Famous Singaporean Men

Lawyer-turned-politician Lee Kuan Yew, also known as LKY, was the first prime minister of Singapore, from 1959 to 1990. He established the People's Action Party. He later also served as his country’s Senior Minister and Minister Mentor. He was also part of David Rockefeller's International Council and Forbes's Brain Trust.

Lee Hsien Loong is a politician who has been serving as the current prime minister of Singapore since 2004. He has also been serving as the People's Action Party's secretary-general since 2004. Lee is credited with supervising Singapore's economic recovery after the 2008 financial crisis. A former army general, Lee served in the Singapore Armed Forces from 1971 to 1984. 

Singaporean singer, songwriter, record-producer and actor JJ Lin launched his career in music with the album Music Voyager that won him Best New Artist award at the 15th Golden Melody Awards. Moving on, Lin spawned other award-winning albums like Westside and Stories Untold. Lin has his own fashion-line, SMUDGE, and has featured in commercials for brands like Beats and Sprite.    

Goh Chok Tong is a Singaporean former politician best known for his service as the second Prime Minister of Singapore from 28 November 1990 to 12 August 2004. An important politician, Goh also served as the Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for Defence, Minister for Health, and Minister for Trade and Industry of Singapore during his illustrious career.

Aloysius Pang was a Singaporean actor best remembered for his association with multiple Mediacorp dramas. In 2015, he was honored with the Star Award for Best Newcomer. Aloysius Pang died at the age of 28 while training as part of the Singapore Army.

Tharman Shanmugaratnam is a Singaporean economist and politician. He is the current Senior Minister of Singapore and the Coordinating Minister for Social Policies. He is also the current Chairman of the Monetary Authority of Singapore. An influential politician, Tharman Shanmugaratnam has also held important positions like the Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for Finance, and Minister for Education in Singapore.

Tony Tan is a Singaporean politician who served as the 7th president of Singapore from 2011 to 2017. Previously, he served as the 5th deputy prime minister from 1995 till 2005. As the president, he implemented steps to promote a more active civil society. The Foreign Policy Association awarded him a medal for "outstanding leadership and service" in 2011. 

K. Shanmugam is a Singaporean politician and the current Minister for Home Affairs as well as the Minister for Law. A prominent politician, Shanmugam also served as the Second Minister for Home Affairs from 1 April 2009 to 1 November 2010 and as the Minister for Foreign Affairs from 21 May 2011 to 30 September 2015.

Devan Nair was a Malayan-born Singaporean politician best remembered for his service as the third President of Singapore from 23 October 1981 until his resignation on 28 March 1985. A respected political figure, Devan Nair held several important offices, including the Secretary-General office of the National Trades Union Congress.

Chee Soon Juan is a Singaporean politician and the current Secretary-General of the Singapore Democratic Party. Notorious for his unconventional political activities, Chee has been jailed several times. Prior to his entry into politics in 1992, Chee Soon Juan was working at the National University of Singapore as a lecturer.

Aaron Aziz is a Singaporean actor, film director, and singer. Apart from being popular in Singapore, Aziz is also famous in places like Malaysia, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Brunei, and India. Aaron Aziz is a household name in Malaysia, thanks to his appearances in popular TV shows like Fear Factor Malaysia.  

Lawrence Wong is a Malaysian-born Singaporean actor whose portrayal of Hai Lan Cha in the Chinese historical series Story of Yanxi Palace earned him a place in the most influential artistes in China list. His role in the series also earned him a Golden Angel Award under the Best Actor in a Supporting Role category.

James Le Mesurier was an English Army officer who was stationed in Yugoslavia where he was a member of the UN peacekeeping force. He is best remembered as the British co-founder of a volunteer civil defence organization called White Helmets, which was formed during the Syrian Civil War in southern Turkey in 2014.

Ong Teng Cheong was a Singaporean architect and politician. He is known for his service as the fifth President of Singapore from 1 September 1993 to 31 August 1999. Ong Teng Cheong also held important ministerial positions; he served as the Minister for Labour from 1981 to 1983 and then as Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore from 1985 to 1993.

Ng Eng Hen is a Singaporean politician and the current Minister for Defence. He has also held several other ministerial positions, including the Minister for Manpower from 12 August 2004 to 31 March 2008 and the Minister for Education from 1 April 2008 to 20 May 2011. Prior to his entry into politics, Ng worked at the Singapore General Hospital.

Tan Cheng Bock is a Singaporean medical practitioner and politician. He is the current Chairman of the Progress Singapore Party, which he founded with 11 other members in 2019. From 28 March 2019 to 31 March 2021, he served as the party's first Secretary-General. Also known for his philanthropic activities, Tan has been involved with organizations like Disabled People's Association.   

Gurmit Singh is a Singaporean actor, television personality, and comedian. He is best known for playing the title role in the popular TV series, Phua Chu Kang Pte Ltd, which earned him five Asian Television Awards between 1998 and 2003. The series also earned him popularity in other countries like Malaysia.

A self-made business tycoon, Singaporean entrepreneur Adam Khoo had become a millionaire at 26. The founder of one of Asia’s biggest education and training groups, he also owns an online trading school. He has penned countless bestselling books, has held seminars worldwide, and is the most-watched YouTube trading mentor.

Singapore-based Malaysian actor, host and singer Christopher Lee Meng Soon rose to prominence with his remarkable performance in the Singaporean television drama The Price of Peace that won him Best Actor award at the 1997 Star Awards. He went on to bolster his acting career with TV series like A Good Wife and Workers, and films like The Long Goodbye.   

