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 | 1983–87 1992–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 |
| IPA | [i̯áŋ tsɹ̩̀.tɕʰi̯ʊ́ŋ] |
| Jyutping | Joeng4 Zi2-king4 [jœ̏ːŋ tsǐː.kʰȅŋ] |
| Tâi-lô | Iônn Tsú-khîng [ĩũ tsu kʰiŋ] |
Michelle Yeoh, born Yeoh Choo Kheng on August 6, 1962, is a famous actress from Malaysia. She is known professionally as Michelle Yeoh. She has been acting for over 40 years in many different types of movies.
Michelle Yeoh has won many awards, including an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award. Early in her career, she was known as Michelle Khan. She became famous in the 1980s and 1990s for starring in Hong Kong action and martial arts films. She often did her own stunts in these movies. Some of her early films include Yes, Madam (1985) and Police Story 3: Super Cop (1992).
Later, Michelle Yeoh moved to the United States. She became internationally recognized for her roles in the James Bond movie Tomorrow Never Dies (1997). She also starred in Ang Lee's martial arts film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000). This movie earned her a nomination for a BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role.
Her Hollywood career continued 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 Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021).
In 2022, Michelle Yeoh starred as Evelyn Quan Wang in Everything Everywhere All at Once. For this role, she won the Academy Award for Best Actress. She was the first Asian woman to win this award and the first Malaysian to win an Academy Award. She has also appeared in A Haunting in Venice (2023) and Wicked (2024).
Michelle Yeoh is considered one of the greatest action heroines of all time. She has been recognized by People magazine as one of the "50 Most Beautiful People in the World." 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 parents are Janet Yeoh and Yeoh Kian-teik. Her father was a Senator in Malaysia and a lawyer.
Michelle Yeoh grew up speaking English. She learned to speak Cantonese and Mandarin fluently later in her career. She has said that her biggest regret is not learning to read or write Chinese characters.
From a young age, Michelle Yeoh loved to dance. She started ballet when she was four years old. At age 15, she moved to England with her parents. She trained as a ballet dancer at The Hammond School. However, 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 Crewe + Alsager College of Higher Education.
Michelle Yeoh's Acting Career
Early Roles and First Break
In 1983, when she was 20, Michelle Yeoh won the Miss Malaysia World beauty contest. She 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 called D&B Films. She began her acting career in action and martial arts films. She was known for doing her own stunts.
Michelle Yeoh's first main role was in her third film, Yes, Madam (1985). At first, she used the stage name Michelle Khan. In 1987, she married Dickson Poon, who helped start D&B Films. She decided to stop acting for a while.
Return to Action Films
After five years, Michelle Yeoh divorced and returned to acting. Her comeback film was Police Story 3: Super Cop (1992). She also appeared in The Heroic Trio (1993) and Wing Chun (1994).
When she started her Hollywood career with Tomorrow Never Dies in 1997, she changed her stage name back to Michelle Yeoh. In this James Bond film, she played Wai Lin alongside Pierce Brosnan. Brosnan was very impressed with her acting and fighting skills. She performed all her own fighting scenes.
In 2000, Michelle Yeoh starred in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. This was her first martial arts film in Mandarin. She had to learn her lines phonetically because she didn't speak Mandarin fluently at the time. The movie was a huge international success. It earned her a nomination for Best Actress at the BAFTA Awards.
New Challenges and Global Recognition
In 2002, Michelle Yeoh produced her first English film, The Touch. In 2004, she met Jean Todt, a French motor racing executive. They got engaged later that year and married in 2023.
She continued to star 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.
Michelle Yeoh started acting in television in 2015. She played a spy in the series Strike Back. In 2016, she was cast as Captain Philippa Georgiou in Star Trek: Discovery. She played this role for three seasons and was very popular with fans. A movie about her character, Star Trek: Section 31, was announced in 2023.
Recent Success and Awards
In 2018, Michelle Yeoh played Eleanor Young in Crazy Rich Asians. This movie was a big hit. In 2019, she appeared in the movie Last Christmas. She also played Ying Nan in Marvel Studios' Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021).
In 2022, Michelle Yeoh starred in the science fiction comedy Everything Everywhere All at Once. Her performance as Evelyn Quan Wang was highly praised by critics. For this role, she won her first Golden Globe award. She also won her first Oscar for Best Actress. This made her the first Asian woman and the first Malaysian to win an Academy Award.
She also appeared in the Disney+ series American Born Chinese. In 2023, she starred as a psychic in A Haunting in Venice. In January 2024, she led the action comedy series The Brothers Sun for Netflix. She also starred as Madame Morrible in the two-part film adaptation of the musical Wicked. The first film was released in November 2024, and the second is planned for November 2025.
In May 2024, Michelle Yeoh was cast in the science-fiction TV series Blade Runner 2099. She will also play Dr. Karina Mogue in Avatar 4, which is set to be released in December 2029.
Activism and Philanthropy
Michelle Yeoh spends a lot of her time helping others. She supports causes like disaster relief, HIV/AIDS awareness, and poverty reduction. She also works for animal conservation, gender equality, and road safety.
Since 2008, she has been an ambassador for the FIA's Make Roads Safe campaign. She has spoken at the United Nations General Assembly and the World Bank to promote safer roads. She also made a documentary called Turning Point about global road safety.
Michelle Yeoh is also a WildAid ambassador for endangered animals. She is a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) for the Sustainable Development Goals. She supports the Save China's Tigers project, which helps protect the endangered South China tiger. She also 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. She is on the board of directors for the Suu Foundation, which helps people in Myanmar. After surviving the April 2015 Nepal earthquake, she returned to Nepal to help victims and donated money.
Throughout her career, Michelle Yeoh has always played strong roles. She has spoken out against stereotypes in Hollywood. She has talked about the challenges of being an Asian actress in the industry. After winning her Oscar, she wrote an essay calling for true gender equality.
Personal Life
Michelle Yeoh was married to Hong Kong businessman Dickson Poon from 1988 to 1992. From 1998 to 2000, she was engaged to an American heart doctor named Alan Heldman.
In 2004, she started dating Jean Todt, who was then a top manager for Scuderia Ferrari. They got engaged in July 2004. They live in Geneva, Switzerland. Michelle Yeoh and Jean Todt were married on July 27, 2023, in Geneva.
Michelle Yeoh does not have any children. She has said that her inability to have children was a reason her first marriage ended.
She is a Buddhist and an activist. She has expressed her support for Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak. She has also shared that Shakespeare and Stephen King are her favorite authors.
Filmography
Awards and Honors
In 1999, she was a judge at the 49th Berlin International Film Festival. She has received several honors from Malaysia, including the title Dato' in 2001 and Dato' Seri in 2012. In 2013, she received the title Tan Sri.
France has also honored Michelle Yeoh many times. She was made a Knight of the Legion of Honour in 2007. She was promoted to Officer in 2012 and Commander in 2017. She also became an Officer of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 2016.
In 2020, she was included in the BBC's 100 Women list. Time magazine named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2022. In August 2022, she received an honorary doctorate degree from the American Film Institute. She was the first Asian artist to receive this honor.
In January 2024, Michelle Yeoh received the Crystal Award from the World Economic Forum. This was for her role as a cultural leader and her contributions to society. On May 3, 2024, the White House announced that she would receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom. This is the highest civilian honor in the United States. She was recognized for breaking stereotypes and enriching American culture.
Honors
Honors 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 honors
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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See also
In Spanish: Michelle Yeoh para niños
- List of Academy Award winners and nominees of Asian descent
