Lin Min Chen (Chinese: 林明禎; born 1 June 1990) is a Malaysian actress active in Malaysian, Taiwanese, and Hong Kong cinema. Debuting as a singer in Taiwan, Lin embarked on her acting career with the Taiwanese romance series Love Me and Prince of Wolf (both 2016). She gained recognition in Hong Kong with her role as Summer/Winter in the horror romance film Vampire Cleanup Department (2017) and has since appeared in various Hong Kong productions, including The Fatal Raid, A Journey of Happiness (both 2019), and One Second Champion (2021). Lin delivered a breakout performance as Meow in the comedy film Table for Six (2022), earning a nomination for Best Supporting Actress in the 41st Hong Kong Film Awards. She reprised the role in the sequel Table for Six 2 (2024).
Early life
Lin was born on 1 June 1990, in Penang, Malaysia.[1][2] She was of Chinese descent with ancestral roots from Chaozhou, Guangdong.[1] Her mother was a lounge bar singer,[3] and she had an elder sister and two younger brothers.[4] When she was six years old, her family moved to Johor Bahru.[4][5] After graduating from high school, Lin ran a beauty salon with her sister to raise money for her brothers' school fees.[3][6] In her childhood, she never intended to join the entertainment industry; instead, she aspired to become a chef. She had plans to study culinary arts in Australia after saving enough money from the salon business.[3]
Career
In 2014, Lin gained popularity on the internet when a customer took a photo of her at the beauty salon.[3][5] Several artist agencies, including singer Yu Heng [zh]'s recently established studio, approached her. Yu Heng invited Lin to Taiwan to record a demo after recognizing her potential.[3] In 2015, Lin signed with Seed Music [zh] as a singer and moved to Taipei to begin her career.[3][5] She released her first single, "My Happy Adventure" in 2016,[7] and subsequently starred in lead roles in the romance web series Love Me [zh] and Prince of Wolf.[8][9] During the same year, the production crew of the horror romance film Vampire Cleanup Department directed by Chiu Sin Hang, went to Taiwan to audition for a suitable lead actress.[3][10] Lin's agency recommended her for the audition, and she won the dual role of Summer/Winter, a vampire who died in the nineteenth century.[10] Her performance in the film garnered public recognition in Hong Kong and marked the beginning of her career there.[3] Lin filmed an advertisement for a Hong Kong fintech company in 2017,[1] and released her second EP #Me in both Taiwan and Hong Kong.[5][11] In 2019, she starred in the comedy action thriller film The Fatal Raid [zh] and the Hong Kong-Malaysian comedy film A Journey of Happiness, playing lead roles.[12][13] She also released her third EP Whoo in the same year.[14] In 2021, Lin appeared in Chiu Sin Hang's sports film One Second Champion as Yiu, a yoga teacher at a struggling boxing gym,[15] and landed a recurring role in the Singaporean horror mystery thriller series The Ferryman·Legends of Nanyang [zh].[16]