A Tribute to Michelle Yeoh

Michelle Yeoh is an indelible screen presence who grounds every frame she inhabits with authenticity and explosive talent. It is hard to think of another artist who can match her style, skillset, and command of the camera. An icon and global movie star, Michelle is also in the words of Buzzfeed, “a martial artist, athlete, ballet dancer, pianist, beauty queen (Miss Malaysia 1983), and hardcore action star all rolled into one; in short, Michelle Yeoh is the GOAT.”

Born in Malaysia, Yeoh studied dance before injuries waylaid those ambitions and she turned to acting. She first established herself as an action star in such classics as Stanley Tong’s Supercop (1992), which paired her with Jackie Chan, and Johnnie To’s The Heroic Trio (1993). International fame soon beckoned when Roger Spottiswoode cast her opposite Pierce Brosnan’s James Bond in Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) and entered the pantheon of martial arts supernovae with her electrifying moves in Ang Lee’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000).

Films like Rob Marshall’s Memoirs of a Geisha (2005), Danny Boyle’s sci-fi drama Sunshine (2007), and Luc Besson’s The Lady (2011) demonstrated her flair for quiet drama, while such movies as Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017) and Crazy Rich Asians (2018) allowed her to flex her comedic talents. On television, she became part of one the last half century’s most storied franchises when she played Philippa Georgiou on Star Trek: Discovery (2017-2020). Most recently, she returned to action in Marvel’s Shang-chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021) and The Daniels’ Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022), where her beleaguered laundry owner Evelyn, beset by money and tax troubles, unleashes her inner warrior as she discovers powers she never knew she had.

Michelle Yeoh headshot courtesy of Thomas Laisne via Getty Images.