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Eunice Olsen | |
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Born | Eunice Elizabeth Olsen (1977-10-24) 24 October 1977 (age 47) Singapore |
Occupation(s) | Actress, host, musician, model, businesswoman |
Years active | 2000–present |
Website | euniceolsen |
Eunice Elizabeth Olsen (born 24 October 1977) is a Singaporean actress, politician and beauty pageant titleholder. She Nominated Member of Parliament and also the winner of the Miss Universe Singapore 2000 pageant.
Olsen is a vocal supporter of women rights.
Early life and education
Olsen was born in Singapore. She is the only child of Alice Yap and Francis Olsen. She is a Eurasian Singaporean; her mother is Chinese and her father is of Swedish descent. Olsen speaks in English, Swedish and Mandarin. Her parents enrolled her in Yamaha music school when she was three years old. She attended Woodlands Primary School, Singapore, St. Margaret's Secondary School, and the Anglo-Chinese Junior College. Olsen graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Philosophy at the National University of Singapore.
Career
Miss Universe Singapore
In 2000, Olsen won the Miss Universe Singapore pageant.
Social causes
Her work with "at-risk" youth began with work at the Toa Payoh Girl's Home and the Andrew and Grace Home. In 2002, she became a member of the advisory council for the People's Association's youth movement T-Net Club (Teens Network Club). In 2001, she became a member of the Kebun Baru Youth Executive Committee. Olsen has worked with the National Volunteer and Philanthropy Centre and with Beyond Social Services' BABES program for pregnant teenagers. She promotes awareness of cervical cancer and for the Singapore Red Cross. She has also been a goodwill ambassador for World Vision, Habitat for Humanity, and the Muscular Dystrophy Association of Singapore.
She created the annual All Smiles Day in 2013 as a day of respite for caregivers of the Rare Disorder Society.
Olsen has worked in rural Cambodia building sanitation facilities for evacuated communities. She co-produced a movie about sex trafficking titled 3.50.
She developed a feminine hygiene program, Project Precious, to educate women in rural communities. The program has been adapted for use in Cambodia, India, Nepal, and the United States.
Olsen has served as a goodwill ambassador for the Embassy of Sweden in Singapore.
Media
In 2002, Olsen was selected to be the co-host of Singapore's version of the TV game show Wheel of Fortune. She went on to co-host three seasons of FRONT, an Arts Central production that examined Singapore's arts scene. In 2007, she was a judge on Channel 5's youth debate program, The Arena. She hosted Rouge in 2008, a talk show concerning Singaporean women, featuring a mix of celebrity interviews and real-life stories. Olsen made her English acting debut on Channel 5's first long-form English drama, Red Thread, and co-hosted a men's magazine lifestyle show on AXN, The Duke.
In August 2013, Olsen founded WomenTalkTV, an online talk show featuring extraordinary women from all over Asia. The show's goal is the social empowerment of Asian women. WomenTalkTV was nominated for an International Emmy Award in the Digital Program: Non-Fiction category in 2014. She hosted Channel NewsAsia's "Becoming Singapore", the flagship documentary for the Singapore Bicentennial in 2019. In 2020, Olsen hosted a web documentary series, Mundane Glory, which celebrated the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China for Mango TV.
Olsen has represented, in various capacities, commercial brands such as Omega, Motorola Electronics, Goldheart Jewelry, Redken, Nescafé Gold, Shell Petroleum Fuel Save Ambassador, BlackBerry Messenger, Physiogel, L'Oréal Lancome Genefique, The Body Shop.
Politics
In November 2004, Olsen was appointed a Nominated Member of Parliament (NMP) in Singapore. Her main role as an NMP was to highlight issues pertaining to youth and volunteerism. In the course of her term, she touched on issues like access to public transport for the disabled, legislation for child sex tourism, enhancing supervisory guidance for voluntary welfare organisations, and sex education in schools. In the 2005 parliamentary debate on Integrated Resort, Olsen called for stronger measures to address the social problems of compulsive gambling, including mandating a loss limit for casino patrons and requiring the casino operator to provide responsible gambling counselling services. She championed inclusivity for people with disabilities and called for the captioning of the Channel 5 English news program. Olsen served two terms and remained an NMP until 2009. She did not apply for a third term in parliament.
