Edmund Chen

Edmund Tan Kai Yuan (born 4 February 1961), professionally known as Edmund Chen, is a Singaporean actor and artist. He began his career in 1987 and rose to become one of Singapore's most prominent and popular actors during the 1990s and early 2000s.

Media career Chen entered the entertainment industry after completing the SBC (predecessor of MediaCorp) 7th drama training course in 1987. He starred in several high-profile dramas such as sci-fi drama series Star Maiden, Air Force and police thriller Patrol, where he met and later married co-star Xiang Yun.

During the late 1990s he temporarily left showbiz for several years to concentrate on other projects.

After returning to MediaCorp his popularity soared and he won the Top 10 Most Popular Male Artistes award seven consecutive times. During the Star Awards 2007 25th anniversary special, he and Ivy Lee, who played his on-screen partner many times, were named the Top 5 Favourite On-screen Couples for their roles as husband and wife in Double Happiness.

He left MediaCorp at the end of 2007 for family reasons but made a brief return to the screens as a guest star in Channel 5 comedy Calefare and the second season of Channel U production Perfect Cut. Besides acting, he has also presented and hosted shows ranging from sports events to variety shows to charity galas.

In 2003, Chen acted in a Hong Kong film, Turn Left, Turn Right as Dr Hu, and in 2008, acted as the father of Chun-Li in Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li.

Chen directed his first feature film Echoing Love, which consists of six shorts directed by six different people and the cast includes Erica Lee, Alaric Tay, Vincent Ng, Nathaniel Ho and his wife Xiang Yun. It was screened at the 24th Singapore International Film Festival in 2011, where it won a Special Achievement Award at the Silver Screen Awards.

Chen also worked as a brand ambassador and spokesman for many firms and products, including Beijing 101 Hair Consultants, Mitsubishi Electric, Chien Chi Tow, G- Spa, Donut Empire and KKC Property in Singapore and throughout the Asian region.

Literary career Chen left the entertainment industry in 2007 and he began writing and illustrating Chinese language children's books. Two of his titles Dino Rulez! (欢迎来到我们的世界) and Little Otters To The Rescue (水獭宝宝救爸爸) have been selected by the National Arts Council for its yearly catalogue.

In 2014, Chen was voted Best Author for New Children's Books in Southeast Asia for his picture book Little Otters To The Rescue.

Chen married actress Xiang Yun in 1989 after meeting on the sets of Patrol and they have two children; a daughter Yixin and a son Chen Xi.

On 14 January 2026, he was charged with one count of driving without reasonable consideration for other road users, resulting in an accident. He was sentenced to five days in jail and a five year driving ban.

Filmography

Film

Awards and nominations Year Award Category Nominated work Result Ref 1996 Star Awards Top 10 Most Popular Male Artistes 1997 Star Awards Top 10 Most Popular Male Artistes 2001 Star Awards Best Actor Beyond the Axis of Truth Star Awards Top 10 Most Popular Male Artistes 2002 Star Awards Top 10 Most Popular Male Artistes 2003 Star Awards Top 10 Most Popular Male Artistes Asian Television AwardBest ActorFirst Touch II 2004 Star Awards Best Actor Man at Forty Top 10 Most Popular Male Artistes 2005Star Awards Top 10 Most Popular Male Artistes 2006 Star Awards Top 10 Most Popular Male Artistes 2007 Star Awards Top 10 Most Popular Male Artistes