Eleanor Lee
Eleanor Lee Kai-xin is a Singaporean actress and singer based in China.
Early life and education
Eleanor Yu Kai-xin was born on 12 October 1999 in Taipei, Taiwan to 25-year-old Quan Yi Fong and 31-year-old Peter Yu. She was born by caesarean section during an aftershock of the 1999 Jiji earthquake. She has two younger paternal half-brother Christian and Israel. She is of Chinese descent, her mother is from Taiwan and her father has Teochew ancestry.On 3 January 2009 her parents filed for divorce, leaving her in the custody of both parents. She was then under maternal care by her mother after her parents decided to part ways amicably. Her father and her met once a few years ago, gave each other their blessings, and decided not to keep in contact. Just after her parents' divorce, she was adopted by Addy Lee as his goddaughter. During her 14th birthday party sponsored by Addy Lee, she announced the adoption of her godfather's surname.
Lee was educated at Tao Nan School before studying at Nexus International School Singapore. Prior to becoming an actress, she was a model for Addyli Hair Care Product, founded by Addy Lee. In July 2017, she was admitted into Beijing Film Academy.
Career
In 2014, Apple China was auditioning for someone to star as the female lead in their micro film, The Old Record, but were unable to find a suitable candidate. Addy Lee chanced upon the news, and recommended Lee to audition for the role. In the end, she was selected. When The Old Record was released on 2 February 2015, she garnered huge amount of attention from the public, and was subsequently signed to Beijing Summer Star Media Co. Ltd.Since then, Lee was constantly involved in filming advertisements and dramas in China, and in 2015, she was chosen by Cao Dun to play the younger version of Xu Lu's character in Tribes and Empires: Storm of Prophecy. In November 2015, Lee collaborated with Wu Qiang, producing two pieces of artwork that were to be sold at $13,500 each. She then released her first song, "Noble Aspirations" with Wu Junyu, as the theme song of Noble Aspirations.
In March 2017, Lee starred as one of the leads in Solaso Bistro, based on the Japanese drama A Restaurant with Many Problems. In June 2017, she was cast as the female lead in Chinese drama, Overseas Security Officer, alongside Leon Lai. In September 2017, Lee played the female lead in the campus drama, The Big Boss. In October 2017, she released her first single, "That Girl". She continued to release two more singles the same year; "Ink Pen and Eraser", as well as self composed single titled "Be Together".
In 2018, Lee was cast in the Chinese fantasy drama My Poseidon, followed by drama Blowing in the Wind.
In 2020, Lee starred in the romance fantasy web film The Enchanting Phantom, adapted from the 1987 film A Chinese Ghost Story. She also starred in starred in the youth romance drama My Love, Enlighten Me, and historical romance drama Fake Princess.
In May 2025, a leaked audio clip surfaced online of Lee calling Chinese nationals “stupid”. Lee denied these claims publicly.
Controversy
On 9 May 2025, an audio clip allegedly featuring Lee saying, “most people in China are idiots,” and “I don’t care about fame, as long as there is money to earn,” drew backlash after circulating on Chinese social media. In response, Lee denied being the speaker and called the clip fabricated. She expressed her love and gratitude for China and implied her recognition of Taiwan as part of China by claiming she was "born in China." According to her agency, the clip was created and released by Lee’s former assistant. In the wake of the controversy, Lee’s name was removed from promotional materials for the Chinese drama The Journey of Legend. On May 12, Lee's godfather Andy Lee posted on Weibo accusing Lee and her mother of ingratitude, stating that their relationship had broken down years earlier and describing the dispute as “karma.”On May 21, a Weibo user claimed to be Lee’s former assistant publicly apologized, admitting to fabricating the audio. The assistant, identifying himself as "Xiao Pang," confessed to maliciously editing and synthesizing the clip, which falsely portrayed Lee insulting Chinese citizens. He stated the act was in retaliation over unresolved disputes with Lee’s former management company and had intended to use the recording in negotiations. On June 23, a Chinese court ruled in favor of Li in her defamation lawsuit against the former assistant; the judgment took effect on July 17. The defendant was ordered to publish an apology for his false statements and to pay damages and related costs. In September, The Journey of Legend was released, with Lee's scenes retained.