Background and career
Gurmit Singh Virk, more commonly known simply as Gurmit Singh, (born 24 March 1965) is a Singaporean actor, comedian, and host. He was prominently a full-time Mediacorp artiste from 1994 to 2014. He is best known for his role as the titular protagonist named Phua Chu Kang in Phua Chu Kang Pte Ltd, Phua Chu Kang Sdn Bhd and Phua Chu Kang The Movie, for which he won the Asian Television Awards prize for Best Performance by an Actor (Comedy) five times, from 1998 to 2001 and in 2003 for the former. From 2004 to 2005, he won the Highly Commended prize.
Born in Singapore to a Sikh Indian father, Chainchal Singh Virk and a mother of mixed Chinese and Japanese descent, Singh was brought up as a Sikh, but converted to Christianity in 1985. Singh studied in Outram Secondary School during his years in secondary school. Singh married Melissa Wong in 1995, who is a Cantonese Chinese. They have three children, Gabrielle (born 1997), Elliot (born 2002) and Mikaela (born 2013). Singh is an alumnus of National Police Cadet Corps and held the rank of Cadet Inspector. Singh is a native English speaker owing to his multiracial heritage and is also fluent in Malay as he learnt it as his Mother Tongue Language at school.
Making his debut in the variety show named Live On 5 in 1994, he then became the host and lead actor in the sketch comedy sitcom based on him known as Gurmit's World, which was also debuted in 1994 for the 1st season after Live On 5 Season 1 ended. The 2nd season of Gurmit's World, which continued in 1995, Singh portrayed his 'relatives' in a series of skits (unlike the first season where he played a wide assortment of mostly non-recurring characters), featured the first appearance of a character and general contractor named Phua Chu Kang, where he is one of the 6 characters that Singh was portraying in the 2nd season of Gurmit's World. The Singlish-based spin-off sitcom based on Phua Chu Kang known as Phua Chu Kang Pte Ltd in 1997 made Singh a popular icon, not only in Singapore, but also in neighbouring countries (especially Malaysia and the Riau Islands of Indonesia, as well as the Philippines). This factor leads to having another spin-off sitcom sequel based in Malaysia known as Phua Chu Kang Sdn Bhd (2009–2010). In 2013, Singh was nominated for the Best Actor prize at the 1st Golden Wau Awards, aimed at promoting Chinese-language Malaysian films, for his role in Phua Chu Kang The Movie (2010). In October 2014, the Madame Tussauds Singapore museum unveiled a wax figure of Phua Chu Kang. In November 2014, Singh announced that he would leave the entertainment industry at the end of his full-time television career at Mediacorp - after exactly 20 years. Singh shared that he planned to spend more time with his family and would take on engagements on a more selective basis. In July 2017, Singh was announced by the Dover Park Hospice as the Hospice Ambassador. In August 2020, Phua Chu Kang was announced and signed as Shopee's first Singaporean brand ambassador.
Sing Singapore 2002 : One (We Are One) (2002) duet with Tay Ping Hui One Leg Kicking Original Soundtrack: 'Calling': "Into The House" (2001) Moments Gurmit's debut album (2015) Gurmit Goes Local (1995) comedy album
A Happy Journey Starts Like That! (2009) The PCK Sar-vivor Rap (2003) Love, No Boundaries: "Into the House" (2001) [album single]
Sources
Net-worth figure: Celebrity Net Worth (October 2026), in USD. Biography and career facts: the person's Wikipedia article and linked reporting. Snapshot date for all StarWorth figures: 28 October 2026.
