Who is Michelle Yeoh? The actress who made history at the 2023 Oscars

Michelle Yeoh made history at Sunday night’s 95th Academy Awards, becoming the first Asian woman to win Best Actress.

The 60-year-old won for her work as Evelyn Wang, an Asian American immigrant who runs a laundromat before being confronted by an infinite number of possible lives in the multiverse, in ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’. It was one of seven wins for the movie on the night.

Although Yeoh’s win was the first Oscar of her career, the Malaysian actress has had a long and storied career in the film industry.

Yeoh started as a ballet dancer

Before getting into acting, Yeoh started as a ballet dancer at the age of four.

Born into an upper-class family in Ipoh, Malaysia, Yeoh, along with her parents, moved to the United Kingdom at the age of 15.

From there she studied at the Royal Academy of Dance in London, where she majored in ballet, but a back injury forced her to turn her attention away from being a ballet dancer.

As a result, she began to focus on choreography and other arts. At the age of 20, she returned home and won the 1983 Miss World Malaysia beauty contest after her mother entered her in the competition.

Soon after, she found herself opposite Jackie Chan in a watch commercial. Although she wasn’t a household name at the time, it was enough to catch the attention of a Hong Kong production company.

From there, in what was just her third acting credit, ‘Yes, Madam’, Yeoh was already given a main role. Credited as Michelle Khan, the alias given to her by D&B Films, she even did most of her own stunts.

After marrying Dickson Pooh, she retired from acting, but returned after getting a divorce.

Yeoh appears in ‘Tomorrow Never Dies’

Injuries slowed Yeoh down again in 1995 after she suffered a fractured vertebra while filming ‘The Stunt Woman’, though that wasn’t enough to end her acting career.

Now going by Michelle Yeoh after ditching her stage name, she starred in the 1997 James Bond film ‘Tomorrow Never Dies’, where she impressed the stunt team on set.

“Our boys were jumping off buildings onto 10 feet of cardboard boxes,” director Roger Spottiswoode told The Telegraph. “Whereas Michelle could land safely on an inch-thick rubber matt.”

From there she captivated audiences in the 2000 martial arts hit ‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon’. The film proved to be a hit, making over $200 million at the box office, with Yeoh going on to star in such titles as ‘Memoirs of a Geisha’, ‘Sunshine’ and ‘The Lady’.

The second act of Yeoh’s career

It wasn’t until recently that Yeoh began to receive more diverse roles. She’s featured in two Marvel movies, the big-budget ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ in recent times, and is set to appear in both ‘Avatar 3′ and ‘Avatar 4′.

“For all the little boys and girls who look like me watching tonight, this is a beacon of hope and possibilities. This is proof to dream big and dreams do come true,” Yeoh said while accepting her Oscar on Sunday night.

She added: “Ladies, don’t let anybody tell you you’re ever past your prime.”

After years of struggling for recognition, Yeoh’s victory on Sunday is proof that if no one is going to give you anything, you might as well keep fighting for yourself.