Michelle Yeoh
Michelle Yeoh (楊紫瓊 pinyin: Yáng Zǐqíong; born August 6 1962) is a Hong Kong-based actress and dancer, sometimes billed as 'Michelle Khan'. Yeoh is a Malaysian Chinese born in Ipoh, Malaysia.
Despite having no formal martial arts training, Yeoh is best known for her roles in action and martial arts movies (notably The Heroic Trio 1993, Wing Chun 1994 and the Police Story series). She relies on her dance training and instructors, and does many of her own stunts. She is one of the few women Jackie Chan allows to do her own stunts in his movies; they first worked together on a commercial in 1984.
Yeoh learned English and Malay before Chinese (Cantonese dialect), and still cannot read Chinese. In some of her early films she recited her dialogue by rote.
In 2001, Yeoh 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.
Like other Hong Kong stars, Yeoh has attempted to break into Hollywood. Despite starring in the James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) and the popular Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000), which she starred with Zhang Ziyi, she has not won a mainstream audience in the English-speaking world.
Filmography, as actress, includes
- The Touch (2002)
- Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)
- Moonlight Express (1999)
- Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)
- The Soong Sisters (1997)
- The Stunt Woman (1996)
- Wonder Seven (1994)
- Shaolin Popey 2: Messy Temple (1994)
- Wing Chun (1994)
- Once a Cop (1993)
- Holy Weapon (1993)
- Executioners (1993)
- Butterfly Sword (1993)
- The Heroic Trio (1993)
- Police Story 3 (1992)
- Easy Money (1987)
- Magnificent Warriors (1987)
- In the Line of Duty (1986)
- My Lucky Stars 2: Twinkle, Twinkle Lucky Stars (1985)
- Police Assassins (1985)
- The Owl and Bumbo (1984)