Michelle Yeoh Choo Kheng, ( ; born 6 August 1962) is a Malaysian actress. Credited as Michelle Khan in her early Hong Kong films, she rose to fame in the 1990s after starring in a series of Hong Kong action films where she performed her own stunts, such as ''

Yes, Madam Yes, Madam may refer to: * ''Yes, Madam'' (1933 film), a British comedy film * ''Yes, Madam'' (1942 film), an Italian romance film * ''Yes, Madam'' (1985 film), a Hong Kong action film * ''Yes, Madam? ''Yes, Madam?'' is a 1938 British musica ...

'' (1985), '' Police Story 3: Supercop'' (1992) and ''

Holy Weapon ''Holy Weapon'' is a 1993 Hong Kong ''wuxia'' film directed by Wong Jing. The film's Chinese title means ''Seven Princesses of Wuxia''. Plot ''Holy Weapon'' presents the story of Seven Maidens who are recruited to challenge the threat posed b ...

'' (1993). She gained international recognition for her roles in the

James Bond The ''James Bond'' series focuses on a fictional British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short-story collections. Since Fleming's death in 1964, eight other authors hav ...

film '' Tomorrow Never Dies'' (1997) and in

Ang Lee Ang Lee (; born October 23, 1954) is a Taiwanese filmmaker. Born in Pingtung County of southern Taiwan, Lee was educated in Taiwan and later in the United States. During his filmmaking career, he has received international critical and popula ...

's martial arts film ''

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon ''Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon'' is a 2000 wuxia film directed by Ang Lee and written for the screen by Wang Hui-ling, James Schamus, and Tsai Kuo-jung . The film features a cast of actors of Chinese ethnicity, including Chow Yun-fat, ...

'' (2000). The latter role earned her a BAFTA Best Actress nomination. Yeoh's other works include ''

Memoirs of a Geisha ''Memoirs of a Geisha'' is a historical fiction novel by American author Arthur Golden, published in 1997. The novel, told in first person perspective, tells the story of Nitta Sayuri and the many trials she faces on the path to becoming and w ...

'' (2005), ''

Reign of Assassins ''Reign of Assassins'' is a 2010 ''wuxia'' film directed by Su Chao-pin and co-directed by John Woo. The film is shot in China and set during the Ming Dynasty. The film stars Michelle Yeoh, who plays an assassin who tries to return to a normal li ...

'' (2010), '' Kung Fu Panda 2'' (2011), '' Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny'' (2016), and '' The Lady'' (2011), where she portrayed

Aung San Suu Kyi Aung San Suu Kyi (; ; born 19 June 1945) is a Burmese politician, diplomat, author, and a 1991 Nobel Peace Prize laureate who served as State Counsellor of Myanmar (equivalent to a prime minister) and Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2 ...

. She went on to have supporting roles in the romantic comedies ''

Crazy Rich Asians ''Crazy Rich Asians'' is a satirical 2013 romantic comedy novel by Kevin Kwan. Kwan stated that his intention in writing the novel was to "introduce a contemporary Asia to a North American audience". He claimed the novel was loosely based on hi ...

'' (2018) and '' Last Christmas'' (2019), and the 2021

Marvel Cinematic Universe The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on a series of superhero films produced by Marvel Studios. The films are based on characters that appear in American comic books published ...

film ''

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings ''Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings'' is a 2021 American superhero film based on Marvel Comics featuring the character Shang-Chi. Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, it is the 25th film ...

'' (2021). On television, Yeoh had a recurring role in the science fiction series '' Star Trek: Discovery'' from 2017 to 2020. In 2022, she gained critical acclaim for starring as an overwhelmed mother navigating the multiverse in the science fiction film ''

Everything Everywhere All at Once ''Everything Everywhere All at Once'' is a 2022 American absurdist comedy-drama film written and directed by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert (collectively known as "Daniels"), who produced it with Anthony and Joe Russo. The plot centers on a ...

'', receiving a nomination for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress. The film review aggregation website

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wan ...

ranked her the greatest action heroine of all time in 2008. In 1997, she was chosen by ''

People A person ( : people) is a being that has certain capacities or attributes such as reason, morality, consciousness or self-consciousness, and being a part of a culturally established form of social relations such as kinship, ownership of prope ...