Advisory boards
Olsen is an advisor to Space for Humanity, a non-profit organisation headquartered in Denver, Colorado. She is currently a member of the National Museum of Singapore's advisory board and a management committee member of Club HEAL.
Author
Olsen published the children's book "I'm a Girl. See what I can be!" in 2018, which consists of a series of poems about ten women from the video series WomenTalk. The book is illustrated by 10 autistic Singaporean artists and designed by HATCH design. It was successfully crowdfunded on Indiegogo.
Speaker and moderator
Olsen has been engaged to speak globally on a wide range of topics from women's empowerment to leadership, resilience, and various social issues. She is a keynote speaker and has spoken at international events such as the Cartier Women's Awards, the United Nations, and LH Forum in France, as well as in educational institutions around the world such as Harvard and universities in India, and in various parts of Southeast Asia including Vietnam, the Philippines, and Singapore.
Olsen had also moderated various forums and events with high-profile individuals such as Helle Thorning-Schmidt, the former Prime Minister of Denmark, and panelists from the Swedish Embassy's Disability Forum.
On 6 May 2020, Olsen moderated an online webinar for Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) titled "Live Chat on COVID-19: How MSF Responds to a Pandemic."
On 31 October 2020, Olsen co-hosted the first digital edition of The Purple Parade, which was streamed live on Facebook.
Music
In university, Olsen was part of a band and was president of the Electronic Music Lab at the Centre for the Arts. In 2004, she released an album in South Korea entitled Believe.
Olsen was part of a duo called 7 States. She was joined by music producer and sound designer Rennie Gomes of Yellowbox. Together, they have written a Christmas song, produced a kids' album, and scored a short film for one of Singapore's most acclaimed film directors, Royston Tan, titled Anniversary. 7 States has also written a song titled "Light" that they dedicated to the athletes of the 2010 Singapore Youth Olympic Games. 7 States recently performed, featuring Humaa Rathor, at the "From Singapore with Love" benefit concert 2011. This was in support of World Vision's earthquake relief work in China, Myanmar, and Japan.
Personal life
Olsen discovered through a TV program called My Roots that her great-great-grandfather Oskar Pontus Olsson was born in Röra, Orust, Sweden in 1862. He became a sailor on ships that traveled back and forth to England. He eventually settled in Malaya around 1885 and lived in Malaya for 54 years. On 20 November 1928, he was naturalised as Oscar Olsen, a British citizen in Singapore.
While filming a bicentennial special of Becoming Singapore, she also learned that her grandfather from her mother's side, Yap Swee Kang, was an auxiliary fire service volunteer after World War 2.
Olsen is Catholic.
In 2018, she filed a police complain over sexist remarks against Circles. Life advertisement, the ad, which was displayed at Raffles Place MRT station as part of a campaign by the digital telco operator, featured the words "@euniceolsen Would you rather French Kiss or take me out for the French Film Festival?"
Filmography
Film
Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
2008 | Sing to the Dawn | Voice acting | ||
2010 | Hunting Tales | Grace | ||
The Smartemizer | Felicia | |||
2011 | Red Numbers (红字) | Number 8 (8号的妈咪) | ||
2012 | Ghost on Air | Pauline | ||
2013 | 3.50 | Rebecca Wilson | ||
2016 | The Last Night Inn | Miriam |
Television
Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
2003 | A Child's Hope | Dr. Joanne Su | ||
No Place Like Home | Felicia | |||
2009 | Red Thread | Carol Chong | ||
2010 | Before I Was Awesome | Vivi |
Variety Show
Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
2002–2003 | Wheel of Fortune | Co-host | ||
2006–2007 | FRONT | Co-host | ||
2007 | The Arena | Judge | ||
2008 | Rouge | Host | TV talk show | |
Show U Are The One | Judge | |||
Fourplay | Host | |||
2009 | The Duke | Co-host | TV talk show | |
2011 | Beauty Firstwhat the heck | Host | ||
2013–present | Womentalk TV | Host | TV talk show | |
2019 | Becoming Singapore | Host | Documentary | |
2020 | Mundane Glory (闪耀的平凡) | Host | Web documentary series |
Bibliography
- Olsen, Eunice (2018). I'm a Girl. See what I can be!. Eunice Olsen Media. ISBN 978-981-11-7524-4.
