George Young
Quick Facts
Biography
George Young (simplified Chinese: 吴宇卫; traditional Chinese: 吳宇衞; pinyin: Wú Yǔwèi), also known as George Ng; was born in the UK on 29 February 1980 and is a UK based actor, presenter and writer.
Early life and education
The eldest of four brothers, Young was born on Leap Year's Day in London, England to a Malaysian Chinese father and Greek Cypriot mother. He was educated at Winchester College and studied acting in New York before receiving his degree in Psychology from the University of Southampton, and then a law degree at the University of Westminster and The College of Law.
Although Young completed his solicitor traineeship in the City of London law firm, and is a fully qualified solicitor for the Supreme Court of England and Wales, he gave this up to pursue his love of acting.
Career
Young began his career in entertainment in the United Kingdom, appearing in BBC's Casualty and subsequently filming his first feature role in the Bollywood film Jhootha Hi Sahi.
After filming several TV commercials in Taiwan and Thailand, and a music video with Ariel Lin, Young made an appearance onTravel and Living Channel(TLC), taking a guest co-hosting spot alongside Janet Hsieh on the show Fun Taiwan. He has subsequently been credited as a script writer for the show.
In 2011, Young hosted Million Dollar Money Drop: Singapore Edition which premiered on National Day on MediaCorp Channel 5. Both the show and Young trended worldwide on the social network and micro-blogging site Twitter shortly after the show first aired.
In the same year, Young starred in the second installment of The Pupil as new pupil Benjamin Wong. The season premiered on 18 August 2011.
After studying Mandarin for less than a year, Young filmed two Mediacorp Mandarin-language dramas concurrently: Yours Fatefully and Joys of Life, for MediaCorp Channel 8.
In 2015, George landed his first US television series, playing the part of Dr Victor Cannerts: a series regular role in the show Containment. The show premiered in the US on 19 April 2016 on The CW.
In 2016, George and his wife Janet Hsieh co-authored the book "Starting at The End" (Chinese language title: "在世界的盡頭說:我願意"). The book shares their sometimes conflicting stories on how they met, as well as their fifty-day journey through Texas, Argentina and their wedding in Antarctica.
Young is represented in Singapore by Fly Entertainment, and Agency for the Performing Arts (APA) in the US.
in 2019, Young joined James Wan's upcoming film Malignantas the male lead.
Philanthropy
In 2012 and 2013, Young partnered with Kiehl's to raise money and awareness for those with Autism. Young is the eldest of four brothers, two of whom are autistic; raising awareness of autism and raising funds to support those with autism is a cause that Young feels strongly about.
"People with autism are just that – people first and foremost, with a condition that is autism...they have hobbies, they have loves, they have passions, but all of it is locked within this condition that is autism. There's no cure for autism at the moment, but with treatments at an early age, their thought potential can be unlocked."
In addition to his charity work, Young has also fronted two government-funded youth campaigns: the anti-drug campaign Dance Works! 2012, sponsored by Central Narcotics Bureau in Singapore, and the Health Promotion Board in Singapore's Bounce Back Stronger campaign for youth resilience.
Shows
- High 5 Basketball High 5 制霸青春 (2016)
- Containment (2016)
- Grace (TV series) (2014)
- Mata Mata (TV series) (2013)
- Spouse For House (2013)
- Artographer (TV series) (2013)
- History Alive! (TV series) (2013)
- The Journey: A Voyage" 唐山到南洋 (2013)
- The Dream Makers 志在四方 (2013)
- Get Social (2013)
- 96C Cafe 96 °C 咖啡 (2013)
- Joys of Life 花样人间 (2012)
- Yours Fatefully 孤男寡女 (2012)
- artBITES(2011, 2012)
- Lunch Crunch (TV Series) (2011)
- The Pupil(2011)
- Million Dollar Money Drop: Singapore Edition (2011)
- The Brian Jackson Show(2009)
- Casualty(2008)
Awards
- LA Film Awards 2018, for Home (short film): Best Actor in an Indie Film (Winner), "Best Duo" (Winner; award shared with Janet Hsieh), "Best Picture" (Nominated)
- Best Shorts Competition 2018, for Home (short film): Award of Excellence: Actor (Leading) (Winner), "Award of Excellence (Special Mention: Disability Issues)" (Winner), "Award of Excellence: Asian Competition" (Winner)
- Asian Television Award 2015, nominated for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for the HBO (Asia) mini-series Grace
- ELLE Award 2012, winner, for Actor of the Year
- ELLE Award 2011, winner, for Breakout Star of the Year
- Cosmopolitan Singapore's Fearless Male Award, 2011
- Her World Singapore magazine's Sexiest Local Man of 2012 nomination.