Michelle Yeoh

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August 6, 1963

Yeoh Choo-Kheng (Iûⁿ Chí-khēng)

Chinese name: 楊紫瓊 (Traditional)

Chinese name: 杨紫琼 (Simplified)

Pinyin Yáng Zǐqióng (Mandarin)

Jyutping Joeng4 Zi2king4 (Cantonese)

Dickson Poon (m: 1987-1992)

Jean Todt (partner: July 2008-present)

Did We Miss Any?

Actress

The Lady (2011)

Kung Fu Panda 2 (voice) (2011)

Reign of Assassins (2010)

True Legend (2010)

Babylon A.D. (2008)

The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (2008)

The Children of Huang Shi (2008)

Purple Mountain (2008)

Far North (2007)

Sunshine (2007)

Fearless (2006)

Memoirs of a Geisha (2005)

Fei ying (2004)

Jackie Chan Adventures (TV series) (uncredited) (1 episode, 2002)

The Touch (2002)

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)

Moonlight Express (1999)

Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)

The Soong Sisters (1997)

A Jin de gu shi (1996)

7 jin gong (1994)

Wing Chun (1994)

Shaolin Popey II: Messy Temple (1994)

Tai Chi Master (1993)

Supercop 2 (1993)

Executioners (1993)

Wu xia qi gong zhu (1993)

The Heroic Trio (1993)

Butterfly and Sword (1993)

Supercop (1992)

Tong tian da dao (1987)

Dynamite Fighters (1987)

In the Line of Duty (1986)

Huang jia shi jie (1985)

Xia ri fu xing (1985)

Mao tou ying yu xiao fei xiang (1984)

Producer

My Fair Gentleman (supervising producer) (2009)

Fei ying (executive producer, producer) (2004)

The Touch (executive producer) (2002)

Appearances

George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight (TV series) (1 episode, 2012)

Janela Indiscreta (TV series) (1 episode, 2012)

On n'est pas couché (TV series) (1 episode, 2011)

Thé ou café (TV series) (1 episode, 2011)

Vivement dimanche prochain (TV series) (1 episode, 2011)

Fucking Kassovitz (video documentary) (2011)

Vivement dimanche (TV series) (1 episode, 2010)

Rose, c'est Paris (TV movie) (2010)

The Movie Loft (TV series) (1 episode, 2009)

The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson (TV series) (2 episodes, 2005-2008)

HBO First Look (TV series documentary) (1 episode, 2008)

Le grand journal de Canal+ (TV series) (1 episode, 2008)

DP/30: Conversations About Movies (TV series) (2007)

Sunday Morning Shootout (TV series) (1 episode, 2006)

GMTV (TV series) (1 episode, 2006)

MovieReal: Memoirs of a Geisha (TV documentary) (2005)

Today (TV series) (1 episode, 2005)

The View (TV series) (1 episode, 2005)

The Daily Show (TV series) (1 episode, 2005)

On the Set: Memoirs of a Geisha (TV documentary) (2005)

MTV Whatever Things (TV series) (2003)

Hong Kong Stories (video documentary) (2003)

Bond Girls Are Forever (TV documentary) (2002)

Rank (TV series documentary) (1 episode, 2002)

Grit & Polish: Heroines from Hong Kong (documentary short) (2001)

The 73rd Annual Academy Awards (TV special) (2001)

The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (TV series) (1 episode, 2001)

2000 Blockbuster Entertainment Awards (TV special) (2000)

Jackie Chan: My Story (video documentary) (1998)

Howard Stern (TV series) (1 episode, 1998)

The Secrets of 007: The James Bond Files (TV documentary) (1997)

The Rosie O'Donnell Show (TV series) (2 episodes, 1996-1997)

James Bond: Shaken and Stirred (TV documentary) (1997)

Highly Classified: The World of 007 (video documentary) (1997)

1993 Love Quite Like a Comet

Submit Discography

Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, USA

2001 Nominated Saturn Award Best Actress for: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)

Asian American International Film Festival

1998 Won Asian Media Award

Asian Film Awards

2011 Nominated Asian Film Award Best Actress for: Reign of Assassins (2010)

2011 Nominated People's Choice Award Favorite Actress for: Reign of Assassins (2010)

BAFTA Awards

2001 Nominated BAFTA Film Award Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role for: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)

Blockbuster Entertainment Awards

2001 Nominated Blockbuster Entertainment Award Favorite Action Team (Internet Only) for: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000). Shared with: Yun-Fat Chow

