Fann Wong

Born in Singapore to Hakka tailor parents, Fann Chin Khew and Wong Siew Toy, Fann Wong would later derived her English stage name from her parents' surnames. Fann has three siblings — an older sister, as well as a younger brother and a younger sister named Fan Wen Qing (former child actress). She was educated at Temasek Secondary School, where she took her GCE 'O' Level examinations in 1987.

Fann was a child actor while in primary school and featured in several SBC children's programmes. At the age of 16, she won a beauty contest organised by Her World, a Singapore fashion magazine. She started a successful modelling career in Singapore, and spent the next two years modelling part-time while taking her GCE 'A' Level examinations at a private school. She subsequently earned a diploma in fashion merchandising from LaSalle International Fashion School in Singapore. Fann moved to Taiwan in 1993. One of her earliest successes was in an Oil of Ulan (now Oil of Olay) commercial aired in Taiwan and Singapore. The following year, a Singaporean television producer discovered her and cast her in Dreams Come True, a Singapore drama series. Fann soon starred in two more Singapore television series, The Challenger and Chronicle of Life.

After a year in the Singapore television industry, her role in Chronicle of Life won her Best Actress and Best Newcomer awards at Singapore's 1995 Star Awards. In 1996, her role in The Unbroken Cycle won her first regional nomination at the Asian Television Awards. She continued to star in a large array of drama serials, including A Romance in Shanghai (produced in Shanghai), Wild Orchids (filmed in Sydney) and Brave New World (filmed in Amsterdam and Belgium).

In late 1996, Fann released in Singapore her first Mandarin pop album Fanntasy, which contained a duet (theme song of her TV drama 'Brave New World') with Taiwanese singer Jeff Chang. The album was retitled I Live Alone and repackaged with two additional songs for the Taiwanese market and won 4 IFPI platinum sales awards in Taiwan, marking the start of Fann's regional success.