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Dato' Michelle Yeoh Choo-Kheng (Traditional Chinese: 楊紫瓊; Simplified Chinese: 杨紫琼; pinyin: Yáng Zǐqióng; Cantonese (Yale romanization): yèuhng jí kìhng; born August 6, 1962) is a BAFTA Award-nominated Chinese Malaysian actress and dancer, well known for performing her own stunts in the action films that brought her to fame in the early 1990s. Born in Ipoh, Malaysia, she is based in Hong Kong and was chosen by People magazine as one of the 50 Most Beautiful People in the World in 1997.
She is credited as Michelle King and Michelle Khan in some of her earlier films.
Early life & careerYeoh was born to an ethnic Chinese family in Ipoh, Malaysia on August 6, 1962. Her parents were Janet Yeoh and Yeoh Kian Geik, a lawyer.[2] She was very sporty when she was young and had a passion for dance. She started to study ballet at the age of four years old. At the age 15, her parents accompanied her to England and enrolled her at a boarding school there. Later Yeoh entered London Royal Academy of Dance, majoring in Ballet. But a spinal injury ended her dream of being a prima ballerina, and she consequently had to switch her focus away from dance to choreography and other arts. She later received a B.A. degree in Creative Arts with a minor in Drama. It was at the age of 21 when Yeoh became the winner of the Miss Malaysia beauty pageant in 1983. She was also Malaysia's representative at the 1983 Miss World pageant in London. From there, she appeared in a television commercial with Jackie Chan which caught the attention of a fledgling film production company called D&B Films.
Ascension to fameYeoh started her film career acting in action and martial arts films such as The Heroic Trio in 1993, and the Yuen Woo-ping films Tai Chi Master and Wing Chun in 1994. Yeoh has had no formal martial arts training and she relies on her dance training and instructors, and does many of her own stunts.[3] Yeoh learned English and Malay before Cantonese, and cannot read Chinese characters. As she does not speak Mandarin, she learned the lines for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon phonetically. Like many other Hong Kong stars, Yeoh has attempted to break into Hollywood. She starred in the James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies as Wai Lin (1997). Natasha Henstridge was rumoured as cast in the lead Bond Girl role but eventually Yeoh was confirmed.[4] Brosnan was impressed, describing her as a "wonderful actress" who was "serious and committed about her work".[5]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 ruled it too dangerous and uninsured.[6][7] Thereafter, she was offered the role of Seraph in the two sequels to The Matrix, and she could not accept due to a scheduling conflict (the Matrix writers then changed Seraph into a male character and cast Collin Chou in the role).[citation needed] In 2002, she produced her first English film, The Touch through her own production company, Mythical Films. In 2005, Yeoh starred as the graceful Mameha in the film adaptation of Memoirs of a Geisha, and she continued her English-language work in 2007 with Sunshine. In 2008, Michelle Yeoh also starred in the fantasy action film The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor with actors Brendan Fraser and Jet Li.[8] Personal lifeYeoh was previously married to Hong Kong businessman Dickson Poon.[9] She is rumored to be engaged to former Scuderia Ferrari CEO Jean Todt.[9] Despite frequent rumors in the Asian press about an upcoming marriage, Yeoh denies the engagement.[10] On 31 July 2008 Ms. Yeoh confirmed the rumour that she was engaged (to a Frenchman) during an interview with Craig Ferguson on CBS's The Late Late Show. In March 2008 she visited Vietnam to film a documentary for the Asian Injury Prevention Foundation (AIPF). AwardsOn April 19 2001, Yeoh was awarded the Darjah Datuk Paduka Mahkota Perak (DPMP), which carries the title Dato' by Sultan Azlan Shah, the Sultan of Perak, her home state, in recognition of the fame she brought to the state.[11] The award was given in conjunction with the Sultan's 73rd birthday celebrations. Dato is an honorary Malaysian title somewhat like a British knighthood, and it lies below the ranks of Dato' Seri, Tan Sri and Tun. On November 25 2002, Michelle Yeoh was honored as The Outstanding Young Persons of the World (TOYP) (Cultural Achievement) by JCI (Junior Chamber International). On 23 April 2007 President Jacques Chirac awarded her Knight of the Legion of Honour of France. The decoration was presented to her in a ceremony in Kuala Lumpur on 3 October 2007.[12] NominationsBAFTA Film Awards 2000 - Best Actress (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) Filmography
See alsoReferences
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