How Jack Lim went from school dropout to award-winning entertainer
Ask Jack Lim what his biggest achievement in his longtime career as a radio announcer and actor is, he won’t flaunt his monthly six-figure income or any other material achievements.

Instead, he takes pride in being the go-to confidant for his friends whenever they face troubles.

Affectionately known as “Big Brother”, Lim has won over friends and fans alike for his caring, cheerful and friendly attitude.

“I’m proud of the fact that they will turn to me first, not the police, their parents or partners. I have never and will never find it bothersome because my phone is available 24/7,” the 48-year-old told StarLifestyle.

During our chat, Lim recounted several occasions when his radio announcer pals sought his advice – including when DJ Yoon got her car stolen, DJ Aki had two bullets fired at her home and DJ Emely Poon discovered an intruder in her house.

He added: “The fact that my friends place so much trust in me gives me affirmation that I’m someone important in their life.”

Having friends who place full trust in him, Lim feels responsible for protecting them.

It was one of the reasons why he couldn’t help but strike the man who got caught secretly recording upskirt videos of his friend actress Han Xiao Ai and other local female celebrities.

The incident took place last month at a promotional event in Pavilion Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur.

Affectionately known as “Big Brother”, Lim (centre) has won over friends for his warm personality. Photo: Jack Lim/Instagram

As the story goes, Lim spotted a man who kept moving a paper bag towards the skirts of several female artistes and alerted fellow singer Henry Teo to chase him down. With the help of several food delivery riders, the man was eventually caught.

“We found a hole in the paper bag for his phone to record the videos. After checking his phone, I saw many upskirt photos and videos of artistes – old and recent ones. That’s when I knew he’s a habitual offender,” he said.

Lim told StarLifestyle that he didn’t want to retaliate at first. However, he found himself “naturally” swinging his hand at the man when the latter “intentionally” bumped into him.

Although Lim acknowledged that he could’ve handled the situation better, he didn’t regret his actions.

“I’ve assessed the situation clearly. This person’s a habitual offender who’s been punished by the law multiple times (for the same offence) but never learned from his mistakes,” he said.

When asked why he decided to take matters into his own hands despite authorities present at the scene, Lim said it’s because he’s seen too many reports of women getting harassed and assaulted in public spaces.

He added: “The thing about habitual offenders is that most of them dare to repeat their wrongdoings because the punishments they have received in the past weren’t heavy enough.

“We as a society need to protect one another and expose these offenders before they commit worse crimes.”

Chasing the dream

Having spent the past 30 years acting, and the past 22 presenting for a local Chinese-language radio station, Lim has established himself as a popular entertainer in Malaysia.

His journey in showbiz started from humble beginnings.

Lim dropped out of secondary school when he was 15 in pursuit of his creative endeavours.

The Ipoh-born celebrity worked in a factory for a few months and started deejaying in nightclubs when he was 17.

“My parents didn’t have a problem with my decision because they never went to college either. My mum studied until Primary Six whereas my dad studied until Form Five,” Lim said.

He continued: “They would just leave it up to me like, ‘Oh, you don’t want to continue studying? OK, then you can go and work’.”

Aside from spinning music, Lim was keen on acting too.

Lim worked as an extra under the now dissolved HVD Film Production company for nine years. Photo: HandoutIn 1993, he signed a contract with the now-dissolved HVD Film Production company and played extras in films.

“For nine years, I would be in the background of films either sitting down or walking past others. I didn’t even have a name of my own.

“The company closed down in 2002, and I lost my job as an extra,” he recalled.

Hoping to make ends meet, Lim decided to give the radio industry a shot.

But there was one problem: He didn’t have the minimum educational qualifications required to land the job.

“When I applied to become a deejay at Astro, I was rejected. The minimum requirement was a diploma or degree but I didn’t even have an SPM certificate.

“Even cleaning jobs there require at least an SPM qualification,” he said.

Thankfully, Lim had a friend working in the company who managed to convince the big boss to give him a chance.

After completing his six-month probationary period, Lim officially became a permanent employee at My FM at 27.

From extra to main star

Lim worked very hard during the early days of his career, surviving on only one or two hours of sleep daily.

“Every day, I’d wake up at 5am and go to bed at 3am. I didn’t mind it because I felt like I started (my career in the radio industry) very late. I was new to all these things and I wanted to make sure I got everything right,” he said.

Fortunately, his hard work paid off and more opportunities started rolling in.

