Jesseca Liu (born Lao Chew Yen on 13 February 1979) is a Malaysian actress who is based in Singapore. She is a contracted artiste under MediaCorp and managed by HIM International Music.

Jesseca Liu
Liu at the Star Awards 2017
Born
Lao Chew Yen

(1979-02-13) 13 February 1979 (age 45)
Langkawi, Kedah, Malaysia
Alma materSaito Academy
Occupations
  • Actress
  • model
  • businesswoman
Years active2004–present
Agent
Spouse
(m. 2017)
AwardsFull list
Stage name
Traditional Chinese劉子絢
Simplified Chinese刘子绚
Hanyu PinyinLiú Zixuàn
JyutpingLau4 Zi2 Hyun3
Hokkien POJLâu Chú-hiàn
Birth name
Traditional Chinese劉秋雁
Simplified Chinese刘秋雁
Hanyu PinyinLiú Qiūyàn
JyutpingLau4 Cau1 Ngaan6
Hokkien POJLâu Chhiu-gān

Early life

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Jesseca Liu was born on 13 February 1979[1] in Langkawi, Malaysia, with the name Lao Chew Yen. She began modelling after graduating from Saito Academy in 2001. Languages often spoken by Liu are Cantonese, Hokkien, Mandarin, English and Malay. She finished second for a Malaysian beauty contest in 2001. Liu began acting in Malaysia in a few Chinese drama productions produced by Singapore-based companies.

Career

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Liu was spotted by a producer in MediaCorp in 2004 who offered her the meaty role of He Yi Xuan in the sports themed drama, The Champion, starring opposite Qi Yuwu and Taiwanese actors Toro and Yan Xing Shu. She then began a career as a full-time actress in Singapore.

She snagged a role in the 100-episode drama series Portrait of Home in 2005. She played a Vietnamese bride Ruan Mianmian, and starred opposite veteran thespians Adrian Pang and Louise Lee. She was nominated for Best Supporting Actress and Most Popular Newcomer Award categories for the Star Awards 2005 ceremony with her role as Ruan Mianmian in Portrait of Home. She won the Most Popular Newcomer Award that year.[2]

Her first lead role was Ding Yirou in Rhapsody in Blue in 2006. She was given opportunities to play lead roles thereafter. She filmed a movie by MediaCorp Raintree Pictures back in 2007 and it was scheduled to be screened in the second quarter of 2008. However, the screening of the movie was put to a halt due to copyright problems. Liu released a book diary, Jesseca's Diary (Chinese : 绚日记) in December 2007.

In March 2011, she starred in the Channel U blockbuster of the year Secrets For Sale, alongside Christopher Lee and Lin Meijiao. She played Jiaqi, a private investigator. The 13-episode serial was produced by Wawa productions.

In October 2011, she went on to play the role of a medical doctor Yang Minfei in the medical-themed series The Oath, which is one of the highest rated series of the year. The drama also starred Christopher Lee, Ann Kok and Ix Shen. She continued to star in other Wawa productions, such as Game Plan and Disclosed, and wrote two episodes of Let It Go.

Departure from MediaCorp

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Liu's contract with MediaCorp expired in May 2010. She then went on to sign a contract with HIM International Music (Singapore) in the same year, while managing her family's spa business.[3][4] Her first production under her new company was Channel U's feature film, Lost and Found, 小孩·狗, in 2010 with Taiwan's popular child star Xiao Xiao Bin and Taiwanese idol James Wen Sheng Hao.[2] The film garnered the highest viewership amongst the other two feature films aired, starring Mediacorp actresses Joanne Peh and Felicia Chin respectively.

She then filmed Mediacorp Channel U's 2011 blockbuster drama, Secrets For Sale 《拍·卖》as the lead actress alongside Mediacorp actors Christopher Lee and Thomas Ong.

Together with Olivia Ong, she sang the theme song for The Silver Tribute Charity Night which was aired "live" on MediaCorp Channel 8 on 5 June 2011. This marked her first appearance on a live programme since Star Awards 2010.

Return to Mediacorp

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Liu recently signed a new acting contract with Mediacorp in 2015 and starred in a new Wawa production called The Queen.

