The Golden Bell Awards is often regarded as Taiwan’s equivalent to the Emmys. It is set to take place on October 18 and 19 at the Taipei Music Center and the nominees were just announced yesterday (Sep 11).
Mediacorp Ah Ge Christopher Lee, 53, and his younger brother, Malaysian actor Frederick Lee, 48, have both been nominated for Best Leading Actor in a Miniseries or Television Film.
Chris was nominated for his role as Tong Bao Ju in the 2023 legal drama Port of Lies. He played a public defence attorney of indigenous Amis ethnicity, and had to learn an unfamiliar language for the role.
Of his nomination, Chris says: “I was playing golf at a charity match when the nominees list was announced. It seems fated that I receive such good news whenever I play golf.”
Chris was also informed of his previous Golden Bell noms while golfing.
The series received the most nominations this year, 16 in total, including Best Directing, Best Leading Actress, Best Supporting Actor, and Best Supporting Actress.
Frederick, on the other hand, got nominated for his role in the 2023 TV movie Night Blindness, in which he played a monument restorer with, yes, night blindness.
He told the Taiwanese press: “It means a lot to be nominated this year. Perhaps this will only happen once in a lifetime, I’m so excited to be nominated alongside family.”
Frederick also sent Chris this adorable message: “Congratulations on your nomination bro. I’m nominated too!”
This marks Chris’ sixth nomination at the Golden Bell Awards.
He won Best Supporting Actor in a Television Series in 2022 for action thriller Danger Zone, Best Leading Actor in a Miniseries or Television Film in 2021 for Workers, and Best Leading Actor in 2014 for family drama A Good Wife.
Frederick was nominated for Best Leading Actor in a Television Series in 2023 for Taiwan Crime Stories: A Matter of Life and Death.
Don’t you just love a little sibling rivalry?