Lim saw a chance to revive his acting career in 2008 after receiving an offer to star in Singaporean filmmaker Jack Neo’s action comedy, Ah Long Pte Ltd.

He would go on to become the lead star of the Singaporean film Love Matters (2009) and the Malaysian comedy movie Tiger Woohoo! (2010), in which he famously plays the security guard Ah Beng.

Lim is well known for his role as the security guard Ah Beng. Photo: Handout

His character was so loved it birthed two spin-off films – Ah Beng The Movie: Three Wishes (2012) and Ah Beng: Mission Impossible (2014).

In 2010, Lim established his very own movie production company, The Film Engine.

His popularity only kept soaring from there.

Lim has served as an ambassador for brands like Slim Doc, Sony TV, Samsung, Yakult and more.

A report also said that his hosting fee has risen from RM5,000 to nearly RM30,000 after achieving fame.

Lim won Most Celebrated Chinese Radio Announcer trophy at The Knights Award in July 2023. Photo: Jack Lim/InstagramLast July, Lim won the Most Celebrated Chinese Radio Announcer trophy at The Knights Award 2023, which honours 70 personalities and companies from diverse fields for their outstanding achievements in their areas of expertise.

Presently, he has accumulated 31 acting credits and produced 11 movies. Most of his roles are in the comedy genre.

When asked by StarLifestyle what type of role he’d like to take on next, Lim said it’s to play a more serious and tough character in an action film.

“I find action-packed roles to be really cool because I used to be very active when I was in secondary school.

“I was part of the gymnastics team and represented my school at the state level,” he said.

Although Lim has accomplished stardom without an SPM qualification, he doesn’t encourage others to follow in his footsteps.

He stressed: “In the end, education is very important and I still visit schools sometimes to give speeches on the importance of it.

“If you don’t study, you will spend a longer time chasing your dreams. I spent over 10 years working before I finally landed my dream job, and luck played a huge part in that too.”

Never give up

Lim is currently starring in two Chinese New Year movies – All In and Happy Dragons.

All In sees Lim playing Cheng Jialang, a poker player with the ability to see through lies.

The only person he can’t read is his nemesis, five-time poker champion Wei Yifu (Philip Keung).

After agreeing to settle their scores at a poker championship, Cheng accidentally transfers his superpower to the simple- minded Huang Xiaoqi (Namewee), who knows nothing about poker.

Now, he has to train Huang to beat Wei.

Lim (left) faces off with Hong Kong actor Philip Keung in 'All In'. Photo: MUHAMAD SHAHRIL ROSLI/The Star

Although All In may seem like your typical comedy film, Lim said there’s more to the film than just poker and humour.

“To me, this isn’t just a film about poker. It also explores the complex relationship between humans and contains many meaningful life lessons,” he said at a recent press conference in Petaling Jaya, Selangor.

In Happy Dragons, Lim takes a step back from the spotlight to portray two side characters – an elderly Japanese man and his son.

The actor had to learn Japanese for his roles in the movie.

Local director Chew Huat Yeow hired a language coach from Japan to tutor Lim and a Malaysian to help interpret the former’s instructions.

However, learning the language wasn’t the most daunting task. It was the physical process of transforming into the older Japanese man.

“I spent four hours getting my makeup done which is the longest I’ve ever sat in a makeup chair. I couldn’t move much or go to the bathroom because the makeup might get ruined,” Lim recalled.

He added: “When I arrive home, my wife will help me get the makeup off and that itself takes another few hours. The next day, I’ll be sitting in the makeup chair again and the whole thing repeats itself.”

Lim (2nd from left) spent over four hours transforming into an old Japanese man in 'Happy Dragons'. Photo: Handout

Despite the hurdles, Lim is grateful for where he’s at today.

Reflecting on his decades-long career, the actor is glad he never gave up his dreams despite the challenges.

To him, everything he has achieved now is not just a result of luck alone but also hard work and perseverance.

“No matter how lucky you are, you can’t succeed in the long run if you don’t put in the work or persist,” he said.

Lim also shared some words of wisdom for all the dreamers out there.

“Never give up. I started out as a small deejay and my goal was to become the biggest deejay.

“It took me more than 20 years to get what I really wanted.

“The journey may be long and arduous but once you see the fruits of your labour, that’s when you will feel the satisfaction.”

All In and Happy Dragons are showing at cinemas nationwide.
Although Lim has accomplished stardom without an SPM qualification, he doesn't encourage others to follow in his footsteps.