Pearry Teo | |
|---|---|
| Born | Pearry Reginald Teo Zhang Pingli (1978-07-23)23 July 1978 |
| Died | 9 March 2023(2023-03-09) (aged 44) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Other names | Pearry Reginald Teo |
| Alma mater |
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| Occupation(s) | Film director,film producer andscreenwriter |
| Years active | 2002–2023 |
| Website | http://www.pearryteo.com/ |
Pearry Reginald Teo Zhang Pingli (23 July 1978 – 9 March 2023), commonly known asPearry Teo, was a Singaporean filmmaker. He is considered the first Singaporean movie director to make aHollywood film.[1]
Teo began his career as a school drop out, making quirky horror films, with borrowed cameras. His first film,Liberata Me, won the New York International Film Festival for best horror film. Shortly after, his following films won him awards leading to his first feature film dealThe Gene Generation.
A fashion design drop out, Teo attended school inMelbourne,Australia before arriving to theUnited States to pursue his career in filmmaking (then he studied until he obtained a doctorate degree[1]). His fan base comprises mostly those in theundergroundsub-culture, whose keen interest in him lies in his unique but dark visual style.[2] The movie,The Gene Generation, starsBai Ling andFaye Dunaway. The movie was released on DVD on 27 January 2009.
In August 2009, Teo shot NBC / Universal (Syfy) first production in China calledWitchville which starredLuke Goss,MyAnna Buring andSarah Douglas. The film premiered on 22 May 2010 in the USA viaSyfy Channel.[3]
In 2013, Teo collaborated with authorChristine Converse on Bedlam Stories,[4] a fictional account of famous reporterNellie Bly's stay in a mental institution in the 1920s. The novel combines the fictional worlds ofAlice in Wonderland andWizard of Oz in a horror genre.
Teo died at hisNorth Hollywood home on 9 March 2023, at the age of 44.[5]
