出生於英屬馬來亞海峽殖民地檳城的英國華裔演員林碧笙(Pik-Sen Lim,原名Lim Phaik Seng ),6月9日於英國施洛普郡（Shropshire）逝世，享年80歲。
1944年，小名“小精靈”（Pixie）的林碧笙生於檳城顯赫的林家，出生時英屬馬來亞正被日本軍政統治。父親林清德（Lim Cheng Teik，1882-1978）為“開恆美”米較厰兼椰油較厰（Khie Heng Bee Rice and Oil Mills）東主和富商。
祖父為“開恆美”創始人，也是檳城第一碾米商和地主的潘興隆（Phuah Hin Leong,1844-1901），原名林志源（Lim Choo Guan），或稱林興隆，祖籍福建泉州府安溪縣中六里新康里（今虎邱）。
檳島以潘興隆和林清德命名的潘興隆路和林清德坊，分別坐落在緬甸路相隔不遠處。
林清德之弟包括林清露（Lim Cheng Law）,同爲碾米商人；最著名的那位，則莫過於林清淵律師（Lim Cheng Eam，1889-1987）。所以，林碧顏律師（Lim Phaik Gan,1915-2013）、政治家林建材律師（Lim Kean Chye,1919-2003）和林建壽律師（Lim Kean Siew，1922-2007），都是其堂兄和堂姐。
1961年，林碧笙在16歲時違背家族意願，自身前往英國倫敦學習戲劇表演，畢業後便留在當地成爲一名演員，參與了當時許多著名的劇集和情景喜劇。
由於局限在當時的刻板印象，林碧笙即使英文教育背景、又能操流利的英語，卻必須模仿誇張的中國口音和講蹩脚英語，故也成爲了1970至80年代，英國人印象最深刻的華人電視演員。
她以《超時空奇俠》（“Doctor Who”）其中一集的中國人角色Chin Lee；以及情景喜劇《留意言詞》（“Mind Your Language”）飾演的中國大使館女秘書的Chung Su Lee一角，最爲之深刻和喜愛，尤其還在劇中飆過家鄉話的“檳城福建話”。
林碧笙於1966年和英國製片人、編劇Don Houghton結婚，後來離異，育有一女兒，同爲女演員的Sara Houghton。
正所謂“小小的天，有大大的夢想”，一個長於檳城的富家女決然離開故鄉，到異鄉去尋夢，成爲了英國一代人在電視上最熟悉的華人面孔。
早期來説，英人初時熟悉的華人電視演員，是祖籍上海的華裔男演員Burt Kwouk（郭弼），著名的角色代表作為《粉紅豹》("The Pink Panther")電影系列裏的功夫高手Cato Fong。
女演員方面，出生英屬海峽殖民地新加坡、舞臺劇出身的Barbara Yu Ling（Lee），在1957年英國廣播公告BBC改編版的電視電影《蝴蝶夫人》（“Madame Butterfly”）初次亮相，姑且可喻為在英華人女演員(或前新加坡華裔)的第一人。
舞臺劇方面，當時大放異彩的有影、視、舞臺三栖的上海人周采芹（Tsai Chin），同樣活躍於電視劇。後來轉戰到美國，以電影《喜福會》（“The Joy Luck Club”，1993）享譽國際。
另一個大咖，是上海人宋靜秀（Lucille Soong），多數人認識她，是近年來的美劇《菜鳥新移民》（“Fresh Off the Boat”）的黃阿嬷。其實她年輕時以模特兒身份經香港在英國出道，參與過影視等作品，隨後同樣移民至美國發展。
因此可猜測，在當時的英國影視圈出道，是有多麽地不易。林碧笙出演的影視作品不算太多，卻十分經典和具代表性，以至讓一代人印象極爲深刻，在英國電視史上留下印記；對於一前馬來(西)亞華裔身份而言，這絕對稱得上是榮譽。
馬來西亞也應同樣緬懷她。R.I.P Pik-Sen Lim（林碧笙）。
PS：題目概念來自周杰倫的詞曲《蝸牛》：我要一步一步往上爬，等待陽光靜靜看著它的臉/...小小的天流過的淚和汗，總有一天我有屬於我的天/...小小的天有大大的夢想，我有屬於我的天
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British Chinese actress Pik-Sen Lim (born Lim Phaik Seng) passed away on June 9 in Shropshire, England, at the age of 80.
