Michelle Yeoh facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Yang Berbahagia Tan Sri Dato' Seri
Michelle Yeoh
PSM SPMP
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| 楊紫瓊 | |
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Yeoh in 2023
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| Born |
Yeoh Choo Kheng
6 August 1962 |
| Other names | Michelle Khan |
| Education | Royal Academy of Dance (BA) |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1983–present |
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Works
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Full list |
| Spouse(s) |
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| Awards | Full list |
| Chinese name | |
| Traditional Chinese | 楊紫瓊 |
| Simplified Chinese | 杨紫琼 |
| Hanyu Pinyin | Yáng Zǐqióng [i̯áŋ tsɹ̩̀.kʰi̯ʊ́ŋ] |
| Jyutping | Joeng4 Zi2-king4 [jœ̏ːŋ tsǐː.kʰȅŋ] |
| Tâi-lô | Iônn Tsú-khîng [ĩũ tsu kʰiŋ] |
Michelle Yeoh (born August 6, 1962) is a famous actress from Malaysia. She has won many big awards, including an Oscar and a Golden Globe.
In her early films, she was known as Michelle Khan. She became famous in the 1980s and 1990s for her roles in Hong Kong action and martial arts films. She even did her own amazing stunts! Some of her early popular movies include Yes, Madam (1985) and Police Story 3: Super Cop (1992).
Later, Michelle Yeoh moved to the United States. She became known worldwide for her roles in the James Bond movie Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) and the martial arts film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000). This last film earned her a nomination for a BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role.
Her Hollywood career grew with films like Memoirs of a Geisha (2005) and The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (2008). She also appeared in popular movies like Crazy Rich Asians (2018) and the Marvel movie Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021). She even had a role in the TV series Star Trek: Discovery (2017–2020).
In 2022, Michelle Yeoh starred in Everything Everywhere All at Once. For her role as Evelyn Quan Wang, she won the Academy Award for Best Actress. This made her the first Asian woman to win this award and the first Malaysian to win an Oscar!
She has been recognized as one of the "50 Most Beautiful People in the World" by People magazine. In 2022, Time magazine named her one of the world's 100 most influential people. In 2024, she received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, a very high honor in the United States.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Michelle Yeoh was born on August 6, 1962, in Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia. Her father, Yeoh Kian-teik, was a Senator in Malaysia. Her family had Hokkien and Cantonese roots. She grew up speaking English and some Malaysian Cantonese.
When she started her acting career in Hong Kong, she learned to speak Cantonese and Mandarin fluently. However, she has said her biggest regret is never learning to read or write Chinese characters.
Michelle loved to dance from a young age, starting ballet at four. At 15, she moved to the United Kingdom with her parents. She trained as a ballet dancer at The Hammond School. Unfortunately, a back injury stopped her from becoming a professional ballet dancer. She then focused on choreography and other arts. In 1983, she earned a degree from Manchester Metropolitan University.
Career Highlights
Early Acting and First Break
In 1983, Michelle Yeoh won the Miss Malaysia World contest. She then represented Malaysia in the Miss World 1983 pageant in London. Her first acting job was in a TV commercial with Jackie Chan. This led to her being noticed by a Hong Kong film company, D&B Films.
Michelle began her acting career in action and martial arts films. She was famous for doing her own stunts. Her first main role was in Yes, Madam (1985). At first, she used the name Michelle Khan for international audiences. In 1987, she married Dickson Poon, a co-founder of D&B Films, and decided to stop acting for a while.
Return as an Action Star
After five years, Michelle Yeoh divorced and returned to acting in 1992. Her comeback film was Police Story 3: Super Cop. She then starred in other action films like The Heroic Trio (1993) and Wing Chun (1994).
She changed her stage name back to Michelle Yeoh when she started her Hollywood career. This began with the James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies in 1997. She played Wai Lin, a skilled agent, alongside Pierce Brosnan. Brosnan was very impressed by her, calling her a "wonderful actress" and a "female James Bond." She performed all her own fighting scenes in the movie.
In 2000, Michelle Yeoh starred in the martial arts film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. She had to learn her lines in Mandarin by listening and repeating, as she didn't speak the language fluently yet. The film was a huge international hit and earned her a BAFTA nomination.
International Recognition
In 2002, Michelle Yeoh produced her first English film, The Touch. She continued to act in English-language films like Memoirs of a Geisha (2005) and The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (2008). In 2011, she played Aung San Suu Kyi in the film The Lady.
In 2015, Michelle Yeoh started acting in television. She played a secret spy in the series Strike Back.
