Ian Fang
 |
Ian Fang | |
|---|---|
| 方威捷 | |
.jpg) Fang in May 2017 | |
| Born | Fang Weijie 13 December 1989 Shanghai, China |
| Education | Republic Polytechnic |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 2011–2025 |
| Notable work | |
| Awards | See list |
| Musical career | |
| Genre | Mandopop |
| Instrument | Vocals |
| Years active | 2016–2025 |
| Birth name | |
| Chinese | 方威捷 |
| Hanyu Pinyin | Fāng Wēijié |
| Wade–Giles | Fāng Wei chieh |
| Stage name | |
| Traditional Chinese | 方偉傑 |
| Simplified Chinese | 方伟杰 |
| Hanyu Pinyin | Fāng Wěijié |
| Wade–Giles | Fāng Wei chieh |
| Criminal information | |
| Status | Incarcerated |
| Conviction | Sexual penetration of a minor |
Criminal charges | Sexual penetration of a minor, harassment, obstruction of justice |
| Penalty | 40 months imprisonment |
Ian Fang Weijie (born 13 December 1989; Chinese: 方威捷; pinyin: Fāng Wēijié) is a Chinese convicted child sex offender and former actor and acting teacher.
Fang was named as one of Mediacorp's 8 Dukes of Caldecott Hill. In 2013, he portrayed a student who lost his grandmother and had to struggle for a living in the drama Don't Stop Believin'. Through that debut role, he was awarded the Best Newcomer Award at the annual Star Awards Ceremony. Fang also starred in the drama On the Fringe 2011 and the cast members of the drama later also appeared in the film Imperfect. Fang left Mediacorp in 2023.
In 2025, Fang was convicted after pleading guilty to sexually penetrating a minor. He was sentenced to 40 months imprisonment and later had his PR revoked.
Early life
Fang was born in Shanghai, China. His parents divorced when he was four. He had been brought up by his grandmother before his mother moved him to Singapore in 2002.
Career
Fang made his acting debut in police drama C.L.I.F. in 2011, playing a rich kid who lands himself in trouble after single-handedly masterminding a series of bombings. He was also a production assistant for the medical drama The Oath produced by Wawa Pictures for Mediacorp.
In 2012, Fang made his debut in the film Imperfect. The same year, he also starred in Show Hand alongside Christopher Lee and Don't Stop Believin'.
In 2013, Fang was awarded the Best Newcomer award at Star Awards 2013. He also hosted his first travelogue My Working Holiday where he visited different countries to work in exchange for food and lodging, which earned him a nomination for the Best Info-Ed Host at Star Awards 20.
In 2014, Fang starred as a lead role in Channel U, Served H.O.T.. In the same year, he was given a role in basketball-themed movie Meeting the Giant, directed by Tay Ping Hui.
In 2016, Fang was nominated as the Best Supporting Actor in Star Awards 2016 as Chen Hao Wei in Tiger Mum which won Best Drama in 2016. He also made his debut as a rap artist and released his first single, "1st Attempt", featuring vocals from Sylvester Sim.
In 2017, Fang was nominated as the Best Supporting Actor in Star Awards as Lin Zi Jie in The Dream Job. He also release his second single "Still me" featuring Desmond Ng.
In 2018, Fang was nominated as the Best Supporting Actor in Star Awards as Shuai Ge in Till We Meet Again.
Fang had won two Star Awards for Top 10 Most Popular Male Artistes in 2015 and 2017 respectively.
On 27 April 2023, Fang announced he would not renew his contract with Mediacorp when it ended on 30 April. After leaving Mediacorp, Fang worked as an acting teacher at a child modelling school.
Personal life
Since moving to Singapore, he went by a simplified Chinese form of Fang Weijie (simplified Chinese: 方伟杰; traditional Chinese: 方偉傑) and had debuted with this name. In 2022, he revealed that his birth name is Fang Weijie (Chinese: 方威捷) and would be using his birth name henceforth.
In 2015, Fang became a permanent resident of Singapore.