Chlotrudis Awards

2001 Nominated Chlotrudis Award Best Actress for: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)

Darjah Datuk Paduka Mahkota Perak (SPMP) Awards

2012 Awarded the arjah Seri Paduka Mahkota Perak Award, which carries the title Datuk Seri'

2001 Awarded the Darjah Datuk Paduka Mahkota Perak (DPMP) in recognition of the fame she brought to the state

Golden Horse Film Festival

2000 Nominated Golden Horse Award Best Actress for: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)

Hong Kong Film Awards

2001 Nominated Hong Kong Film Award Best Actress for: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)

1998 Nominated Hong Kong Film Award Best Supporting Actress for: The Soong Sisters (1997)

1986 Nominated Hong Kong Film Award Best New Performer for: Huang jia shi jie (1985)

Junior Chamber International Awards

2002 Won unior Chamber International Award Outstanding Young Persons of the World (TOYP) (Cultural Achievement)

MTV Movie Awards

1998 Nominated MTV Movie Award Best Fight for: Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) for: the fight between Michelle Yeoh and some 'bad guys'

National Order of the Legion of Honour

2012 Awarded Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur by French President Nicolas Sarkozy

2007 Awarded Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur by French President Jacques Chirac

Satellite Awards

2011 Nominated Satellite Award Best Actress in a Motion Picture for: The Lady (2011)

ShoWest Convention, USA

2001 Won ShoWest Award International Star of the Year

Toronto Film Critics Association Awards

2000 Nominated TFCA Award Best Performance, Female for: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)

Vancouver Film Critics Circle

2001 Nominated VFCC Award Best Actress for: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)

Submit Awards

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The most important thing is that you have really good friends and family, and when you go back to them, it's like "what?". You carry on as who you are.

I really believe that this genre [martial arts] deserves more respect and dignity than it's ever been given.

Learning how to walk in a kimono was an art form in itself - if you didn't learn to do it properly it was like dragging a dead cat across the floor! We had to walk with a piece of paper between your knees and a tea tray balanced on your head.

In Asia, we constantly play Koreans, Malay, Chinese. We do not question that, as you do not question an Englishman playing an American or a German.

I prefer to be kicked four or five times well, you know, hard, than twenty or twenty five times not so good...

We had to learn in just six weeks what geishas spend their whole lives learning. There were seven torture rooms, ... But we were lucky that Kaori and Ken were there to keep an eye on us to make sure we were doing it properly. Please forgive us if we did anything wrong.

Submit Quotes

Her parents are Janet Yeoh and Yeoh Kian Teik, a lawyer and MCA politician.

Through her work in Hong King action films of the 1980s, Yeoh became a superstar with a widespread fan following, in what was essentially a male-dominated genre. But as the 1990s ended, Yeoh, nearing middle age alongside Chan and Yun-Fat, attempted to move into international prestige cinema with mixed results.

She is credited as Michelle Khan in some of her earlier films. This alias was chosen by the D&B studio who thought it might be more marketable to international and western audiences. Yeoh later preferred using her real name.

She was keen on dance from an early age, beginning ballet at the age of four. At the age of 15, she moved with her parents to England, where she was enrolled in a boarding school. Yeoh later studied at the Royal Academy of Dance in London where she received a Bachelor's Degree in Dance. However, a spinal injury prevented her from becoming a professional ballet dancer, and she transferred her attention to choreography and other arts. She later received a B.A. degree in Creative Arts with a minor in Drama.

Yeoh learned English and Malay before Cantonese, and cannot read Chinese characters; consequently she learned the lines for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon phonetically.

She does most of her own stunts and has been injured many times.

She won the Miss Malaysia beauty pageant in 1983.

She was Malaysia's representative at the 1983 Miss World pageant in London.

In October 2011, she has been chosen by Guerlain to be it's new skincare ambassador.

On June 22, 2011, Yeoh was deported from Burma, allegedly over a new film The Lady, in which Yeoh portrays Aung San Suu Kyi Burmese Prodemocracy leader.

She is a Buddhist.

In 2001, she was given the title of "dato'" by the Sultan of Perak, her native state. "Dato'" is an honorary Malaysian title somewhat like an English knighthood, and it lies below the ranks of "Dato' Seri," "Tan Sri" and "Tun."

She is one of the highest paid Chinese-language actresses in the world.

She is the highest paid actress in Asia.

Roles Turned Down

Seraph in the two sequels to The Matrix

Salary

Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) $2,500,000