Michelle Yeoh
Michelle Yeoh Actress Information
Michelle Yeoh is the first actress to reach the top of China’s male dominated action films and has a well earned reputation for the Queen of Martial Arts for the roles she played. Michelle Yeoh is the highest paid actress in Asia, the only Asian Bond girl and has acted alongside stars such as Jet Li and Jacky Chan.
Names
English name – Michelle Yeoh
Chinese name – 杨紫琼
Pinyin – Yang Zi Qiong
Earlier film name – Michelle Khan
Details
Date of birth – 6th August 1963
Place of Birth- Ipoh, Malaysia
Height – 1.63
Background
Michelle Yeoh is from a prominent Malaysian Chinee family in the mining town of Ipoh in the western part of Malaysia and her father was a lawyer and a politician. Michelle started studying dance when she was four and she later studied at the Royal Academy of Dance in London after her family moved to England. Her acting career was finished prematurely when she received a spinal injury while at the academy. She changed majors and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Creative arts and Drama.
After graduation Michelle Yeoh returned to Malaysia and won the Miss Malaysia Beauty Pageant in 1983 at the age of 21. She went on to represent Malaysia at t he 1983 Miss World pageant and won the title of Miss Moomba at a beauty competition in Melbourne, Australia.
Acting Career
Michelle Yeoh’s screen career began in 1984 when she attracted the attention of D&B Films in Hong Kong after appearing in a commercial with Jackie Chan. She went on to make six action movies for D&B before marrying in 1988 and retiring from acting. Fortunately for movie audiences she divorced in and returned to acting in 1992.
She launched her comeback with the marital arts crime comedy “Police Story 3: Super Cop” with Jacky Chan that was a major box office success. Her acting career continued to develop and she starred in a number of Chinese hit movies such as “The Heroic Trio” (1993) with Maggie Cheung and Anita Mui, and “Tai Chi Master” (1993) with Jet Li.
Michelle’s first western film was she starred as a Bond girl in “Tomorrow Never Dies” (1997) alongside Pierce Brosman. Brosman was very impressed with Michelle and called her a female Bond because of the fighting ability. Her next major role that received international acclaim was as a swords woman in the incredibly success “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” (2005). She has also starred in western movies such as “Memoirs of a Geisha” (2005) and “The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor” (2008) with Jet Li and Brendan Fraser. She has received numerous acting awards, is one of the highest paid Chinese film stars and has her own successful production company.
Personal Life
Michelle Yeoh, married Dickson Poon an executive from D&BFilms in 1988 and retired from acting until they divorced in 1992. Her divorce with Dickson was amicable and Michelle is close to Dickson’s second wife and their daughter’s godmother.
In 2007 Michelle and a French automotive executive Jean Todt were engaged. The date of their marriage has not been announced and is a hot topic of speculation in the Chinese media.
Michelle Yeoh Trivia
-can’t read or write Chinese characters
-performs all her own stunts and has been injured many times
Movie and Film Titles
Reign of Assassins (2010)
Zeng Jing
The Children of Huang Shi (2008)
Mrs. Wang
Purple Mountain (2008)
Far North (2007)
Saiva
Sunshine (2007)
Corazon
Fearless (2006)
Miss Yang
Fei ying (2004)
Lulu Wong
The Touch (2002)
Pak Yin Fay
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)
Yu Shu Lien
Moonlight Express (1999)
Sis
Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)
Wai Lin
The Soong Sisters (1997)
Soong Ai-ling/Madam Kung
A Jin de gu shi (1996)
Ah Kam
7 jin gong (1994)
Ying
Wing Chun (1994)
Yim Wing Chun
Shaolin Popey II: Messy Temple (1994)
Ah King
Tai-Chi Master (1993)
Siu Lin
Supercop 2 (1993)
Jessica Yang
Executioners (1993)
Ching/San/Carol
Holy Weapon (1993)
Ching Sze/To Col Ching
The Heroic Trio (1993)
Ching/Invisible Woman/Number 3
Butterfly and Sword (1993)
Lady Ko
Supercop (1992)
Insp. Jessica Yang, Director of INTERPOL
Easy Money (1987)
Michelle Yeung
Dynamite Fighters (1987)
Fok Ming-Ming
In the Line of Duty (1986)
Michelle Yip, HK CID
Yes, Madam! (1985)
Inspector Ng
In the Line of Duty (1985)
Michelle Yip
Twinkle Twinkle Lucky Stars (1985)
Judo Instructor
The Owl vs Bumbo (1984)
Miss Yeung
International Movie and Film Titles
Cooktales (2012)
The Lady (2011)
Aung San Suu Kyi
Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011)
Soothsayer
The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (2008)
Zi Yuan
Babylon A.D.(2008)
Sister Rebeka
The Children of Huang Shi (2008)
Mrs. Wang
Memoirs of a Geisha (2005)
Mameha
TV Series
2002 Jackie Chan Adventures (2002)
Cheerleader 4
Chosen as one of the 50 most beautiful people in the world by People Magazine in 1997
Awards for Film and TV
20th Hong Kong Film Awards
Nominee – Best Actress – Michelle Yeoh – Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
17th Hong Kong Film Awards
Nominee – Best Supporting Actress – Michelle Yeoh – The Soong Sisters
5th Hong Kong Film Awards
Nominee – Best New Performer – Michelle Yeoh – In the Line of Duty
2011 Asian Film Awards
Nominee – Best Actress – Michelle Yeoh – Reign of Assassins
2001 Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, USA
Nominee – Best Actress – Michelle Yeoh – Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
1998 Asian American International Film Festival
Winner – Asian Media Award – Michelle Yeoh
2001 BAFTA Awards
Nominee – Best Actress – Michelle Yeoh – Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
2001 Blockbuster Entertainment Awards
Nominee – Favorite Action Team – Michelle Yeoh, Chow Yun-Fat – Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
1998 MTV Movie Awards
Nominee – Best Fight – Michelle Yeoh – Tomorrow Never Dies
2001 ShoWest Convention, USA
Winner – International Star of the Year – Michelle Yeoh –
Supporting websites for Michelle Yeoh
IMDb Actor Database for Michelle Yeoh
Michelle Yeoh fan site