Do you remember former actor James Lye?

While some actors got their start through the Star Search talent search or through the completion of the actor training course, James Lye did neither. His debut role was also his first lead role, where he played police inspector Mike Chin in the Channel 5 television drama Triple Nine. The show c0-starred Wong Li Lin and ran from 1995 to 1999.

"I feel really fortunate. How many people with zero acting experience get a lead role in a drama series? I’m more of a spontaneous person while acting is more scripted, so it doesn’t feel as natural. Also, we try to keep the show as local as possible, that means speaking like the man in the street. Two key words the directors keep throwing at me: neutralise (the accent) and slow down (speech). I’m slowly getting the hang of it. I think towards the end of the series, viewers might be tempted to stick a gun at their TV and yell, ‘Get off my TV screen, James!’ Star quality? I prefer to think the series will sell itself, like how there are some great songs out there where we don’t necessarily like the singer or the band."

Two years later, James Lye would star in his first Chinese-language drama The Price of Peace in 1997 where he played Di Da Cheng. He went on to star in VR Man (1998), Season of Love (1998) and The Millennium Bug (1999). On the big screen, James Lye appeared in three films - The Truth About Jane and Sam (1999), 2000 AD (2000) and When I Fall in Love.... with Both (2000).

In 1997, James Lye swept the Star Awards' Most Popular Newcomer and Top 10 Most Popular Male Artistes awards while being nominated for Best Actor for The Price of Peace. He once again clinched the popularity award in 1999.

James Lye saw a meteoric rise in fame quickly after his debut. Yet, he decided to give it all up in 2000 when he sent shockwaves across the entertainment industry by announcing his retirement from showbiz.

James Lye shared in a 2000 interview that he wanted to spend more time with his family and regain a semblance of personal privacy. "It’s time for the fun and games to come to an end and for me to get out of my comfort zone! I’d like to spend more time with my family, for one. The more success you achieve, the greater the loss of privacy. But you will stay a mediocre artiste if you want to protect too much of your privacy. And I don’t want to be mediocre."

After a nine-year courtship that included periods of being on and off, James Lye and television host Diana Ser wedded in 2004. Together, the couple has three children - a son and two younger daughters.

In an excerpt from a 1999 interview, this was what James Lye had to say about his relationship with Diana Ser then. "[We were dating] On and off for three years. That’s how long I’ve known her. She actually tried out for Showbuzz with me. I didn’t think it was my job to call the press and say, ‘Okay, we’re on. Hey, guess what? We’re off!’ (Laughs) We’re not together any longer. [Was I ever in love?] I’d say yes. At one point I was very in love."

Because James Lye doesn't have his own social media channels where he posts photos of himself, we only get shots of him whenever his wife Diana Ser shares them. Alongside such photos are also their son Jake. And whenever Diana Ser posts them, netizens are quick to comment that he looks like a carbon copy of James Lye. Decide if that is the case for yourself with a photo of the father and son above.

It could be a good thing that James Lye's son inherits his good looks. After all, the former actor was known as the "resident hunk". He was also known for his toned body, which fellow cast members gushed over during the reunion of the cast of The Price of Peace.

Yet, James Lye revealed in a 1996 interview that he doesn't share the same sentiment. "I’m a very, very normal person. I don’t like this star label. I hate this hunk image. I’m really an average Joe."

James Lye talked about the incident in 1997. "I just finished making an appearance at Marina Square, and a group of us were sitting in the bus, waiting to be taken back to TCS. I see this teenage girl tapping on my window, and I think, ‘Okay, no harm in signing an autograph.’ So I open the door for her. Little did I know she was coming up to ask for a date! Lina [Ng], who was next to me, was laughing in eager anticipation, like: ‘I wanna see you get out of this one.’ Gallant James asked for her number then called the lass a few days later to turn her down. Why the delayed reaction? ‘Well, it seemed less cruel than turning her down on the spot'."

Since leaving the entertainment industry, James Lye dove headfirst into the banking industry and created a successful name for himself. In October 2022, Standard Chartered Bank announced that he was appointed to be its global head of international banking. This newly created role would allow him to lead the international banking team and drive "focused execution to turbocharge the bank’s international banking business".

Prior to Standard Chartered Bank, James Lye was the head of markets for Citibank International Personal Bank Singapore.

James Lye made a reappearance to help raise money for The Invictus Fund. It was started by the Community Chest to help social service agencies continue providing critical services to the vulnerable during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. Diana Ser wanted to do something good and seed future positive actions and she managed to rope in other high-profile names such as Stefanie Sun, Tanya Chua, Fann Wong, Kit Chan, Kim Lim and Jamie Chua. In the end, the project managed to surpass its S$250k target in less than a week.

According to Diana Ser, "he wasn’t part of the planning, but he was part of the content. He’s very busy at work but I got him to come back home early to help. I told him, ‘I don’t care, you have to help!’ and he really came back early because he knows it’s important to me.

But after we filmed the video, we looked through it and I told him that I wouldn’t post the video if he wasn’t comfortable with it. After all, he hasn’t been speaking in public like this since he left [showbiz in 2000]. He said he’s fine [with it], and that I could go ahead. So this is like his ‘comeback’ of sorts."