Yeo Yann Yann

Yann Yann is a Singapore-based actor whose work spans movies, stage to television productions — both in highly visible, commercial work and in experimental works in theatre and indie films.

Multilingual in English, Mandarin, Hokkien and Malay, she has worked with many theatre companies and leading film directors in Singapore and internationally. Yann Yann enjoys both critical acclaim as well as popular star appeal.

Her work in theatre

She has played a variety of roles in many genres, appearing in the Singapore Arts Festival as well as shows in Japan, China, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore. For her role as Fanyi in Cao Yu’s classic Thunderstorm (2006), she won the Life! Theatre Award for Best Actress.

The many plays she has acted in include Spell #7′s National Language Class (2006 & 2008); Tosca (2007) by Black Tent Theatre (Japan) and The Theatre Practice (Singapore); Drama Box’s A Stranger at Home (2006 Singapore Arts Festival); Mama Looking for Her Cat (2006), Ménage à 13 (2005 Huayi Festival), Shakespeare’s The Tempest (2004, as Miranda), Street Play (2004 Singapore Arts Festival), Lights Up (2004, Singapore, Shenzhen and Hong Kong) by The Theatre Practice; TheatreWorks’ A Beautiful Companion (2006); Action Theatre’s musical An Admiral’s Odyssey (2005); The Necessary Stage’s Separation 40 (2005, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur).

Most recently, Yann Yann returned to the stage in a solo, The Necessary Stage’s Actor, Forty (2017) - a commission of Esplanade’s annual Huayi Festival.

Her work in film

Yann Yann's recent work includes Wet Season (2019), for which her awards include Best Leading Actress at the Golden Horse Awards (Taiwan) and Best Actress at the Pingyao International Film Festival (China). 

She is also known for her seven “Best Supporting Actress” wins for her role in the critically acclaimed Ilo Ilo (2013), including at the Golden Horse Awards. Yann Yann has also starred in Jack Neo’s Love Matters (2011), Royston Tan’s acclaimed movie 881 (2007) and has appeared in many other feature and short films in a variety of roles. These include award-winning films, 18 Grams of Love and Singapore Dreaming, both having screened at the Singapore International Film Festival in 2008 and 2006 respectively.

Other films include When Hainan Meets Teochew (2010), Tanjong Rhu (2009) and Muallaf (2008). She also played the lead in Iron Lady (2009), a drama series by Malaysia’s NTV7, for which she won the station’s inaugural Golden Awards for Best Actress. 

In 2019, Yann Yann was the recipient of the Inspiring Woman in Film Award at the Singapore International Film Festival.

Yann Yann joins the main cast of Gareth Evans' upcoming Netflix action-thriller, Havoc, alongside names such as Tom Hardy, Forest Whitaker and Timothy Olyphant. 

She will also be reuniting with director Anthony Chen for his new film, We are all Strangers, set for production in 2022.

Interview with Yeo Yann Yann

Profile photo: Wilfred Weegee

Recent works:
1. Actor, 《世界終結前一天 The Day Before》by Stephanie Sun (music video) (2021, YouTube) 
2. Instructor, Film, Sound and Acting Program iTalk Creative Webinar (2021; Online) 
3. Guest, #StayHomeCookOff S2 Finale (2021, Channel 8 & meWATCH) 
4. Instructor, Day out of Time Online Arts Festival online acting workshop (2021, Online) 
5. Instructor, Acting Masterclass with Yeo Yann Yann (2021, Objectifs Centre for Photography and Film)
6. Performer, Break (interactive film) (2021, Big Love Child Protection Specialist Centre; Youtube)

Recent awards: 
1. Actress of the Year 2019, 11th Youth Film Handbook (China, 2020)
2. Best Actress in a Leading Role, Asian Academy Creative Awards for Invisible Stories (Singapore, 2020) 
3. Outstanding Filmmaker Award, Chinese Film Association of Malaysia (China, 2020) 
4. Best Leading Actress, 56th Golden Horse Awards for Wet Season (Taiwan, 2019) 
5. Inspiring Woman in Film Award, Singapore International Film Festival (Singapore, 2019)

 

Last updated: 19 January 2022