Christopher Lee (left) and Frederick Lee will face off for the Best Leading Actor gong at Taiwan’s Golden Bell Awards. Photos: Frederick Lee/Instagram
Malaysian-born local star Christopher Lee has been nominated once again for Best Leading Actor at Taiwan’s Golden Bell Awards, this time for the legal drama Port Of Lies (2023).
But a sibling showdown awaits, as his fellow nominee in the same category is his brother, Malaysian actor Frederick Lee.
The nominees for the television awards, Taiwan’s equivalent of the Emmys, were announced on Sept 11.
Christopher Lee, 53, is nominated for Best Leading Actor in a Miniseries or Television Film for his role as indigenous Amis public defender Tong Bao-ju in Port Of Lies.
The series garnered the most nominations in 2024 – 16, including Best Directing for Freddy Tang, Best Leading Actress for Regina Lei, Best Supporting Actor for Yang Lie and Best Supporting Actress for Joy Pan.
This is Christopher’s sixth nomination at the Golden Bell Awards, having prevailed three times before.
He was named Best Supporting Actor in a Television Series in 2022 for crime thriller Danger Zone (2021), Best Leading Actor in a Miniseries or Television Film in 2021 for his role as a construction worker in Taiwanese drama Workers (2020) and Best Leading Actor in 2014 for his role as a workaholic husband in the family drama A Good Wife (2013).
Frederick Lee and Christopher Lee hail from Melaka.
It was deja vu for Christopher, who was informed about his previous Golden Bell nominations while he was golfing.
“As fate would have it, I was playing golf today at a charity match,” he said in a press statement. “It seems destined that I receive such good news whenever I play golf.”
He added he was very happy with Port Of Lies leading the pack, and said it would be a special experience in 2024 as his brother is also in the running.
Frederick, 48, played a monument conservator who has night blindness in the TV film Night Blindness (2023). He was nominated in 2023 for Best Leading Actor in a Television Series for Taiwan Crime Stories – A Matter Of Life And Death (2022).
He said in the same press statement: “It means a lot to be nominated this year, as it is probably once in a lifetime that one gets nominated with a family member. Congrats for being nominated, bro. I am also a nominee.”
The brothers will be up against Taiwanese actors Hsia Ching-ting (Shape Of Love), Yao Chang (Hotel Saltwater) and Mike He (Imperfect Us).
The awards ceremony will be held at the Taipei Music Centre on Oct 18 and 19. – The Straits Times/Asia News Network
