Yeo Yann Yann (born 20 February 1977) is a Singapore-based Malaysian actress. She has worked in theatre, television, and film in both English and Mandarin Chinese. Her credits include Singapore Dreaming, Thunderstorm, 881, Ilo Ilo and Wet Season.
She is a pioneer-graduate of Intercultural Theatre Institute (ITI). Besides acting, Yeo also hosts bilingual events and performs for corporate skits and projects.
Early life and education Yeo was born to a fisherman in Kukup, Pontian district, Johor, Malaysia. Yeo left Malaysia when she was 19 to study at Intercultural Theatre Institute in Singapore.
Career Yeo cites her acting mentor, the late theatre doyen Kuo Pao Kun, as a significant influence in her career.
In 1997, Yeo made her theatre debut with Comedy of Mistakes by Toy Factory Production.
Yeo started her acting career, portraying Chen Mei Li in The Right Frequency, a 1998 Mediacorp drama.
After appearing as Mei in the 2006 film Singapore Dreaming, Yeo was noticed and became famous. The film won the Montblanc New Screenwriters Award at the 54th San Sebastian International Film Festival,"Altadis New Director's Award", San Sebastian International Film Festival, Mister-i Mobile Solutions S.L., 29 September 2006. Archived from the original on 23 November 2008. and was the first Singaporean film to receive an IFFPA-recognised international feature film award.Stephanie Yap, "Dreaming up a surprise", The Straits Times, 7 October 2006.
Yeo has also been featured in the Singapore Speak Chinese campaign (华语cool!), in-character from her role in the Royston Tan's 2007 film 881.
Yeo had also starred in various television productions, including Food Goin' Bananas (2008) and The A-Go-Go Princess (2009). In 2009 also, she played the leading role in The Iron Lady, produced by ntv7.
In 2013, Yeo played as the mother of the protagonist in Anthony Chen's first feature film, Ilo Ilo. The film debuted at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival where it received a 15-minute long "standing ovation" and earned Chen the Camera d'Or. Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong noted Chen's achievement, and congratulated him and the film's cast on Facebook. The film continued to win success at various film festivals with Yeo picking up awards such as Best Supporting Actress at the 50th Golden Horse Awards, Best Actress at the Vladivostok Film Festival, Best Supporting Actress at the 8th Asian Film Awards among others.
In spring 2018, Yeo reunites with Chen for his second feature film, Wet Season. The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and went on to be nominated for six Golden Horse Awards, with Yeo winning her second Golden Horse, for Best Leading Actress.
In 2020, Yeo was cast as Lian in HBO Asia’s Invisible Stories.
In 2021, Yeo acted as a triad boss in a supporting role in action thriller film Havoc, starring Tom Hardy, written and directed by Gareth Evans. The film was released on Netflix in 2025.
In 2022, Yeo acted as the mother of the main character in American Born Chinese, a television series adaption of a 2006 graphic novel American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang, an American fantasy action comedy television sitcom created by Kelvin Yu for Disney+. The series consists of eight episodes and premiered on Disney+ on 24 May 2023.
Personal life Yeo met Hong Kong action choreographer Ma Yuk-sing, who is seventeen years her senior, in 2012 while filming Petaling Street Warriors and were married within the year at her hometown. They have a daughter born in August 2012. In 2013, Yeo moved to Singapore due to post-partum depression.
