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Ivan Heng
Photo: Jacklee ., CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons13

Ivan Heng

Singaporean actor and theatre director (born 1963)

Ivan Heng Ai Jin (born 20 September 1963) is a Singaporean actor and theatre director of Peranakan descent. He is the founding artistic director of W!LD RICE, a theatre company in Singapore, and an outspoken advocate for respect for diversity and freedom of expression.2

From Wikipedia’s article on Ivan Heng (this version), CC BY-SA 4.0.

Born Sep 20, 1963.1

About

Heng is the first male Singaporean actor to break into English-speaking roles in Hollywood films with his role in Luc Besson's The Fifth Element.

From Wikipedia’s article on Ivan Heng, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.2

Companies

Early life and education

  • Date not recordedTemasek Junior College3
  • Date not recordedRoyal Conservatoire of Scotland3
  • Date not recordedAnglo-Chinese School3

Early years

Heng was educated at Anglo-Chinese School, Temasek Junior College and the National University of Singapore, where he studied law from 1984 to 1988.He was admitted to practice as a lawyer until the acting bug led him to various theatres, winning many awards in Edinburgh, London, Canada and finally Hollywood. Heng was awarded the Cultural Medallion, Singapore's highest arts honour, in 2013.

Whilst studying for his law degree, Heng attended Kuo's directing workshop, acted with Singapore Theatre American Repertory Showcase (S*TARS), and directed and designed sets as a founding member of The Necessary Stage.

Heng originated the lead role of Malcolm Png in Michael Chiang's Army Daze in 1987. He also played Frankie Wong in Beauty World, and Song Liling in the All-Asian premiere of M. Butterfly in India in 1989 (a role originated on the West End by his future collaborator Glen Goei). Heng also performed in M. Butterfly at the Singapore Arts Festival in 1990.

From Wikipedia’s article on Ivan Heng (this version), CC BY-SA 4.0.

Career

Occupation: director, theatre director, actor.5

Overseas work

In 1990, Heng became the first recipient of the BAT Arts Scholarship to the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, now the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, in Glasgow. He graduated with top honours, including the Royal Lyceum Theatre Award for Best Shakespearean Performance (Richard III), the Margaret Gordon Award for Best Final Year Performance, and the Dorothy Innes Prize for Best Studentship. In 2024, he received an honorary doctorate from the institution.

Heng made his UK directorial debut at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival with a Singaporean play – Ovidia Yu's The Woman in a Tree on the Hill. The production won the Scotsman Edinburgh Fringe First (Singapore's first and only), as well the Scottish Daily Express New Names of '93 Award. Thereafter, he moved to London where he worked in film, television and radio, and founded the Tripitaka Theatre Company to do touring productions with an Asian point of view, like his autobiographical solo Journey West (1995).

From Wikipedia’s article on Ivan Heng (this version), CC BY-SA 4.0.

Personal life

  • BornSep 20, 1963, Singapore6
  • CitizenshipSingapore7

In August 2014, Heng married his long-time partner Tony Trickett in London. Heng met Trickett, now the executive director of W!LD RICE, in 1996.

From Wikipedia’s article on Ivan Heng (this version), CC BY-SA 4.0.

Awards

  • 2021Asia's Most Influential Singapore8 9

Sources

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