Born in 1944 in Penang, then part of the Straits Settlements in British Malaya, Lim came from the prominent Lim family. At the time of her birth, British Malaya was under Japanese occupation. Her nickname has been 'Pixie' since her school years in Penang.
Her father, Lim Cheng Teik (1882–1978), was a wealthy businessman and owner of Khie Heng Bee Rice and Oil Mills.
Her grandfather, Phuah Hin Leong (1844–1901), originally named Lim Choo Guan, or known as Lim Hin Leong,was the founder of Khie Heng Bee and Penang’s first rice miller and landowner.
Lim family's ancestry was from Xin Kang Li, historically part of Zhong Liu Li in Anxi County（Un Khuay or Ann Kway）, Quanzhou Prefecture, Fujian Province（Chuan-Chiew,Hokkien）. Today, this area is known as Huqiu Town in Anxi County.
Streets in Penang, Jalan Phuah Hin Leong and Medan Lim Cheng Teik , were named after them, both located near Burma Road.
Lim Cheng Teik's brothers included Lim Cheng Law, also a rice miller, and the other one was well-known lawyer Lim Cheng Eam (1889–1987). Among her cousins were Lim Phaik Gan (1915–2013), lawyer and advocate, Lim Kean Chye (1919–2003), a politician, and Lim Kean Siew (1922–2007), a legal professional.
At the age of 16 in 1961, against her family's expectations, Lim moved to London to study drama and learn acting. After graduating, she remained in the UK and pursued a career as an actress, appearing in many dramas and sitcoms.
Due to prevailing stereotypes at the time, despite her English education and fluency, Lim was often required to mimic exaggerated Chinese accents and speak broken English. This led to her becoming one of the most familiar Chinese actor in British television during the 1970s and 1980s.
She was best known for her roles as Chin Lee in an episode of "Doctor Who" and as Chung Su Lee, the secretary of the Chinese embassy, in the sitcom "Mind Your Language". In the latter, she notably spoke Penang Hokkien on screen, a rare instance of authentic linguistic representation.
In 1966, Lim married British producer and screenwriter Don Houghton. The couple later divorced, and she had one daughter, actress Sara Houghton.
A little star with big dream,a wealthy young girl from Penang resolutely left her homeland to pursue her dreams in a foreign country, becoming one of the most familiar Chinese faces of an era in British television history.
In the early days, British audiences first became acquainted with Chinese actors through Burt Kwouk , a Shanghai-born British Chinese actor best known for his iconic role as martial arts expert Cato Fong in The Pink Panther film series.
As for actresses, Barbara Yu Ling (Lee), born in British Straits Settlement in Singapore and with a background in theater, made her debut in the 1957 BBC adaptation of Madame Butterfly, arguably becoming the first Chinese actress or a (Chinese-)Singaporean to grace British television.
On the theatrical stage, Tsai Chin, a Shanghainese performer active across film, television, and theater, rose to prominence. She later moved to the United States, earning international recognition through her role in 1993's "The Joy Luck Club".
Another major figure was Lucille Soong, also from Shanghai. Most audiences today remember her as Grandma Huang in the American sitcom "Fresh Off the Boat". However, she originally launched her career as a model in Hong Kong before making her way to Britain, where she worked in film and television before eventually settling in the United States.
Given these histories, it is clear how challenging it was to break into Britain’s entertainment industry at the time. Pik-Sen Lim’s film and television appearances may not have been numerous, but they were truly classic and representative—leaving a lasting impression on a generation and carving out a place in British television history.
For someone with roots in the former Malayan（or Malaysians）, this is an achievement worthy of great honor.
And Malaysia, too, should remember her. R.I.P. Pik-Sen Lim .
P.S.: The concept of the title was inspired by Jay Chou’s song Snail."
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圖片來源：
1）新加坡《海峽時報》對其影視作品介紹。“The Sunday Times”，30th April 1978，Pg.8.
2）林碧笙與夫婿Don Houghton共結連理，最終獲得高齡85歲的林清德同意。“The Straits Times”，7th Sept 1968,Pg.10.
3)"The Star",13th June 2025.
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