Awards and accolades
- 2000 Miss Singapore Universe
- 2006 Singapore Youth Award
- 2008 ASEAN Youth Award
Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominated Work | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
2014 | International Emmy Awards | Digital Program – Non Fiction | WomenTalk TV | Nominated |
2016 | Hollywood Independent Documentary Award | Women filmmaker | WomenTalk TV | Winner |
Hollywood International Moving Pictures Film Festival | Documentary Short | WomenTalk TV | Winner | |
Hollywood International Moving Pictures Film Festival | Women filmmaker | WomenTalk TV | Winner | |
Los Angeles Independent Film Festival Awards | Documentary Short | WomenTalk TV | Winner | |
Best Shorts Competition | Women filmmaker | WomenTalk TV | Award of Excellence | |
Best Shorts Competition | Documentary Short | WomenTalk TV | Award of Excellence | |
Indiefest Film Awards | Documentary Short | WomenTalk TV | Award of Merit | |
Raindance Film Festival | Web Series | WomenTalk TV | Official Selection | |
Best Shorts Competition | Humanitarian Award | WomenTalk TV | Award of Distinction | |
2017 | Best Shorts Competition | Women filmmaker | WomenTalk TV | Award of Merit |
Taste Awards | Mini Film or Documentary | Tripvid | Official Selection | |
2019 | Independent Publisher Book Award | Independent Spirit Award | I'm a Girl. See what I can be! | Winner |
References
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- "In Search of Purpose Talks". www.cdc.org.sg. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
- Leung, Wai-Leng (15 December 2004). "ST Media Club members grill NMP Eunice Olsen". The Straits Times. pp. H9 – via NewspaperSG.
- "NUSSU The Ridge Magazine | Exclusive Interview: Featuring NUS Alumna Miss Eunice Olsen". NUSSU The Ridge Magazine. 7 April 2014. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
- ^ Low, Tracy (17 August 2016). "She's a queen with a heart of gold". The New Paper. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
- "Pregnant teens turn to Babes hotline". Today Newspaper. 1 March 2005.
- "Donorweb: 2 youth ambassadors for National Blood Programme". Archived from the original on 27 March 2012.
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- "Behance". www.behance.net. July 2018. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
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- "Replies from DPM/Minister for Home Affairs Wong Kan Seng to MPs' queries on the Casino Control Bill". Archived from the original on 18 May 2006. Retrieved 18 March 2006.
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- joanna (3 November 2017). "Want to travel to space? Eunice Olsen can help". The Straits Times. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
- "I'm a Girl. See what I can be! A Book For Children". The New Paper. 27 August 2018. Retrieved 9 February 2023.
- "Live Chat on COVID-19: How MSF Responds to a Pandemic". Facebook. 6 May 2020.
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- "Orustbo blev "snuskigt rik" på gummi". P4 Göteborg (in Swedish). Sveriges Radio. 29 December 2017.
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- "The Talent Factory". Archived from the original on 27 March 2012. Retrieved 13 July 2011.
- Red Numbers (2013) - IMDb, retrieved 23 March 2020
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- "A Child's Hope". Archived from the original on 4 October 2011. Retrieved 13 July 2011.
- "No Place Like Home". Archived from the original on 27 March 2012.
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- "The New Paper". Archived from the original on 16 January 2011.
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- "Host". euniceolsen1. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
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- "One tough cookie". www.thestar.com.my. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
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- "March 2016 Winners". A home for your amazing films. Retrieved 20 February 2017.
- "IndieFEST Film Awards (2016)". IMDb. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
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- "Announcing the Results of the 2019 Independent Publisher Book Awards". Independent Publisher - feature. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
External links
Members of the 11th Parliament of Singapore (2006–2011) | |
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Speaker: Abdullah Tarmugi | |
The party affiliation of each member is indicated right after the constituency he or she represents. PAP: People's Action Party; SDA: Singapore Democratic Alliance; WP: The Workers' Party NMPs do not belong to any party. There were two terms of NMPs in this parliament, with nine NMPs in each term. |
Miss Universe 2000 national titleholders | |
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|
- 1977 births
- Anglo-Chinese Junior College alumni
- Living people
- Miss Universe 2000 contestants
- Singaporean beauty pageant winners
- Singaporean Nominated Members of Parliament
- Singaporean people of Kristang descent
- Singaporean people of Chinese descent
- Singaporean people of Swedish descent
- Singaporean Roman Catholics
- Singaporean television actresses
- Singaporean television personalities
- Singaporean women in politics