Michelle Yeoh was a Malaysian film and television actress who rose to international film in the 1990s and early 2000s with her roles in films like "Tomorrow Never Dies" (1997), "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" (2000), and "Memoirs of a Geisha" (2005). Born in Ipoh, West Malaysia, Yeoh took an early interest in dancing. She started doing ballet at the age of 5, and after moving with her parents to England at the age of 15, enrolled in the Royal Academy of Dance in London. Yeoh loved ballet and envisioned a career as a dancer, but her life would take an unexpected turn when, at the age of 20, she won the 1983 Miss Malaysia contest. After winning the contest Yeoh appeared in a commercial alongside the Hong Kong action star Jackie Chan, which exposed her to a Hong Kong production company of martial arts films. The company, D&B Films, began casting Yeoh in many of its martial arts films, including "The Owl vs. Bumbo" (1984), "Yes, Madam!" (1985), and "Easy Money" (1987). Yeoh was quickly making a name for herself as a star of Hong Kong martial arts films, when, in 1987, she married the American businessman Dickson Poon and retired from acting. Yeoh eventually divorced Poon in 1992, and promptly returned to acting with roles in films like "Supercop 2" (1993) and "Wing Chun" (1994). It was her appearance in the 1997 James Bond film "Tomorrow Never Dies," however, that exposed Yeoh to western audiences for the first time, thus making her an international star in the process. More roles in western films with international appeal followed, including "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," "Memoirs of a Geisha," and "The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon" (2008). Yeoh continued working steadily well into the 2010s, with parts in blockbuster Hollywood films like "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2" (2017) and "Crazy Rich Asians" (2018), as well as a recurring role on the science-fiction series "Star Trek: Discovery" (CBS, 2017- ). Furthermore, Yeoh appeared in two high profile Hollywood films in 2019, the science-fiction thriller "Boss Level," directed by Joe Carnahan, and the comedy "Last Christmas," directed by Paul Feig, thus proving she had no intentions of slowing down.
Highest rated movies
Photos
Michelle Yeoh
Filmography
Movies
Credit | |||||
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No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Avatar: Fire and Ash | Dr. Karina Mogue (Character) | - | 2025 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Star Trek: Section 31 | Unknown (Character), Executive Producer | - | 2025 |
89% | | Wicked | Madame Morrible (Character) | - | 2024 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Defying Gravity: The Curtain Rises on Wicked | Self | - | 2024 |
53% | | The Tiger's Apprentice | Loo (Voice) | - | 2024 |
75% | | A Haunting in Venice | Mrs. Reynolds (Character) | $42.4M | 2023 |
51% | | Transformers: Rise of the Beasts | Maximal Airazor (Voice) | $156.7M | 2023 |
38% | | The School for Good and Evil | Professor Anemone (Character) | - | 2022 |
56% | | Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank | Yuki (Voice) | $17.8M | 2022 |
70% | | Minions: The Rise of Gru | Master Chow (Voice) | $369.5M | 2022 |
94% | | Everything Everywhere All at Once | Evelyn Wang (Character), Executive Producer | $76.7M | 2022 |
92% | | Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings | Jiang Nan (Character) | $224.5M | 2021 |
60% | | Gunpowder Milkshake | Florence (Character) | - | 2021 |
74% | | Boss Level | Dai Feng (Character) | - | 2021 |
46% | | Last Christmas | Santa (Character) | $35.1M | 2019 |
92% | | Master Z: Ip Man Legacy | Tso Ngan Kwan (Character) | $188.7K | 2018 |
91% | | Crazy Rich Asians | Eleanor Young (Character) | $174.5M | 2018 |
23% | | Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny | Yu Shu Lien (Character) | - | 2016 |