In 2019, a series of explicit text messages between actress Carrie Wong and Fang was leaked, suggesting a sexual affair between the two. The leaked texts also contained criticism towards fellow actor Lawrence Wong.
Sexual Offenses
In May 2024, Fang, then 34, met a 15-year-old girl at an entertainment event and exchanged contact details with her. Throughout the following month, he had sex with her on nine occasions at various places. On August 3, the girl's mother made a police report after learning about the illicit sexual relationship between her and Fang.
Legal proceedings
On August 4, Fang was arrested and released on bail the following day. Despite the police's instructions, Fang reached out to the victim multiple times, even after she ceased contact with him. During at least one of those occasions, he urged her to convince her mother not to press charges against him and threatened to commit suicide if jailed.
On January 24, 2025, Fang was charged for sexually penetrating a 15-year-old minor on numerous occasions in 2024. He was also charged with obstruction of justice and harassment involving the same minor. He was sentenced to 40 months imprisonment and began serving his sentence on 16 June 2025. The victim's family expressed dissatisfaction that Fang's sentence did not include caning and their intentions to sue him; social media users commenting on his case also questioned why he was not caned. Lawyers, however, explained that Fang's case was not covered by any law that would have sanctioned caning.
On 5 February 2026, following his sentencing, Fang's permanent residency in Singapore was revoked; he will be deported and barred from re-entering Singapore following the conclusion of his sentence. Two days later, Richard Siaw, Fang's victim's family's legal representative, announced that they had decided to withdraw the civil lawsuit against him.
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Imperfect | Zach | ||
| 2013 | Love...and Other Bad Habits | Darrell | ||
| 2014 | Meeting the Giant | He Xiaodi | ||
| 2017 | Goodbye Mr. Loser | Lin Yibai |
Television series
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | C.L.I.F. | Luo Chaolong | Cameo | |
| On The Fringe | Jason Liu | |||
| 2012 | Rescue 995 | Yuan Zhiwei | Cameo | |
| Show Hand (注定) | Zhang Bisheng | |||
| Don't Stop Believin' | Bai Zhixiang | |||
| 2013 | 96°C Café | Liu Chuanzhi | ||
| The Dream Makers | Joey Zhou Yaozu | |||
| Sudden | Zhong Wentai | |||
| 2014 | Served H.O.T. (烧。卖) | Owen Tan | ||
| World at Your Feet | Hong Dehai | |||
| 2015 | Life Is Beautiful | Zai Zai | ||
| Tiger Mum | Chen Haowei | |||
| The Journey: Our Homeland | Wan Zicong | |||
| Life - Fear Not | Bai Zhixiang | Cameo | ||
| The Dream Makers II | Joey Zhou Yaozu | |||
| 2016 | The Truth Seekers | Chen Guohui | Cameo | |
| The Dream Job | Lin Zijie | |||
| Soul Reaper (勾魂使者) | Lin Guanghui | |||
| Hero | Zhang Weikang | |||
| 2017 | Eat Already? 2 | Ah Huat | ||
| Life Less Ordinary | Sol Li Ziyang | |||
| 2018 | Till We Meet Again – Prequel (千年来说对不起-前传) | Zhu Bajie | ||
| Till We Meet Again (千年来说对不起) | Shuai Ge | |||
| 2019 | Voyage Of Love (爱。起航) | Yang Jiahui | ||
| Hello Miss Driver (下一站，遇见) | Lin Yuxing | |||
| All Is Well – Singapore (你那边怎样，我这边OK) | Li Hao | |||
| True Lies (大话精) | Liu Dehua | |||
| 2020 | Happy Prince (快乐王子) | Li DaWei | ||
| A Jungle Survivor (森林生存记) | Max | |||
| Mister Flower (花花公子) | Andy | |||
