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Pik-Sen Lim

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
In this Chinese name, the family name is Lim.

Pik-Sen Lim
Lim as Killer Cleaner in Johnny English Reborn (2011)
Born
Lim Phaik-Seng

(1944-09-15)15 September 1944
Penang,
Japanese-occupied Malaya
Died9 June 2025(2025-06-09) (aged 80)
Ludlow, Shropshire, England
Alma materLondon School of Dramatic Art
Occupations
  • Actress
  • voice artist
Years active1964–2025
SpouseDon Houghton (m. 1968; div. 198?[citation needed])
Children1
Chinese name
Chinese林碧笙
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinLín Bìshēng
Hakka
RomanizationLìm Pit-sên
Yue: Cantonese
JyutpingLam4 Bik1 Sang1
Southern Min
Hokkien POJLîm Phek-seng

Pik-Sen Lim (Chinese: 林碧笙; pinyin: Lín Bìshēng; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Lîm Phek-seng, 15 September 1944 – 9 June 2025) was a Malaysian-British actress and voice artist.[1] Born to Malaysian Chinese parents in Penang, she moved to the United Kingdom in 1961 to attend the London School of Dramatic Art. According to the BFI, Lim was "the most familiar Chinese actor on British television screens in the 1970s and 80s."[2]

Lim's notable roles include Chin Lee in the 1971 Doctor Who serial The Mind of Evil, Chung Su-Lee on the ITV sitcom Mind Your Language (1977–79), Tsai Adams on the military drama Spearhead (1978–81), and the killer cleaner in Johnny English Reborn (2011). She was also the narrator for the Dark Souls video game series.[3]

Early life

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Lim was born to Malayan Chinese parents in Penang, Straits Settlements (occupied by Japan at the time), and was the daughter of the palm oil millionaire Lim Cheng-Teik. She attended convent school in Penang, where she was nicknamed "Pixie". From a young age, Lim found a love for acting, but her parents and relatives were not supportive of her desire to pursue it as a profession. Against the wishes of her family, she moved to the United Kingdom in 1961 at the age of 16 to study at the London School of Dramatic Art.[4]

Her birth name was romanised Lim Phaik-Seng, but she changed her given name to "Pik-Sen" since her British friends would mispronounce "Phaik" as "fake".[5]

Career

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In 1964, she appeared in the hospital drama series Emergency Ward 10, playing a nurse. There she met scriptwriter Don Houghton, whom she married in 1968.[6] The couple's daughter, Sara Houghton (born 1971),[7][8] is also an actress;[2] the two women once portrayed a mother and daughter in the stage play Three Thousand Troubled Threads.[9] Sara also appeared in a serial of Doctor Who spin-off The Sarah Jane Adventures called The Curse of Clyde Langer.

She also appeared in the Don Houghton-scripted Doctor Who serial The Mind of Evil in 1971 as Chin Lee[10] (a role she later reprised in an audiodrama from Big Finish Productions), and the first three seasons of the sitcom Mind Your Language speaking Penang Hokkien as her Chinese language.[11] Here, she was obliged to speak in an exaggerated, stereotyped Chinese accent. Her later appearances are roles in the short lived soap operas Albion Market (1985) and Night and Day (2003), as well as Arabian Nights (2000), The Bill (2005), and as a character in the comedy series Little Britain (2004).[12]

She is the narrator of the Dark Souls series of video games.[3]

In 1966, she was invited to be Rye Fawkes at the Rye Bonfire celebrations.[13] This involved being seated in a sedan chair, hoisted aloft and being carried down from the Landgate in Rye to the bonfire, where she was presented with a burning torch with which she set the bonfire alight.[14]

In 2024, Lim voiced her final film role as the narrator of The Wedding Veil of the Proud Princess, a fantasy animated short film based on a passage from the fourth chapter of L.M. Montgomery's novel The Story Girl; the short film is dedicated to Lim's memory.[15]

Personal life

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Lim married screenwriter Don Houghton in 1968. Their daughter, Sara Houghton, is also an actress.[1] The couple divorced sometime in the 1980s.

Death

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Lim died on 9 June 2025, at the age of 80.[16][12][8]

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Notes
1969 The Gladiators C-2
1985 Plenty Madame Aung
2002 Miranda Mrs. Wang
2007 Monkey Nut Tales Grandma Wu Short film
2008 Granny's Ghost Granny
2011 Johnny English Reborn Killer Cleaner
2012 Healthy Mother Short film
2014 Balsa Wood Bebing
2016 The Sea, the God, the Man Grandmother
2018 Dim Sum Nai Nai Chen
The Crack Film Developer
2020 British People Linda
2021 I Am a Unicorn Cynthia
2024 The Wedding Veil of the Proud Princess Narrator (voice)