Major Supporting Roles
In 2016, Michelle Yeoh joined the cast of Star Trek: Discovery. She played Captain Philippa Georgiou and her "mirror" version. Fans loved her performance, and a spin-off film, Star Trek: Section 31, starring her character, is planned.
In 2018, she played Eleanor Young in the hit romantic comedy Crazy Rich Asians. Her performance was praised by critics. She also appeared in Last Christmas (2019) and the Marvel movie Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021).
Award-Winning Success
In 2022, Michelle Yeoh starred in the science fiction comedy Everything Everywhere All at Once. She played Evelyn Quan Wang, a laundromat owner who travels through different universes. Critics loved her performance, calling it one of her best.
For this role, she won many major awards:
- Her first Golden Globe Award.
- Her first Oscar for Best Actress. This made her the first Asian woman and the first Malaysian to win an Oscar.
- A Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role. She was the first Asian woman to win a lead film acting award at the Screen Actors Guild Awards.
After this success, she appeared in the Disney+ series American Born Chinese and the mystery film A Haunting in Venice (2023). In 2024, she starred in the Netflix series The Brothers Sun. She will also appear in the upcoming Wicked films and Avatar 4.
Activism and Advocacy
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Michelle Yeoh spends a lot of her time helping others and supporting important causes. She works on issues like disaster relief, HIV/AIDS awareness, and reducing poverty. She also supports animal conservation, gender equality, and road safety.
Since 2008, she has been an ambassador for the FIA's "Make Roads Safe" campaign. This campaign works to make roads safer around the world. She has spoken at the United Nations General Assembly and other big events to promote road safety. She also filmed a documentary called Turning Point about global road safety.
Michelle is also very involved in protecting animals and the environment. She is an ambassador for WildAid, which helps endangered animals. She is also a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). She supports the "Save China's Tigers" project and worked with National Geographic on a documentary called Among the Great Apes with Michelle Yeoh.
Her activism also includes health and well-being. She supports organizations like AIDS Concern and the Hong Kong Cancer Fund. After surviving the April 2015 Nepal earthquake, she returned to Nepal to help victims and donate money.
Throughout her career, Michelle Yeoh has always chosen strong roles. She has spoken out against stereotypes in Hollywood. She once said that after her James Bond film, she was offered many stereotypical roles. She has often talked about racism in Hollywood, including in her award speeches. After winning her Oscar, she wrote an essay calling for true gender equality in the film industry.
Personal Life
Michelle Yeoh was married to Hong Kong businessman Dickson Poon from 1988 to 1992.
In 2004, she started dating Jean Todt, who was then the CEO of Scuderia Ferrari (a famous car racing team). They got engaged later that year. Michelle Yeoh and Jean Todt were married on July 27, 2023, in Geneva, Switzerland.
Michelle Yeoh is a Buddhist and an activist. She enjoys reading books by Shakespeare and Stephen King.
Filmography
Accolades
Michelle Yeoh has received many honors for her contributions to film and society.
- In 1999, she was a judge at the 49th Berlin International Film Festival.
- In 2001, she received the Darjah Datuk Paduka Mahkota Perak (DPMP) from the Sultan of Perak, her home state. This honor gave her the title Dato'.
- In 2007, French President Jacques Chirac made her a Knight of the Legion of Honour, a very high French award. She was later promoted to Officer (2012) and then Commander (2017) of the same order.
- In 2012, she received the Darjah Seri Paduka Mahkota Perak (SPMP), which carries the title Dato' Seri.
- In 2013, she received the Panglima Setia Mahkota (PSM), which carries the title Tan Sri.
- In 2016, she became an Officer of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, another French honor.
- In 2020, she was included in the BBC's 100 Women list.
- In 2022, Time magazine named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world.
- Also in 2022, she received an honorary doctorate degree from the American Film Institute. She was the first Asian artist to receive this honor.
- In 2024, she received the Crystal Award from the World Economic Forum for her cultural leadership.
- On May 3, 2024, she received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from the United States, the highest civilian honor. This recognized her for breaking stereotypes and enriching American culture.
Honours
Honours of Malaysia
Malaysia :
Commander of the Order of Loyalty to the Crown of Malaysia (PSM) – Tan Sri (2013)
Perak :
Knight Commander of the Order of the Perak State Crown (DPMP) – Dato' (2001)
Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Perak State Crown (SPMP) – Dato' Seri (2012)
Foreign honours
France :
Knight of the National Order of the Legion of Honour (2007)
Officer of the National Order of the Legion of Honour (2012)
Officier of the National Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (2016)
Commander of the National Order of the Legion of Honour (2017)
United States :
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Images for kids
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Michelle Yeoh at a press conference for The Touch in 2002
See also
In Spanish: Michelle Yeoh para niños
- List of Academy Award winners and nominees of Asian descent
