The character arc of Aileen Tan
A life drawn by Character Arc from the public record
Born on 18 October 1966 in Singapore. Between then and now sit Willow Secondary School, a year in sales, an office administrator's job at an advertising agency, second place and Most Photogenic at the inaugural Star Search in 1988, Growing Up from 2000, Red Thread in 2009, a Best Supporting Actress award in 2013 and the lead in a Jack Neo film announced on 29 May 2015. The line below draws the story so far, in order.
Tap the line to pluck it. Hover or tap any mark for its card. Drawn from the public record of her life; the sources are at the foot of the page.
Who is Aileen Tan?
She came second.
She studied at Willow Secondary School and worked in sales for more than a year before becoming an office administrator at an advertising agency. That is where the line starts: not in a drama school, but in an office. In 1988 she took part in the Singapore Broadcasting Corporation's inaugural Star Search and was placed second, behind Zoe Tay. She also won the award for Most Photogenic.
Second place in a talent contest is a strange thing to build a career on, and the record of the decades after it is the interesting part. She worked in Mandarin drama and then moved into English ones as well. In 2000 she played Mae in Growing Up on Channel 5, which became the longest running drama series the channel had, and in 2009 she played Suzanne Kong, a tycoon's wife, in the forty episode drama Red Thread.
In 2013 she won Best Actress in a Supporting Role at the 18th Asian Television Awards, for The Day It Rained on Our Parade, a series of four episodes. On 29 May 2015 it was announced that she would play the lead in Jack Neo's film Long Long Time Ago, alongside Mark Lee and Wang Lei.
The moments
Aileen Tan's timeline.
The 1980s
Sales, then an office
Milestone, and it changed her direction. A sales job and then an office, before any of the rest of it.
Second at Star Search
Milestone, and it changed everything. Second place, and a career out of it anyway.
Go back to the office
Crossroads, decided.
The paths laid out: stay on screen, taken, or return to the agency. She won Best Actress in a Supporting Role at the 18th Asian Television Awards in 2013 and took a film lead announced on 29 May 2015.
The 2000s
Mae, in Growing Up
Milestone, and it changed everything. A second language on screen, and the channel's longest running series.
Red Thread
Milestone, and it changed her direction. Forty episodes, in a leading part.
The 2010s
Best Supporting Actress
Milestone, and it changed everything. A regional award, for four episodes of work.
A Jack Neo lead
Milestone, and it changed everything. A film lead, twenty seven years after the contest.
The line reaches today still adding to itself, which is why it is drawn now rather than at the end. What it has set moving is the answer to the result: the contest gave out one first place in 1988, and a second place turned out to be enough to work from for the next three decades.
Your turn
Every line draws a unique story.
Hers began in an office and came second in the contest that started it. Yours is already further along than you think, and drawing it takes about five minutes.
Aileen Tan: frequently asked questions
What people ask about her line.
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Where does this timeline of Aileen Tan's life come from?
More character arcs
Lives that rhyme with her.
Sources
- Aileen Tan, English Wikipedia biography, filed under living people.
- Wikidata, for her date of birth, which the English Wikipedia article does not carry.
- Asian Television Awards, eighteenth ceremony, 2013.