Filmography
Feature film Year Title Role Notes 2006 High Cost of Living Singapore Dreaming Mei One Last Dance 2007 881 Big Papaya 2008 12 Lotus Long 2's girlfriend Muallaf Cindy 18 Grams of Love (愛情18克) 2009 Love Matters Jia Li 2010 Being Human Zu ErWhen Hainan Meets TeochewMeihui 2011 Petaling Street Warriors Zhung Lichun 2013 Paper Moon (紙月亮) The Collector (收爛數) Ilo Ilo Hwee Leng 2014 The Cage (懼場)Ma Yan Ling Rubbers Baoling 2015 Distance Yang Yingying 2017 You Mean the World to Me Hoon2018 Lee Chong Wei Khor Kim Choi Republic of Food Virginia Goh2019 Wet Season LingWon Best Leading Actress at the 56th Golden Horse Awards The 9th Precinct (第九分局) Sun Yu-shu 2023 The King of Musang KingLiu Mei Lian 2025 HavocTsui's Mother 2026 We Are All StrangersBee Hwa
Short film Year TitleRoleNotes 2003 The Last Flight of the Red Butterflies 2005 Heave 2006 Hello? Tracks 2007 Ah Ma Flat Dreams 2009Tanjong rhu (The Casuarina Cove)
Television series Year Title Role Notes 1998 Right Frequency Chen Meili2006 Stories of Love: Anthology Series2007 Do Not Disturb2008 The A-Go-Go Princess (穿越阿哥哥) Food Goin' Bananas 2009 The Iron Lady Gao Shiqin2011 A Time To Embrace (追影·築夢)Zhang Jinrui Time FM (時光電台) Lucky Home (家緣)2012 The Descendant 2013 Time FM 1970 (時光電台1970)Lucky2020Invisible StoriesLian2022 Modern Love MumbaiSuiEpisode Mumbai Dragon (2022) 2023 American Born ChineseChristine Wang
Music video appearances Year Artist Song title 2021 Stefanie Sun "The Day Before"
Other production Year Title 2005 GhostBoys (series for 3G phones) POV Murder (series for 3G phones)
Theatre Year Title Produced byRoleRef1997Comedy of MistakesToy Factory 1998 Storm Toy Factory 1999 Red Hawk The Theatre Practice 2000 Invisibility Drama BoxThe Day I Met The PrinceThe Theatre Practice 2001 Dragon Dance The Finger Players2003 The Tiger Tally TTRP Tartuffe TTRP Lim Tzay Chuen TTRP/Theatreworks Lights Up The Theatre Practice 2004 Water Station TTRP Tempest The Theatre Practice Private Parts Vizpro Wu Jun Ru And You and Me And Him (吴君如和你和我和他) The Theatre Practice 2005 Boxing Day The Necessary Stage The Admiral's Odyssey Action Theatre Separation Forty The Necessary Stage 2006 A Beautiful Companion Theatreworks Stranger at Home (独在家乡为异客) DramaBox National Language Class Spell Seven Performance Club Thunderstorm (雷雨) The Theatre Practice Legends Alive Online : Mama Looking For Her Cat 2006 The Theatre Practice 2007 The Tosca Project The Theatre Practice 2008 Chesty Nutty Bang Bang: The Hairspray of the Phoenix STAGES National Language Class (re-run) Spell Seven Performance Club To Kill A Mockingbird Sharon Ang 2009 Crab Flower Club Toy Factory Productions 2011 Petaling Street Warriors Juita Entertainment 2016State of MindPlayground Entertainment2017Actor, Forty《演员四十》The Necessary Stage
Awards and nominations Year Awards Category Nominated work Result 2005 5th LIFE! Theatre Awards Best Ensemble Acting Wu Jun Ru And You And Me And Him 2006 1st Front Awards 2007 7th LIFE! Theatre Awards Best Ensemble Acting Mama Looking For Her Cat 7th LIFE! Theatre Awards Best Actress Thunderstorm 2009 9th LIFE! Theatre Awards Best Actress National Language Class 2010 Golden AwardsBest Actress The Iron Lady 2012 Golden Awards Best Supporting ActressTime FM 2013 50th Golden Horse Awards Best Supporting Actress Ilo Ilo Vladivostok Film Festival Best Actress2014 8th Asian Film AwardsBest Supporting Actress201930th Malaysia Film FestivalBest Female Supporting ActressLee Chong Wei: Rise of the Legend 56th Golden Horse AwardsBest Leading ActressWet Season2020 14th Asian Film AwardsBest Actress48th International Emmy AwardsBest Performance By An ActressInvisible Stories20233rd Hollywood Critics Association TV AwardsBest Supporting Actress in a Streaming Series, ComedyAmerican Born Chinese
References
External links
Yeo Yann Yann at chinesemov.com