| 2021 | Crouching Tiger Hidden Ghost | Xie Weixiang | ||
| Key Witness (关键证人) | Zheng Bi'de | |||
| The Heartland Hero | Satay King | |||
| Mr Zhou's Ghost Stories@Job Haunting | Sebastian | |||
| 2022 | The Unbreakable Bond (寄生) | Zhuang Daoshen | ||
| 2023 | Mr Zhou's Ghost Stories@Job Haunting II | Sebastian | ||
| 2024 | Kill Sera Sera |
Variety show hosting
| Year | Title | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | My Working Holiday (打工看世界) | Nominated – Best Info-ed Programme Host, Star Awards 20 | |
| 2014 | My Star Guide 9 (我的导游是明星9) | Ningbo / Huangshan episodes | |
| The Dukes' Theme Park Challenge (公子爱挑战) | |||
| 2015 | My Star Guide 10 (我的导游是明星10) | Hunan episodes |
Discography
Singles
| Year | Title | Album | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 1st Attempt (featuring Sylvester Sim) | Non-album single | Independent |
| 2017 | Still Me (featuring Desmond Ng) | Non-album single | Independent |
| 2018 | Mr. Piggy | Non-album single | Independent |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Star Awards | Favourite Male Character | On The Fringe (as Jason Liu) | Nominated | |
| 2013 | Star Awards | Best Newcomer | Don't Stop Believin' (as Bai Zhixiang) | Won | |
| Rocket Award | Nominated | ||||
| Asian Television Awards | Best Actor in a Supporting Role | Nominated | |||
| 2014 | Star Awards | London Choco Roll Happiness Award | Sudden (as Zhong Wentai) | Nominated | |
| Top 10 Most Popular Male Artistes | N/a | Nominated | |||
| Best Info-Ed Programme Host | My Working Holiday | Nominated | |||
| Star Awards for Most Popular Regional Artiste (Indonesia) | N/a | Nominated | |||
| Star Awards for Most Popular Regional Artiste (Malaysia) | N/a | Nominated | |||
| 2015 | Star Awards | Top 10 Most Popular Male Artistes | N/a | Won | |
| Favourite Onscreen Couple (with Kimberly Chia) | World at Your Feet (as Hong Dehai) | Nominated | |||
| Toggle Outstanding Duke Award | N/a | Nominated | |||
| 2016 | Star Awards | Best Supporting Actor | Tiger Mum (as Chen Haowei) | Nominated | |
| Toggle Most Beloved Celebrity BFF Award (with Jeffrey Xu) | N/a | Nominated | |||
| Fame Award 2016 | Best Actor in a Supporting Role | The Journey: Our Homeland (as Wan Zicong) | Nominated | ||
| 2017 | Star Awards | Top 10 Most Popular Male Artistes | N/a | Won | |
| London Choco Roll Happiness Award | The Dream Job (as Lin Zijie) | Won | |||
| Bioskin Healthiest Hair Award | Nominated | ||||
| Best Supporting Actor | Nominated | ||||
| 2018 | Star Awards | Best Theme Song | Life Less Ordinary (as Sol Li Ziyang) | Nominated | |
| 2019 | Star Awards | Best Supporting Actor | Till We Meet Again (as Shuai Ge) | Nominated | |
| 2021 | Star Awards | Best Supporting Actor | All is Well-Singapore (as Li Hao) | Nominated | |
| Bioskin Most Charismatic Artiste Award | N/a | Nominated | |||
| Top 10 Most Popular Male Artistes | N/a | Nominated | |||
| 2024 | Star Awards | Top 10 Most Popular Male Artistes | N/a | Nominated |
References
- 1 2 "10 Facts About Ian Fang, the Actor Who's Embroiled in the Leaked IG DMS with Carrie Wong". goodyfeed.com. 16 May 2019.
- 1 2 Lee, Jocelyn (28 January 2015). "Actor Ian Fang addresses childhood issues with his single mum". Asiaone. Archived from the original on 12 November 2019.
- ↑ "Ian Fang 方伟杰 – Celebrity Bios". entertainment.xin.msn.com. xinmsn. Archived from the original on 2 August 2014. Retrieved 27 June 2014.