'' as one of the "

50 Most Beautiful People in the World ''People'' is an American weekly magazine that specializes in celebrity news and human-interest stories. It is published by Dotdash Meredith, a subsidiary of IAC. With a readership of 46.6 million adults in 2009, ''People'' had the lar ...

", and in 2009 the same magazine listed her as one of the "35 All-Time Screen Beauties". In 2022, ''

Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and event (philosophy), events that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various me ...

'' named her one of the world's 100 most influential people on its annual listicle and its Icon of the Year.

Early life and education

Yeoh was born on 6 August 1962 in

Ipoh , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Ipoh in Perak , pushpin_map = #Malaysia#Asia#Earth , pushpin_mapsize = 275px , pushpin_map_caption = Ipoh in Malaysia , coordinates ...

, Perak, to a local ethnic

Malaysian Chinese Malaysian Chinese (; Malay: ''Orang Cina Malaysia''), alternatively Chinese Malaysians, are Malaysian citizens of Han Chinese descent. They form the second largest ethnic group after the Malay majority constituting 22.4% of the Malaysian p ...

family of

Hokkien The Hokkien () variety of Chinese is a Southern Min language native to and originating from the Minnan region, where it is widely spoken in the south-eastern part of Fujian in southeastern mainland China. It is one of the national languages ...

and

Cantonese Cantonese ( zh, t=廣東話, s=广东话, first=t, cy=Gwóngdūng wá) is a language within the Chinese (Sinitic) branch of the Sino-Tibetan languages originating from the city of Guangzhou (historically known as Canton) and its surrounding a ...

ancestry. Her parents are Janet Yeoh and Yeoh Kian-teik (died on 5 November 2014), a lawyer and

Malaysian Chinese Association The Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA; zh, 马来西亚华人公会; ; ta, மலேசிய சீனர் சங்கம், initially known as the Malayan Chinese Association) is a uni-racial political party in Malaysia that seeks to ...

politician, as well as the man behind the express bus service Sri Maju. She is fluent in Cantonese, Mandarin and English. Yeoh was keen on dance from an early age, beginning ballet at the age of four. She studied at Main Convent Ipoh, an all-girls secondary school in

Ipoh , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Ipoh in Perak , pushpin_map = #Malaysia#Asia#Earth , pushpin_mapsize = 275px , pushpin_map_caption = Ipoh in Malaysia , coordinates ...

, as a primary student. At the age of 15, she moved with her parents to the United Kingdom, where she was enrolled in an all-girls boarding school. Yeoh later studied at the UK's

Royal Academy of Dance "Health and happiness" , predecessor = , successor = , formation = 1920 , extinction = , type = NGO , status = Registered charity , purpose = Examination board – dance education and training , headquarters = 36 Battersea SquareSW11 3 ...

in London, majoring in ballet. However, a spinal injury prevented her from becoming a professional ballet dancer, and she transferred her attention to choreography and other arts. She received a BA degree in creative arts with a minor in drama in 1982.

Career

In 1983, at the age of 20, Yeoh won the Miss Malaysia World contest. She was Malaysia's representative at

Miss World 1983 Miss World 1983, the 33rd edition of the Miss World pageant, was held on 17 November 1983 at the Royal Albert Hall in London, UK. The winner was Sarah-Jane Hutt from United Kingdom. She was crowned by Miss World 1982, Mariasela Álvarez of Do ...

pageant in London. Later that year, she travelled to Australia where she won Miss International Tourism Quest pageant. From there, she appeared in a television commercial with

Jackie Chan Fang Shilong (born 7 April 1954), known professionally in English as Jackie Chan and in Chinese as Cheng Long ( zh, c=成龍, j=Sing4 Lung4; "becoming the dragon"), is a Hong Kong actor, filmmaker, martial artist, and stuntman known for ...

which caught the attention of a fledgling Hong Kong film production company, D&B Films. Yeoh started her film career acting in action and

martial arts film Martial arts films are a subgenre of action films that feature numerous martial arts combat between characters. These combats are usually the films' primary appeal and entertainment value, and often are a method of storytelling and character expres ...

s, where she did most of her own

stunt A stunt is an unusual and difficult physical feat or an act requiring a special skill, performed for artistic purposes usually on television, theaters, or cinema. Stunts are a feature of many action films. Before computer generated imagery sp ...

s. Already with her third credit, ''

'' (1985), she was given a main role. She was credited as Michelle Khan in these earlier films. This alias was chosen by D&B Films, who thought it might be more marketable to international and western audiences. Yeoh married

Dickson Poon Sir Dickson Poon (; born 19 June 1956) is a Hong Kong businessman in the luxury goods retailing sector. Poon is the executive chairman of his Hong Kong based and listed company Dickson Concepts (DCIL), which owns companies including Harvey Ni ...

