Notably, he starred opposite Sean Penn in Shanghai Surprise (1986), Pierce Brosnan in Noble House (1988), and Claire Danes in Brokedown Palace (1999), and was the lead actor in Growing Up (1996–2001) and Perth (2004).

He played founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew in 1965, a film that was shot to celebrate Singapore's Golden Jubilee.

[6][7] While serving National Service, Lim earned a Singapore Armed Forces Colours award for his accomplishments in rugby.

He graduated from the University of Hull in 1978 with a Bachelor of Acts (Honours) in English and Drama, where the late Anthony Minghella was his contemporary and tutor.

(Fresh Off Boat) (1982), Chandran Lingam's The Nuns (1983) and Abigail's Party (1983), for which his "marvellously taut performance" was praised by The Singapore Monitor's Yap Koon Hong.

[14] Lim's entry into film began in 1984, when he auditioned for the New York casting agent of Year of the Dragon (1985) in Singapore.

[15] In 1985, Lim tried his hand at directing with David Mamet's Glengarry Glen Ross, retitled Paradise Heights, for the Drama Festival.

Lim served as the company's press and media relations consultant, in addition to acting in several of their plays.

[18] Lim also acted in the English-language versions of Kuo Pao Kun's influential plays The Coffin is Too Big for the Hole (1985) and No Parking on Odd Days (1986).

His "outstanding portrayal" as the family patriarch led him to be named by The Straits Times as one of the top ten dads on TV in 2013.

"[26] Neil Humphreys called Lim's "world-class performance" in Perth "almost without parallel", writing, "This is not a portrayal; it's a metamorphosis".

Theatre Awards nomination for Best Actor for Goh Lay Kuan & Kuo Pao Kun (2012–2013), after his first nod for The House of Sleeping Beauties (1994).

[31] In 2014, Lim starred as a fortune teller in HBO (Asia)'s original series, Grace, for which he won the Asian Television Award for Best Supporting Actor for the second time in December 2015.

[33] In the same month, it was revealed that Lim will play founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew in the upcoming film celebrating Singapore's Golden Jubilee, 1965.

[36] In the same month, Lim read Lee Kuan Yew quotes, paired with music, during a one-night performance with the Singapore Chinese Orchestra.

[38] In early 2016, Lim played one of the lead roles, Allen, in Ying J. Tan's feature film, Rough Mix.

He narrated the telecommunications company's "Power On" video series in 2017, and in 2018, starred in their hit Chinese New Year short film, "Mr Lim’s Reunion Dinner".

[45] Lim is married to food writer Sylvia Tan Jui Huang whom playwright Michael Chiang introduced him to.