In 2017, she was involved in a drama called Hero where she played as a female lead with many cameo appearance in the drama, which helped her gain a nomination for Best Actress. She also got involved in a drama called Eat Already? 2 where she played a cameo appearance as a doctor.

In 2018, she filmed two dramas called Mind Matters with Qi Yuwu and another drama called Babies On Board with Tay Ping Hui.

In recent years, she has started in several dramas which include Soul Detective, Crouching Toger Hidden Ghost, where she acted alongside her husband, Jeremy Chan, The Takedown, and Loving You.

Personal life

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Liu married Jeremy Chan on 16 July 2017.[5][6]

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Notes Ref.
2010 Lost and Found (小孩·狗) [2]
2015 Bring Back the Dead Jia En
2019 When Ghost Meets Zombie Bai Bai [7]
2023 Circle Line Yi Ling [8]

Television series

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Year Title Role Notes Ref.
2004 Rumput Jiwa Jesseca Liu
The Champion He Yixuan [1]
2005 My Lucky Charm Chen Xiuwen
Portrait of Home Ruan Mian Mian [2]
Portrait of Home II
2006 Yours Always Wang Yingru
Women of Times Jia Wanqi
Rhapsody in Blue Ding Yirou
Through It All Huang Qianyun
2007 Mars vs Venus Weng Ziling [1]
Kinship I Zheng Yusheng
Falling in Love Zheng Zihui [1]
2008 Kinship II Zheng Yusheng
Rhythm of Life Liu Zhiling
Beach.Ball.Babes Cai Yanfang [1]
Crime Busters x 2 Ou Fenni
2009 The Dream Catchers Lin Jiale [1]
Romantic Delicacies Shen Xiaoxin
Baby Bonus Zheng Xiaoyang [9]
2010 New Beginnings Tang Wenxi
2011 Secrets For Sale Zhou Jiaqi [2]
In Time with You Huang Haiyan
The Oath Yang Minfei [2]
2012 Yours Fatefully Song Xinxin [1]
Game Plan Zhao Xingtong
2013 Marry Me Rainbow Ang
Disclosed Kuang Yunxiang
2014 Served H.O.T. Li Xiaorong
Blessings She Meiren [1]
Lin Xiaomei
Who Killed The Lead Lin Huiru
Three Wishes Guest appearance
2015 Hand in Hand Hong Meifang
Accidental Agents Sammi
2016 The Queen Guan Xin [1]
Hero Zhang Weixiong
2017 Eat Already? 2 Psychologist
2018 Mind Matters Qin Xiuxiu [2]
Babies On Board Pang Shiyun [1]
2019 Hello From The Other Side – It's Time Meng Ru [10]
The Driver Ruan Su Xin
Xu Zixin
2020 Mind's Eye He Sijia
Loving You Lin Li
2021 Crouching Tiger Hidden Ghost Lin Xiaofang [11]
The Take Down Qiao Yi
2022 Soul Detective Liu Shuqin
Soul Detective C
2024 Kill Sera Sera Exhibition Boss Cameo
Once Upon a New Year's Eve (那一年的除夕夜) Zhou Chenxi [12]
Unforgivable (不可饶恕的罪恶) Gao Shu Ya

Discography

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Compilation albums

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Year English title Mandarin title
2017 MediaCorp Music Lunar New Year Album 17 新传媒群星咕鸡咕鸡庆丰年
2018 MediaCorp Music Lunar New Year Album 18 新传媒群星阿狗狗过好年