Tan See Leng is a Singaporean politician best known for his service as a Minister in the Prime Minister's Office from 27 July 2020 to 14 May 2021. He is the current Minister for Manpower as well as the Second Minister for Trade and Industry. Tan See Leng also served as the Second Minister for Manpower from 2020 to 2021.

George Yeo is a Singaporean retired politician best known for his service as the Minister for Foreign Affairs from 12 August 2004 to 20 May 2011. He also held other important ministerial positions, such as the Minister for Trade and Industry, Minister for Health, and Minister for Information and the Arts. Prior to entering politics, Yeo served as a Brigadier-General.

Sundaresh Menon is a Singaporean jurist and lawyer. He is the current Chief Justice of Singapore. Before his appointment as chief justice, Menon served as the Judicial Commissioner of Singapore from 3 April 2006 to 2 April 2007. He also served as the sixth Attorney-General of Singapore from 1 October 2010 to 25 June 2012.

Desmond Tan is a Singaporean actor best known for his portrayal of Luo Xiaoxiao in a TV drama titled A Song to Remember, which earned him the prestigious Rocket Award at the 2012 Star Awards. Since then, he has won several other Star Awards under various categories.

Jeremy Chan is a Singaporean actor best known for his portrayal of Bert Tan in the 2018 TV series My Agent Is A Hero, which earned him an Asian Academy Creative Award under the Best Comedy Performance category. Jeremy Chan is also famous as a host, most notably as the host of On the Beat series. 

David Marshall was a Singaporean lawyer and politician. He is best remembered for his service as the first Chief Minister of Singapore from 6 April 1955 to 7 June 1956. Marshall played an important role in attaining independence for Singapore from the United Kingdom.

Romeo Tan is a Singaporean actor who first achieved popularity after finishing fourth in the tenth season of the popular talent search show, Star Search. Since then, Romeo Tan has appeared in numerous TV series and several films. He has also received several Star Awards over the course of his career. 

Jack Neo is a Singaporean actor, comedian, television host, and film director. He is renowned for his cross-dressing roles as Liang Xi Mei and Liang Po Po in the long-running TV series Comedy Nite. Jack Neo has also played the roles in films like Wonderful! Liang Xi Mei and Liang Po Po: The Movie.

Elvin Ng is a Singaporean actor best known for his contribution to the TV industry in Singapore. Over the course of his career, Elvin has won many Star Awards under various categories. Elvin Ng was an accomplished model prior to commencing his acting career.

Singaporean politician, lawyer and author Pritam Singh serves as Member of Parliament of Singapore for the Eunos divison of Aljunied GRC since May 2011, as Leader of the Opposition in Parliament of Singapore since August 2020 and as Secretary-General of Workers' Party since April 2018. Singh is also a reservist commander in the Singapore Armed Forces holding rank of Major.

S.R. Nathan was a Singaporean diplomat, politician, and civil servant. He is known for his service as the sixth President of Singapore from 1999 to 2011. Prior to his service as president, Nathan served as the Director of the Security and Intelligence Division from 1971 to 1979. He was also the Singapore Ambassador to the US from 1990 to 1996.

Mas Selamat bin Kastari is an Indonesian-born Singaporean criminal who achieved notoriety in 2008 when he escaped from detention, becoming Singapore's most-wanted fugitive for over a year before his rearrest in 2009. He was initially arrested in 2006 by Indonesian anti-terror squads in Java, Indonesia. Mas Selamat bin Kastari is currently imprisoned in Singapore under the Internal Security Act. 

Pierre Png commenced acting with the Singaporean film Forever Fever and made his television-debut with Phua Chu Kang Pte Ltd. Moving-on, he bolstered his career with dramas like Zero Calling and Zero Calling 2 both of which won him Best Actor in a Leading Role award at Asian Television Awards. His Hollywood debut happened with the film Crazy Rich Asians.

Ng Chin Han is a Singaporean actor who has played important roles on stage, film, and TV. Over the course of his career, which has spanned over 20 years, Chin Han has established himself as one of the most popular Asian actors in Hollywood. He is best known for his portrayal of Lau in the 2008 film The Dark Knight.

Singaporean businessman Lee Hsien Yang is the son of former Prime Minister of Singapore, Lee Kuan Yew, and brother of current Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. Yang served in the Singapore Armed Forces for almost two-decades and retired as Brigadier-General. Following his military-career, Yang held several administrative positions including as CEO in SingTel. He joined Progress Singapore Party in 2020.      

From uploading an image showing Margaret Thatcher having anal sex, to posting objectionable content on Singaporean prime minister Lee Kuan Yew, blogger and YouTuber Amos Yee has done it all. Controversy’s favorite child Yee has, of late, been accused of exchanging sexually explicit messages and pictures with a 14-year-old girl.

S. Rajaratnam was a Singaporean politician best remembered for his service as the first Senior Minister of Singapore from 2 January 1985 to 3 September 1988. Rajaratnam is credited with authoring the Singapore National Pledge and is counted among the founding fathers of Singapore. He is also credited with co-founding the famous People's Action Party.

Shane Pow is a Singaporean actor who was signed with MediaCorp from 2012 to 2021. His contract was terminated following a drunk driving incident in 2020. Shane Pow has won a couple of Star Awards so far in his career.

Tay Ping Hui is a Singaporean actor and film director. He came into prominence in 2000, just a year after making his TV debut, when he landed his breakthrough role in As You Like It. Thereafter, Tay Ping Hui went on to become a bankable actor, starring in many TV series and winning several Star Awards.