, who headed the D&B Group, in 1987 and retired from acting. Michelle Yeoh Cannes 2

Yeoh returned to acting with '' Police Story 3: Super Cop'' (1992) after having divorced Poon. She appeared in '' The Heroic Trio'' (1993), and the Yuen Woo-ping films '' Tai Chi Master'' and '' Wing Chun'' in 1993 and 1994, respectively. She changed her stage name back to Michelle Yeoh when she started her Hollywood career with '' Tomorrow Never Dies'' in 1997. In the 1997

film, she played

Wai Lin Wai Lin () is a fictional character in the 1997 ''James Bond'' film ''Tomorrow Never Dies'', portrayed by Michelle Yeoh. The character, the first ethnic Chinese Bond girl, has received critical acclaim, being widely regarded as one of the best Bon ...

opposite star

Pierce Brosnan Pierce Brendan Brosnan (; born 16 May 1953) is an Irish actor and film producer. He is best known as the fifth actor to play secret agent James Bond in the Bond film series, starring in four films from 1995 to 2002 ('' GoldenEye'', '' Tomorro ...

. Brosnan was impressed, describing her as a "wonderful actress" who was "serious and committed about her work". He referred to her as a "female James Bond" in reference to her combat abilities. She wanted to perform her own stunts but was prevented because director Roger Spottiswoode considered it too dangerous. Nevertheless, she performed all of her own fighting scenes. In 1997, she played Soong Ai-ling in the award-winning '' The Soong Sisters''. Yeoh was approached by

to star as Yu Shu Lien in the Chinese language martial arts film ''

'' (2000). The film was shot in various provinces around China. Yeoh had grown up speaking English and Malay, before learning

. She spoke little Mandarin, and learned the Mandarin lines for ''Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon''

phonetically Phonetics is a branch of linguistics that studies how humans produce and perceive sounds, or in the case of sign languages, the equivalent aspects of sign. Linguists who specialize in studying the physical properties of speech are phoneticians. ...

. The film was an international success, and earned Yeoh a BAFTA 2000 nomination for Best Actress in a Leading Role. In 2002, Yeoh produced her first English film, '' The Touch'', through her own production company Mythical Films. In 2005, Yeoh starred as Mameha in the film adaptation of ''

'', and she continued her English-language work in 2007 with '' Sunshine''. In 2008, Yeoh starred in the fantasy action film '' The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor'' with Brendan Fraser and

Jet Li Li Lianjie (courtesy name Yangzhong; born 26 April 1963), better known by his stage name Jet Li, is a Chinese film actor, film producer, martial artist, and retired Wushu champion. He is a naturalized Singaporean citizen. After three years ...

. In 2011, she portrayed

in Luc Besson's '' The Lady''. Yeoh was blacklisted by the Burmese government allegedly because of her participation in ''The Lady''; she was refused entry to

Myanmar Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...

on 22 June 2011 and was deported on the same day. In October 2011, Yeoh was chosen by Guerlain to be its skincare ambassador. Yeoh's role was to help strengthen the French cosmetics company's relationship with Asia. Yeoh did not branch out into television until 2015, with her first role playing Mei Foster, wife to the British Ambassador to Thailand, who is secretly a

North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu (Amnok) and T ...

n spy named Li-Na, on the fifth season of the Cinemax/Sky series '' Strike Back''. In 2016, Yeoh was cast as Starfleet Captain Philippa Georgiou of the starship USS ''Shenzhou'' in the series '' Star Trek: Discovery'', and recurs as Georgiou's "

mirror A mirror or looking glass is an object that reflects an image. Light that bounces off a mirror will show an image of whatever is in front of it, when focused through the lens of the eye or a camera. Mirrors reverse the direction of the im ...