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
1964 Das Mädchen aus dem Dschungel Amina Miniseries; 3 episodes
1964–67 Emergency Ward 10 Nurse Kwei-Kim Yen Series regular
1967 Hugh and I Episode: "A Touch of the Rising Sun"
Who is Sylvia? Episode: "The Man from C.L.U.N.K."
Sorry I'm Single Suzy Series regular
1970 The Flaxton Boys Su Ling 3 episodes
1971 Doctor Who Cpt. Chin Lee Serial: "The Mind of Evil" (3 episodes)
1972 Madame Sin Nikko TV movie
1972, 1975 General Hospital Prem. Unit Nurse, Rubia Mosley 2 episodes
1974 Within These Walls Sister Ling 3 episodes
1976 The New Avengers Sing Episode: "The Midas Touch"
1977–79 Mind Your Language Chung Su-Lee Series regular
1978–81 Spearhead Tsai Adams Series regular
1979 Angels Dr. Yeo
1980 The Professionals Chai Ling "Take Away"
1980 Shoestring Phone Girl "Mocking Bird"
1985 Albion Market Ly Nhu Chan
1996 Cracker Wei Wei "White Ghost"
1998 London's Burning Mrs. Lau
2000 Arabian Nights Aladdin's Mother Mini-series
2004 Little Britain Simone
2005 The Bill Dora Sim
2006 The Ruby in the Smoke Madame Sheng
2010 Spirit Warriors Beggar Woman
2010 Casualty Reiko Reid Episode "Clean Slate"
2012 A Civil Arrangement Madam Rene TV movie
2013 Holby City Amy Cardle "The Journey Home"
2015 Roald Dahl's Esio Trot Mrs Wu
2015 The Dumping Ground PoPo 1 episode: "Coming Round"
2019 This Way Up Chien
2022 Vampire Academy The Queen 9 episodes
2023 The Nevers Madame Tam 1 episode: "It's a Good Day"

Video games

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Year Title Role Notes
2011 Dark Souls Narrator (voice)
2012 Dark Souls: Artorias of the Abyss
2016 Dark Souls III

Theatre

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Year Title Role Notes
1964 The Bacchae of Euripides Chorus
2012 The Sugar-Coated Bullets of the Bourgeoisie Mrs Gao Produced by Finborough Theatre.

References

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  1. ^ a b Hayward, Anthony (18 June 2025). "Pik-Sen Lim obituary". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 22 December 2025.
  2. ^ a b "Lim, Pik-Sen (c. 1944- )". Screenonline. British Film Institute. Retrieved 29 June 2025.
  3. ^ a b Bailey, Dustin (22 January 2019). "Dark Souls' narrator lends her voice for a Let's Play channel from former IGN staffers". PCGamesN. Archived from the original on 24 January 2019. Retrieved 30 June 2025.
  4. ^ Kek, Soo Beng (30 April 1978). "Penang girl takes on the big roles in London". The Straits Times. p. 8. Retrieved 30 June 2025 – via National Library Board of Singapore.
  5. ^ Ooi, Teresa (16 February 1984). "Good times, bad times". The Straits Times. p. 7. Retrieved 30 June 2025 – via National Library Board of Singapore.
  6. ^ Thye, Gunn Chit (7 September 1968). "Fantastic!". The Straits Times. p. 10. Retrieved 30 June 2025.
  7. ^ "FreeBMD Entry Info". www.freebmd.org.uk. Retrieved 15 June 2025.
  8. ^ a b "Michael Lachmann, Pik-sen Lim, Leon Krier, David 'Syd' Lawrence". Last Word. 27 June 2025. BBC Radio 4. Retrieved 29 June 2025.
  9. ^ "Three Thousand Troubled Threads | By: Chiew Siah Tei". Stellar Quines. Archived from the original on 1 March 2024. Retrieved 30 June 2025.
  10. ^ "Doctor Who Classic Episode Guide | The Mind of Evil". BBC. Archived from the original on 22 December 2019.
  11. ^ "Mind Your Language (1977-79, 1986)". Screenonline. British Film Institute. Retrieved 29 June 2025.
  12. ^ a b "Mind Your Language star Pik-Sen Lim dies at 80". Chortle. 18 June 2025. Archived from the original on 19 June 2025.
  13. ^ "Rye Fawkes". Rye & District Bonfire Society. Archived from the original on 12 November 2024. Retrieved 30 June 2025.
  14. ^ "Pik – Sen Lim". Rye's Own Magazine. Archived from the original on 29 June 2025. Retrieved 30 June 2025.[better source needed]
  15. ^ Volozh, Anna-Ester (16 September 2025). "The Wedding Veil of the Proud Princess". YouTube.
  16. ^ Chin, Dawn (13 June 2025). "Malaysian-born actress Pik-Sen Lim, known for roles in 'Mind Your Language', 'Doctor Who' and 'Johnny English Reborn', dies at 80". Malay Mail. Archived from the original on 20 June 2025. Retrieved 29 June 2025.
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