38% | | Morgan | Dr. Lui Cheng (Character) | $3.9M | 2016 |
31% | | Mechanic: Resurrection | Mei (Character) | $21.2M | 2016 |
No Score Yet | | Final Recipe | Julia (Character), Executive Producer | - | 2013 |
37% | | The Lady | Aung San Suu Kyi (Character) | - | 2011 |
82% | | Kung Fu Panda 2 | Soothsayer (Voice) | - | 2011 |
63% | | True Legend | Sister Yu (Character) | - | 2010 |
67% | | Reign of Assassins | Drizzle (Character) | - | 2010 |
7% | | Babylon A.D. | Sister Rebeka (Character) | $22.5M | 2008 |
13% | | The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor | Zi Yuan (Character) | $102.2M | 2008 |
30% | | The Children of Huang Shi | Madame Wang (Character) | $110.8K | 2008 |
86% | | Far North | Saiva (Character) | - | 2007 |
76% | | Sunshine | Corazon (Character) | $3.7M | 2007 |
35% | | Memoirs of a Geisha | Mameha (Character) | $57.0M | 2005 |
No Score Yet | | Silver Hawk | Lulu (Character), Executive Producer | - | 2004 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Hua Mulan | Unknown (Character) | - | 2003 |
No Score Yet | | The Touch | Pak Yin Fay (Character), Producer | - | 2002 |
98% | | Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon | Yu Shu Lien (Character) | $451.2K | 2000 |
No Score Yet | | Moonlight Express | Michelle (Character) | - | 1999 |
No Score Yet | | The Soong Sisters | Soong Ai-ling / | - | 1997 |
57% | | Tomorrow Never Dies | Colonel Wai-Lin (Character) | $145.0M | 1997 |
No Score Yet | | The Stunt Woman | Ah Kam (Character) | - | 1996 |
No Score Yet | | Wing Chun | Yim Wing Chun (Character) | - | 1994 |
No Score Yet | | Wonder Seven | Ying (Character) | - | 1994 |
No Score Yet | | Holy Weapon | Ching Sze/ | - | 1994 |
No Score Yet | | Butterfly and Sword | Sister Ko (Character) | - | 1993 |
83% | | The Tai Chi Master | Sin Lin (Character) | - | 1993 |
64% | | Supercop 2 | Jessica Yang (Character) | - | 1993 |
90% | | Heroic Trio 2: Executioners | Ching/ | - | 1993 |
93% | | Supercop | Insp. Jessica Yang, Director of INTERPOL (Character) | $16.2M | 1992 |
81% | | The Heroic Trio | Ching/ | - | 1992 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Tong Fong Sam Hop | Ching/ | - | 1992 |
67% | | Magnificent Warriors | Fok Ming-Ming (Character) | - | 1987 |
No Score Yet | | Easy Money | Michelle Yeung (Character) | - | 1987 |
No Score Yet | | Royal Warriors | Michelle Yip (Character) | - | 1986 |
100% | | Yes, Madam | Inspector Ng (Character) | - | 1985 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Reign of Assasins | Unknown (Character) | - | |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Bridge | Self | - |
TV
Credit | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
No Score Yet | 56% | ARK: The Animated Series | Meiyin Li (Voice) | 2024 |
No Score Yet | 44% | The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon | Guest | 2024 |
84% | 90% | The Brothers Sun | Mama Sun (Character) | 2024 |
94% | 81% | American Born Chinese | Guanyin (Character) | 2023 |
No Score Yet | 50% | The Late Show With Stephen Colbert | Guest | 2023 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Graham Norton Show | Guest | 2023 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Variety Studio: Actors on Actors | Guest | 2023 |
28% | 13% | The Witcher: Blood Origin | Scían (Character) | 2022 |
No Score Yet | 42% | Jimmy Kimmel Live! | Guest | 2022 |
No Score Yet | 12% | The View | Guest | 2022 |
84% | 34% | Star Trek: Discovery | Philippa Georgiou (Character) | 2017-2021 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Vice Guide to Film | Unknown (Character) | 2016 |
66% | 93% | Marco Polo | The Handmaiden (Character) | 2016 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Last Call With Carson Daly | Guest | 2016 |
85% | 70% | Strike Back: Origins | Mei Foster (Character) | 2015 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Daily Show | Guest | 2005 |