" doppelganger later in the story. In 2018, Yeoh played family matriarch Eleanor Young in

Jon M. Chu Jonathan Murray Chu (born November 2, 1979) is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. He is best known as the director of 2018's ''Crazy Rich Asians'', the first film by a major Hollywood studio to feature a majority cast of Asi ...

's ''

'', a film adaptation of

Kevin Kwan Kevin Kwan (born ) is a Singapore-born American novelist and writer of satirical novels ''Crazy Rich Asians'', '' China Rich Girlfriend'', and '' Rich People Problems''. His latest book, '' Sex and Vanity'', was released in June 2020. In 2014, ...

's book of the same name, opposite Constance Wu and Henry Golding. Carlos Aguilar of ''

TheWrap ''TheWrap'' is an American online news website covering the business of entertainment and media via digital, print and live events. It was founded by journalist Sharon Waxman in 2009. Awards ''TheWrap'' has won awards for its journalism, incl ...

'' described her performance as "convincingly subdued". In 2019, she played Christmas themed-store owner "Santa" in '' Last Christmas'', opposite Henry Golding and

Emilia Clarke Emilia Isobel Euphemia Rose Clarke (born 23 October 1986) is an English actress. She is best known for her portrayal as Daenerys Targaryen in ''Game of Thrones''. She has received various accolades, including an Empire Awards, Empire Award, a ...

. The film was released on 8 November 2019, and was a box office success grossing over $121 million worldwide. Yeoh played

Ying Nan Ying may refer to: People * Yíng (嬴), a Chinese surname, the ancestral name of Qin Shi Huang, first Emperor of China in the Qin Dynasty, and some contemporary rival royal families such as the Zhaos * Yīng (应), a Chinese surname from the Z ...

Marvel Studios Marvel Studios, LLC (originally known as Marvel Films from 1993 to 1996) is an American film and television production company that is a subsidiary of Walt Disney Studios, a division of the Walt Disney Company. Marvel Studios produces the Ma ...

' ''

'', directed by

Destin Daniel Cretton Destin Daniel Cretton is an American filmmaker. He is best known for his films ''Short Term 12'' (2013), '' The Glass Castle'' (2017), ''Just Mercy'' (2019) and the Marvel Studios film '' Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings'' (2021). He h ...

. The film was released in theaters on 3 September 2021. It was announced at The Game Awards 2020 that Yeoh would star in ''Ark: The Animated Series'', a series based on the video game '' Ark: Survival Evolved'' by

Studio Wildcard Wildcard Properties, LLC ( trade name: Studio Wildcard) is an American video game developer with offices in Redmond, Washington, and Gainesville, Florida. The company was founded in October 2014 by Doug Kennedy, Jesse Rapczak, Jeremy Stieglitz ...

, in which she plays the role of Mei-Yin Li, the Beast Queen of the Jungle. In 2022, Yeoh starred in the

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel uni ...

black comedy Black comedy, also known as dark comedy, morbid humor, or gallows humor, is a style of comedy that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo, particularly subjects that are normally considered serious or painful to disc ...

film ''

'' from filmmaking duo Daniels, released in March to near-universal acclaim. In the film, she played struggling laundromat owner Evelyn Wang, a role that brought her widespread critical acclaim, with David Ehrlich of ''

IndieWire IndieWire (sometimes stylized as indieWIRE or Indiewire) is a film industry and review website that was established in 1996. The site's focus was predominantly independent film, although its coverage has grown to "to include all aspects of Holl ...

'' claiming it the "greatest performance that Michelle Yeoh has ever given". Yeoh is set to appear in the upcoming

Disney+ Disney+ is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned and operated by the Media and Entertainment Distribution division of The Walt Disney Company. The service primarily distributes films and television se ...

series '' American Born Chinese'', based on the book of the same name by

Gene Luen Yang Gene Luen Yang (Chinese Traditional: 楊謹倫, Simplified: 杨谨伦, Pinyin: ''Yáng Jǐnlún''; born August 9, 1973) is an American cartoonist. He is a frequent lecturer on the subjects of graphic novels and comics, at comic book conventions a ...

. In June 2022, it was announced that she will star in the eight-part series ''The Brothers Sun'' for

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a ...

