [17] | |
| 2018 | Everyone Wants To Meet You 谁都渴望遇见你 | 张敬中 | ||
| 2021 | The Peculiar Pawnbroker 人心鉴定师 | Cheng Huochang 程火昌 | ||
| 2022 | I Want to be a Towkay 亲家冤家做头家 | Hou Xili 侯夕立 |
Variety shows
| Year | Work | Role | Network/Channel | Notes | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | LNX x Hawkers 星•料理 | Host | Mediacorp Channel 8 |
Awards
References
- "Li Nanxing Needed Richard Low To Give Him 'Tuition' When He Was A Struggling Student In Acting Class". TODAYonline. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
- "Li Nanxing Once Worked As A Hollywood Calefare To Clear His $2 Million Debt". 8 Days. Retrieved 16 February 2022.
- "Li Nanxing once racked up S$2m in debt, thought of suicide". Channel News Asia. 8 March 2010.
- "Li Nanxing's directorial debut may also be the last film he directs". Channel NewsAsia. 20 April 2011.
- "Li Nanxing never stops learning | News & Features | Cinema Online". www.cinema.com.my. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
- "Actors disappear as police drama CLIF returns". Channel NewsAsia. 28 September 2012.
- hermes (5 August 2015). "Local actor Li Nanxing makes Taiwan debut". The Straits Times. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
- "Li Nanxing: If you want to be a good actor, try acting in Taiwan first". 8 Days. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
- "Vicki Zhao smitten by local 'Ah Ge' Li Nanxing as a young girl". AsiaOne. 25 September 2019. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
- celebasia (4 May 2019). "Li Nanxing Signs With Vicki Zhao's Management Agency". CELEB ASIA MAGAZINE. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
- 陈韵红, 文 / (18 February 2020). "监制偶像剧《谁都渴望遇见你》 赵薇赞李南星：有霸气魅力！". 早报 (in Simplified Chinese). Retrieved 19 February 2021.
- "Top Celeb Divorces: Hollywood vs Local". xin.msn.com. 22 October 2010. Archived from the original on 15 November 2010. Retrieved 24 September 2012.
- "Li Nanxing worked as a Hollywood 'calefare' in the 90s to pay off his gambling debts". mothership.sg. Retrieved 26 April 2021.
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zzwxUl3pKlI
- Tan, Raymond. "Review: The Ultimate Winner". Retrieved 8 April 2022.
- "Local actor Li Nanxing signs with Chinese actress Vicki Zhao's management agency".
- Sng, Suzanne (18 February 2021). "Actress Pan Lingling confesses she wanted to kiss Li Nanxing in their first drama | The Straits Times". www.straitstimes.com. Retrieved 29 March 2023.
External links
- Official Website
- Profile on xin.msn.com
- Li Nanxing at IMDb