- 1 2 "Former Mediacorp actress Zully Le criticises Ian Fang for his sexual offences". The Straits Times. 21 May 2025. ISSN 0585-3923. Retrieved 23 May 2025.
- ↑ "Celebrity Chow with Shanghai-born Singapore- based actor Ian Fang". news.asiaone.com. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 27 June 2014.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Ian Fang leaving Mediacorp after 12 years; says 'you can't harp on the fame you used to have'". TODAY. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
- ↑ "Ex Mediacorp Actor Ian Fang Is Now Teaching Child Acting Classes; Is Focused On His New Career Though He "Wants To Be Someone On TV Again"". 8days.
- ↑ "10 things you didn't know about Ian Fang". Her World Singapore. 15 January 2025. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
- ↑ "Mediacorp actors Ian Fang and Carrie Wong apologise following leak of explicit private messages". Straits Times. 14 May 2019.
- ↑ "Ian Fang-Carrie Wong text scandal: Yanxi Palace actor Lawrence Wong hits back at criticism". Straits Times. 15 April 2019.
- 1 2 Zeng, Zoe (19 May 2025). "From Mediacorp Heartthrob To Convict: A Timeline Of Ian Fang's Sexual Offences Case". GirlStyle Singapore. Retrieved 20 September 2026.
- ↑ Tham, Davina (24 January 2025). "Former TV personality charged with sexually assaulting minor". Channel NewsAsia. Retrieved 20 September 2026.
- ↑ Koh Wan Ting. "Actor Ian Fang jailed 40 months for sexual offences with minor, gag order lifted on his identity". CNA. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
- ↑ Andrew Wong (19 May 2025). "Former actor Ian Fang jailed 40 months for sexual offences against 15-year-old girl". The Straits Times. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
- ↑ "多次性侵未满16岁少女 本地前电视艺人方威捷认罪" [Multiple sexual assaults on a girl under 16 years old; local former television artist Fang Weijie pleads guilty.]. 8world (in Chinese (Singapore)). 19 May 2025. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
- ↑ Tham, Davina (3 June 2025). "'He marked my daughter for life': Father of Ian Fang's victim speaks out". Channel NewsAsia. Retrieved 20 September 2026.
- 1 2 Ting, Koh Wan (20 May 2025). "CNA Explains: Why was former actor Ian Fang jailed but not caned for his sexual offences?". Channel NewsAsia. Retrieved 20 September 2026.
- ↑ Al Anthony, Darcel (5 February 2026). "Former actor Ian Fang's PR status revoked; to be deported and barred from re-entering Singapore after sentence". Channel NewsAsia. Retrieved 20 September 2026.
- ↑ Sidin, Nurshahiylia (7 February 2026). "Family of underage girl withdraws lawsuit against Ian Fang, says she wishes to move forward with her life". Mothership. Retrieved 20 September 2026.
- ↑ Loh, Genevieve (29 August 2012). "Singapore's young and restless". Today.
- ↑ "Elvin Ng and Rui En are ex-convicts in 130-episode drama The Heartland Hero". Yahoo News. 1 September 2021. Retrieved 20 May 2025.
- ↑ "Dennis Chew Says 3 Female Ghosts Were Captured On Film When He Shot 1991 Drama The Future Is Mine At The Haunted East Coast Lighthouse". TODAY. Retrieved 20 May 2025.
- ↑ 钟, 雁龄 (6 March 2014). "《红星》「区域最受欢迎艺人」 范文芳 刘子绚 没合约 出局！". Shin Min Daily News. pp. 10/11.
- ↑ "Top Awards: Who won what at the Star Awards". TODAY. Retrieved 24 July 2025.
- ↑ Fam, Jonathan (23 January 2017). "Star Awards 2017 Nominations Revealed!". 8days. Retrieved 24 July 2025.
- ↑ "Taiwanese Host Matilda Tao, Korean Actor Kim Jae Hoon Among 94 Nominees Vying To Be Star Awards 2024 Most Popular Artistes". 8days. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
External links
- [dead link] on toggle.sg