She is also set to star in ''A Haunting in Venice'' directed by Kenneth Branagh and as Madame Morrible in the two-part film adaptation of the musical, '' Wicked'' directed by Jon M. Chu.

Personal life

Yeoh was married to Hong Kong entrepreneur

, owner of businesses such as

Harvey Nichols Harvey Nichols is a British luxury department store chain founded in 1831, at its flagship store in Knightsbridge, London. It sells designer fashion collections for men and women, fashion accessories, beauty products, fine wines and luxury ...

and Charles Jourdan, from 1988 to 1992. In 1998, Yeoh was engaged to Alan Heldman, an American cardiologist. In 2004, she started dating Jean Todt, then the General Manager and CEO of

Scuderia Ferrari Scuderia Ferrari S.p.A. () is the racing division of luxury Italian auto manufacturer Ferrari and the racing team that competes in Formula One racing. The team is also known by the nickname "The Prancing Horse", in reference to their logo. ...

and later the president of the FIA. In July 2008, she confirmed her engagement to him during an interview with

Craig Ferguson Craig Ferguson (born 17 May 1962) is a Scottish-born American comedian, actor, writer, and television host. He is best known for hosting the CBS late-night talk show '' The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson'' (2005–2014), for which he won ...

on CBS's '' The Late Late Show''. Yeoh is a Buddhist. In March 2008, she visited

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making ...

to film a documentary for the Asian Injury Prevention Foundation. Yeoh is a patron of the

Save China's Tigers Save China's Tigers (SCT) is an international charitable foundation based in Hong Kong, the United States, and the United Kingdom (Office in London) which aims to save the big cats of China from extinction. It focuses on the Chinese tigers (South ...

project committed to protect the endangered

South China tiger The South China tiger is a population of the '' Panthera tigris tigris'' subspecies that is native to southern China. The population mainly inhabited the Fujian, Guangdong, Hunan and Jiangxi provinces. It has been listed as Critically Enda ...

Filmography

Awards, honours and styles

In 1999, she was a member of the jury at the

49th Berlin International Film Festival The 49th annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from 10 to 21 February 1999. The festival opened with '' Aimée & Jaguar'' by Max Färberböck. The Golden Bear was awarded to Canadian-American film '' The Thin Red Line'' directed by ...

. On 19 April 2001, Yeoh was awarded the Darjah Datuk Paduka Mahkota Perak ( DPMP), which carries the title

Dato' Datuk (or its variant Dato or Datu) is a Malay title commonly used in Brunei, Indonesia, and Malaysia, as well as a traditional title by Minangkabau people in West Sumatra, Indonesia. The title of the wife of Datuk is Datin. Origin The oldes ...

, by Sultan

Azlan Shah Sultan Azlan Muhibbuddin Shah ibni Almarhum Sultan Yussuff Izzuddin Shah Ghafarullahu-lah ( Jawi: ; 19 April 1928 – 28 May 2014) was the 34th Sultan of Perak and served as the ninth Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia from 26 April 1989 to 25 ...

, the

Sultan Sultan (; ar, سلطان ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it c ...

Perak Perak () is a state of Malaysia on the west coast of the Malay Peninsula. Perak has land borders with the Malaysian states of Kedah to the north, Penang to the northwest, Kelantan and Pahang to the east, and Selangor to the south. Thailand' ...

, her home state, in recognition of the fame she brought to the state. On 25 November 2002, Yeoh was honoured as The Outstanding Young People of the World (TOYP) (Cultural Achievement) by JCI (

Junior Chamber International Junior Chamber International, commonly referred to as JCI, is a non-profit international non-governmental organization of young people between and years old. It has members in about 124 countries, and regional or national organizations in m ...

). On 23 April 2007, French President

Jacques Chirac Jacques René Chirac (, , ; 29 November 193226 September 2019) was a Politics of France, French politician who served as President of France from 1995 to 2007. Chirac was previously Prime Minister of France from 1974 to 1976 and from 1986 to ...

conferred upon Yeoh the title of Knight of the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleo ...

(Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur). The decoration was presented to her in a ceremony in

Kuala Lumpur , anthem = ''Maju dan Sejahtera'' , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Malaysia#Southeast Asia#Asia , pushpin_map_caption = , coordinates = , sub ...

on 3 October 2007. She was promoted to Officer of the same French Order (Officier de la Légion d'honneur) by French President

Nicolas Sarkozy Nicolas Paul Stéphane Sarközy de Nagy-Bocsa (; ; born 28 January 1955) is a French politician who served as President of France from 2007 to 2012. Born in Paris, he is of Hungarian, Greek Jewish, and French origin. Mayor of Neuilly-sur-Se ...

on 14 March 2012. The decoration was presented to her at a ceremony held at the president's residence, the

Élysée Palace The Élysée Palace (french: Palais de l'Élysée; ) is the official residence of the President of the French Republic. Completed in 1722, it was built for nobleman and army officer Louis Henri de La Tour d'Auvergne, who had been appointed Gove ...

on that day. In 2011, Yeoh received a special award for her contribution to Malaysian cinema at 24th Malaysian Film Festival. On 22 May 2012, Yeoh was awarded the Darjah Seri Paduka Mahkota Perak ( SPMP) which carries the title Dato' Seri during the investiture ceremony in conjunction with the Sultan of Perak Sultan Azlan Shah's birthday. Yeoh received the Excellence in Asian Cinema award during the

7th Asian Film Awards The 7th Asian Film Awards took place on 18 March 2013. In the 14 award categories, 30 films with 70 nominees from across Asia were recognized for their excellence in cinema. The nominees were announced by actor Andy Lau who also served as presiden ...

in March 2013 in Hong Kong. On 1 June 2013, Yeoh was awarded the

Panglima Setia Mahkota The Most Esteemed Order of Loyalty to the Crown of Malaysia ( ms, Darjah Yang Mulia Setia Mahkota Malaysia) is a Malaysian federal award presented for meritorious service to the country and awarded by the sovereign. The order was instituted ...

( PSM) which carries the title Tan Sri during the investiture ceremony in conjunction with the birthday of

Yang di-Pertuan Agong The Yang di-Pertuan Agong (, Jawi: ), also known as the Supreme Head of the Federation, the Paramount Ruler or simply as the Agong, and unofficially as the King of Malaysia, is the constitutional monarch and head of state of Malaysia. The o ...

Tuanku Abdul Halim Mu'adzam Shah. On 30 November 2013, Yeoh presided as the Chief Guest at the

International Film Festival of India The International Film Festival of India (IFFI), founded in 1952, is one of the most significant film festivals in Asia. Held annually, currently in the state of Goa, on the western coast of the country, the festival aims at providing a common p ...

. On 12 February 2016 Yeoh was conferred France's Officier of the

Ordre des Arts et des Lettres The ''Ordre des Arts et des Lettres'' (Order of Arts and Letters) is an order of France established on 2 May 1957 by the Minister of Culture. Its supplementary status to the was confirmed by President Charles de Gaulle in 1963. Its purpose is ...

award by the French government in Kuala Lumpur. Yeoh was included in the BBC's '' 100 Women'' list of 2020. She was placed on ''

'' magazine's list of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2022. On 13 August 2022, Yeoh received an honorary doctorate of fine arts degree from the

American Film Institute The American Film Institute (AFI) is an American nonprofit film organization that educates filmmakers and honors the heritage of the motion picture arts in the United States. AFI is supported by private funding and public membership fees. Lead ...

for her contributions of distinction to the art of the moving image. She became the first Asian artist to receive the honor. On 9 December 2022, Yeoh received the Kirk Douglas Award from the

Santa Barbara International Film Festival The Santa Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF) is an eleven-day film festival held in Santa Barbara, California since 1986. The festival boasts screenings of over 200 feature films and shorts from different countries and regions. SBIFF al ...

Honours of Malaysia

* : **

Commander of the Order of Loyalty to the Crown of Malaysia (PSM) - Tan Sri (2013) * : ** MY-PERA Order of the Perak State Crown - lower classes

Knight Commander of the

Order of the Perak State Crown The Most Illustrious Order of the Perak State Crown ( Malay:''Darjah Kebesaran Mahkota Negeri Perak Yang Amat Mulia'') is knighthood order of the Sultanate of Perak. Background It was founded by Sultan Yusuf Izzuddin Shah on 12 December 1957. ...

(DPMP) - Dato' (2001) ** MY-PERA Order of the Perak State Crown - Kn Grd Commander - SPMP