Awards and nominations

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Year Ceremony Category Nominated work Result Ref.
2005 Star Awards Best Supporting Actress Portrait of Home (as Ruan Mianmian) Nominated
Best Newcomer Won [2]
2006 Star Awards Best Actress Rhapsody in Blue (as Ding Yirou) Nominated
Top 10 Most Popular Female Artistes Top 10
2007 Star Awards Best Actress Kinship (as Zheng Yusheng) Nominated
Top 10 Most Popular Female Artistes Top 10
2009 Star Awards Top 10 Most Popular Female Artistes Top 10
2010 Star Awards Favourite Female Character The Dream Catchers (as Lin Jiale) Nominated
Top 10 Most Popular Female Artistes Top 10
2012 Star Awards Favourite Female Character The Oath (as Yang Minfei) Nominated
Favourite Onscreen Couple
(with Christopher Lee)
Nominated
2013 Star Awards Favourite Onscreen Couple
(with Christopher Lee)
Game Plan (as Zhao Xintong) Nominated
2016 Star Awards Top 10 Most Popular Female Artistes Top 10
2017 Star Awards Best Actress Hero (as Zhang Weixiong) Nominated
Top 10 Most Popular Female Artistes Top 10
2019 Asia Rainbow TV Awards Outstanding Leading Actress in Comedy Hero (as Zhang Weixiong) Won
2019 Star Awards Top 10 Most Popular Female Artistes Top 10
2020 New York Festivals TV and Film Award Best Performance by an Actress The Driver (as Su Xin/Zi Xin) Finalist
2021 Star Awards Top 10 Most Popular Female Artistes Top 10
2022 Star Awards Best Actress Crouching Tiger Hidden Ghost (as Lin Xiao Fang) Nominated
Favourite Female Show Stealer Nominated [13]
Favourite CP

(With Jeremy Chan)

Nominated
Top 10 Most Popular Female Artistes Top 10 [14]
2023 Star Awards Top 10 Most Popular Female Artistes Top 10
Star Awards Best Actress Soul Detective (as Liu Shuqin) Nominated
Star Awards Favourite Female Show Stealer Won
2024 Star Awards All-Time Favourite Artiste Won [15]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Style Evolution: Jesseca Liu". 8 Days. 13 February 2022. Archived from the original on 20 July 2023. Retrieved 14 March 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h "Why Jesseca Liu Is Willing To Risk Her Life To Become A Mum". The Singapore Women's Weekly. Archived from the original on 16 December 2021. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
  3. ^ Goh, Joanna (20 May 2010). "Jesseca's Farewell 2010 - Highlights of Jesseca Liu's fleeting showbiz career". xinmsn. Archived from the original on 20 May 2010. Retrieved 13 April 2022.
  4. ^ "Singapore actress Jesseca Liu: I am not a perfect lover". ICON Singapore. 1 March 2017. Archived from the original on 13 April 2022. Retrieved 13 April 2022.
  5. ^ Ng, Gwendolyn (14 June 2017). "Jesseca Liu and Jeremy Chan to wed". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 19 June 2017. Retrieved 22 June 2017.
  6. ^ "Not at first sight, Jesseca Liu and Jeremy Chan share how they fell in love". AsiaOne. Archived from the original on 29 March 2019. Retrieved 6 June 2018.
  7. ^ "Oh, the horror! Singaporean horror films haunting our screens this 2019". CNA Lifestyle. Archived from the original on 9 July 2021. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
  8. ^ Scott, Mathew (6 December 2019). "First Look: The Uniquely Singaporean Monster Movie 'Circle Line'". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 30 November 2022. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
  9. ^ "I want a child before I grow old". The New Paper. 28 September 2009. p. 20.
  10. ^ "Insta-buzz: What the stars were up to this week". 8 Days. Retrieved 7 July 2021.[permanent dead link]
  11. ^ "An actor was left shaken during filming of Jesseca Liu's ghostly new drama". CNA Lifestyle. Archived from the original on 9 July 2021. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
  12. ^ "入行以来接最难演的戏 戚玉武怕败在新作 | 早报". www.zaobao.com.sg (in Simplified Chinese). Retrieved 18 September 2023.
  13. ^ "Star Awards 2022: Chantalle Ng and Xu Bin nominated for Favourite CP, Top 40 Most Popular Artistes revealed". AsiaOne. 10 March 2022. Archived from the original on 6 July 2022. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
  14. ^ Ang, Benson (24 April 2022). "Star Awards 2022 host Chen Hanwei clinches Best Actor award | The Straits Times". www.straitstimes.com. Archived from the original on 25 April 2022. Retrieved 26 April 2022.
  15. ^ "Jesseca Liu wins All - Time Favourite Artiste award in Singapore". 22 April 2024.
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