Irene Ang

Irene Ang (born 1 September 1968) is a Singaporean actress, comedian, host and entrepreneur, best known for portraying Rosie Phua on the Singaporean sitcom Phua Chu Kang Pte Ltd, as well as on the Malaysian sequel sitcom Phua Chu Kang Sdn Bhd and the series' film adaptation Phua Chu Kang The Movie. She is also the founder and the CEO of Fly Entertainment, and additionally owns a maid agency, as well as a number of F&B and other entertainment-related companies.

Early life Irene Ang was born into a family of four, consisting of her parents, an elder brother and herself. When she was growing up, she was taken care mostly by her paternal grandmother, and other relatives as well, as her mother was a drug addict and her father a gambler.

Her mother, a former nightclub singer, became a drug addict due to marital issues. Her mother once took her, who's her father's favoured child, After her mother was in and out of the prison system over her drug use for a decade, Ang and her brother managed to convince her mother stay clean with an ultimatum that if she was again, they would leave her in 1983. After released from the prison in 1984, her mother has kept herself clean since. She then went onto Outram Institute to study for Singapore-Cambridge GCE Advanced Level education certificate. However, she did not take the exams as she could not afford the examination fees. She subsequently took the exams thrice, but failed. She eventually became the stunt swimmer for Chen Liping in Splash to Victory. She later was a stunt double for Zoe Tay in the 1990 television series, Navy. She trained for eight months before presenting Singapore the 1991 SEA Games and won a silver medal. When her grandmother was hospitalised, Ang was saddled with a credit card debt. Her supervisor at AIA, David Ong, would paid off the debt for her as a loan. In return, Ang would then worked hard for the next three months, bringing in enough policies to make it to the Million Dollar Club. It was here she was spotted by Phua Chua Kang Pte Ltd's producers and was asked to audition for roles in the upcoming television series.

In 2023, Ang was named as one of the recipients of the Public Service Medal (PBM), for her work as a committee member of the SkillsFuture programme with the South West Community Development Council.

In 2025, Ang launched The Irene Ang Show, a talk show featuring candid conversations with both celebrities and non-celebrity guests, including individuals from her personal and professional circles. The programme adopts an informal, conversational format that explores personal experiences, career journeys and behind-the-scenes aspects of the entertainment industry. One episode featuring actress Jeanette Aw attracted media attention after Aw recounted an incident in which she told a co-star to “do his homework” and learn his lines before coming onto set.

Philanthropy Drawing on her childhood experiences, she would lend her influence and voice behind projects such as the Fairy Godparent programme, an initiative by The Yellow Ribbon Fund and Industrial and Services Co-Operative Society (ISCOS) that would help children of ex-offenders acquire a good education and positive life skills.

Filmography Ang has appeared in and/or produced the following programmes and films:

Film

Television

Web series

Theatre Ah Kong’s Birthday Party (1998) PIE (1999) 1+1=3 (2003) Mardi Gras (2003) Phua Chu Kang - The Musical (2005) Beauty World (2008) Stand Up for Singapore (2008)

Awards and nominations