Janice Koh, a renowned stage and screen actor, began her study in acting through Victoria Junior College’s Theatre Studies and Drama “A”-level programme. She got a Masters with Distinction in Theatre Administration from the University of London’s Goldsmith’s College in 1996 while receiving a grant from the Public Service Commission. She graduated with honours from the National University of Singapore with a degree in theatre studies.
Janice’s most well-known on-screen performance was as the ambitious lawyer Angela Ang on the highly regarded Channel 5 court drama The Pupil. She was nominated for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role at the 2010 Asian Television Awards for her portrayal of the sassy, quick-witted heroine. Janice received a second nomination for The Pupil Season 2 when Elle Magazine named her for Actress of the Year 2011. This talented performer has appeared in a variety of dramatic parts on several television shows, including an Interpol officer in Season 2 of Zero Calling on Channel 5. She appeared on several other shows as well, including Fighting Spiders Seasons 1 and 2, the well-liked C.L.I.F. Season 2 on Channel 8, OKTO’s The Dairy of Amos Lee, and The Art of Conversation on Channel News Asia, a documentary series that follows the lives of Singapore’s creative talents. Other television initiatives include the Emmy-winning Singapore Short Story Project, Chase for Channel 5, Bertha’s Nest for CNA, Going Straits for Arts Central, and Arts Start. Additionally, Janice has made cameo appearances on Growing Up, Anything Goes, Sayang Sayang, and Phua Chu Kang. Among Janice’s most recent film roles are those in Unlucky Plaza by Ken Kwek, Hitman: Agent 47, and The Offering by Kelvin Tong. She most recently appeared in the Warner Bros. movie Crazy Rich Asians, set for release in August 2018.
Janice is a well-known figure in Singapore’s theatre community and has appeared in more than 50 plays both domestically and internationally. She was nominated for the Life! Theatre Award for Best Actress in 2003 for her roles in Loo Zihan’s With/Out, Alfian Sa’at’s Optic Trilogy, Pangdemonium’s production of Rabbit Hole, and Ovidia Yu’s Hitting (On) Women. She won the award for Best Actress in 2003 for her performance in David Auburn’s Proof.
At the 2016 Boh Cameron Theatre Awards, she and her troupe won the Best Ensemble prize for Another Country by Wild Rice. The Father by Florian Zeller by Pangdemonium, Margery in Robert Askin’s Hand to God by Singapore Repertory Theatre, the role of “Mummy” in Michael Chiang’s iconic “Beauty World,” directed by Dick Lee, The Finger Player’s Rant & Rave for the Esplanade’s 10th Anniversary celebrations, Swimming with Sharks by Pangdemonium, Cooling Off Day by Wild Rice, and Thomas Lim’s Supervision by Wild Rice are among
Janice has been abroad with several productions, visiting important venues and festivals in Europe and Asia. She recently finished a Richard Sandaime tour of Japan, which was co-commissioned by the Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre and the Singapore International Arts Festival. The Ong Keng Sen-directed performance had its world premiere at the 2016 Shizuoka Performing Arts Festival before touring to Singapore, Tokyo, Kumamoto, Osaka, Kochi, and Fukuoka.
Janice’s involvement in the arts and work go beyond theatre and television. She worked at the National Arts Council from 1997 to 2002 in arts funding and strategic development. She has training in arts policy and administration. From 2011 to 2014, she also served as a Nominated Member of Parliament, fervently supporting Singapore’s creative and artistic industries. She emphasised the value and promise of the arts and the artistic community in Singapore in her first speech to the legislature, highlighting the crucial role they play in conveying Singapore’s distinctive identity, its tales, and its creativity to a global audience. Janice urged increased support for Singapore music during her term, emphasised the necessity for greater heritage conservation to preserve Singaporeans’ feeling of place and home, and emphasised the significance of literature and the humanities in the local educational system. She has also been outspoken in her criticism of Singapore’s restrictions and censorship of the arts. Janice sits on a number of boards, including Wild Rice Ltd. and the Victoria Advisory Committee, in the non-profit arts and education sector.
Janice plays Felicity Young, the eldest child of Sir James Young and Shang Su Yi and the mother of Astrid Leong, in Jon M. Chu’s highly anticipated Crazy Rich Asians for Warner Brothers Pictures.
Janice will reprise her role as Angela in the fifth season of Code of Law starting in mid-2020.
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