Tay Ping Hui (born 10 November 1970) is a Singaporean actor and director, known for starring in many Chinese-language television dramas in Singapore and mainland China. In 2014, Tay made his directorial debut with the basketball film Meeting the Giant. Widely regarded as an "Ah-Ge" (阿哥, "big brother") of Caldecott Hill for being one of the most successful actors in Singapore's Chinese-language entertainment industry, Tay won his first Star Awards for Best Actor, after being nominated in that category eight times.

Early life

Tay attended Catholic High School (Primary and Secondary) and Catholic Junior College. He was conferred a Bachelor of Arts degree with a double major in Economics and Political Science from the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences of the National University of Singapore.

Career

Rise to fame

After he graduated from university, Tay was the General Manager of an American food and beverage franchise and was planning to pursue a MBA at Harvard University before he was scouted to join TCS (later MediaCorp). Barely a year after his debut in On the Edge - Mr Personality, Tay won the "Best Supporting Actor" award at the 1999 Star Awards for his portrayal of a gang leader in Stepping Out.

Established Leading Man

Following his Star Award "Best Supporting Actor" win, Tay quickly established himself as one of Singapore's most prominent actors, playing leading roles in both English and Mandarin productions. Tay was also recognised in Lianhe Zaobao's " Top 50 Most Popular Asian Idol" for five consecutive years. While Tay was often cast in 'manly' suave policeman roles in dramas such as C.I.D., Honour and Passion and C.L.I.F., it was his role as a crude Ah beng-turned-chef in Bountiful Blessings that earned him his first Star Awards for Best Actor, after being nominated in that category eight times. In addition to his starring roles in Singapore productions, Tay also acted in Hong Kong film productions such as Summer Holiday directed by Jingle Ma, starring with Hong Kong actress Sammi Cheng, and "Infernal Affairs II" alongside Anthony Wong and Francis Ng. Tay also performed in stage play Butterflies are Free, handpicked by Hong Kong film director Clifton Ko as well as the mandarin stage musical Don't Forget to Say Good Bye (记得说再见).

Venture to China

Tay made his mainland Chinese production debut as Huang Feihu in the China -produced supernatural fantasy television series The Legend and the Hero alongside China Megastar Fan Bing Bing, Liu De Kai and Taiwanese Star Ma Jing Tao. In 2018, Tay left Mediacorp and shifted his focus to acting in China. Tay signed on with Perfect World Pictures (Singapore) in 2018, a China-based agency that was subsequently renamed to GHY Culture & Media. During his time in China, Tay played prominent roles, including the roles of Genghis Khan in The Legend of the Condor Heroes (2017 TV series) and Yan Nantian in Handsome Siblings (2020 TV series). While Tay mostly acted in mainland Chinese productions, he still returned to Singapore to film sporadically. In March 2023, Tay joined the cast in the second season of Titoudao, a televised drama adaptation of a stageplay with the same title.

Becoming A Freelance Actor

In 2024, Tay made a significant career move by parting ways with his China-based agency GHY Culture & Media to pursue freelance acting opportunities. Expressing his aspirations for Hollywood, he unveiled his ambition to explore new horizons in the entertainment industry. Notably, Tay revealed that he had previously auditioned for a role in The Brothers Sun, but was unsuccessful.

Other

Tay has also performed live numerous times on stage for events such as National Day and New Year's Day countdown and has performed alongside Taiwanese stars Wu Bai and Harlem Yu. He has also performed the theme songs of several MediaCorp series such as The Unbeatables III and Double Happiness I. His recording of Follow Me (跟着我一起) from Honour and Passion was named the Best Drama Theme Song at the Star Awards 2007. In 2013, Tay completed his feature film directorial debut with a Singapore-China co-production Meeting the Giant (再见巨人), first of its kind in such collaboration in the local movie industry. The movie was screened in Singapore and China.

Personal life

In 2010, Tay married a university lecturer.

Filmography

Television series

Film

Web series

Variety and reality show

Discography

Drama soundtrack

Awards and nominations