Wong Li Lin (born 30 August 1972)[1] is a Singaporean media personality and businesswoman. She was formerly an actress and host on Singaporean television.
Early life and education
Wong is born to Wong Chee Kit, a carpenter and furniture company owner from Senai, Malaysia, and Leong Get Goh, a housewife.[2] She is the youngest in a family of four children and has three elder brothers.[2] She was educated at Haig Girls' School and Temasek Secondary School.[2] She started ballet by chance at age 9 and started teaching at the age of 13 to supplement her fees. Wong was awarded the Loke Cheng Kim scholarship to the Royal Ballet School in London.[3] Wong's parents separated when she is 13 and later divorced when she in her 20s.[2]
Wong took time away from showbiz when she was awarded a second scholarship for her Master's degree in Anthropology at University of Surrey.[3] She wrote her dissertation on Falun Gong as it combined her interests in movement, spirituality and her heritage as an ethnic Chinese. Wong graduated in 2001.[2]
Career
Wong was one of the pioneers in promoting pilates in Singapore,[3] training many trainers who subsequently started their own studios. She continued teaching prolifically and founded several dance projects. She taught at Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts and founded several dance centres. It was while teaching at Singapore's television station that she was discovered and started a career in the media.
Wong Li Lin made her television debut in 1994 and has acted in dramas such as Masters of the Sea (1994) and Rising Expectations (长河) (1997). She became a household name for her lead role as Inspector Elaine Tay in Mediacorp Channel 5 cop drama Triple Nine (Season 1 and 2) from 1995 to 1997.[2] After a brief hiatus from acting in 1999, she returned in 2001 and started acting frequently in Mediacorp Channel 8 dramas such as Love Me, Love Me Not (2001),[4]The Challenge (谁与争锋) (2001)[5] and The Reunion (顶天立地) (2001).[5] She was also one of the four judges of the reality TV series, The Dance Floor.[1]
Wong has held leadership roles across multiple sectors and served organisations such as Parkway Pantai,[5] Thomson Medical as deputy director[8] and in 2017, executive director of the Public Hygiene Council under National Environment Agency.[8] She was most recently chief operating officer at a real estate and F&B firm and currently holds the position of Chief Executive at Mint Media.[9]
Personal life
Wong married Chinese-American actor and host Allan Wu in Los Angeles, California, United States in December 2003.[10] They have a daughter and a son.[1] Wong and Wu divorced in June 2013.[11]
