Michelle Yeoh
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| Michelle Yeoh | |
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 Michelle Yeoh at Cannes, 2000 |
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| Born | Yeoh Choo-Kheng August 6, 1962 Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia |
| Spouse(s) | Dickson Poon (1988-1992) |
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 an 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 best known for her roles in the 1997 James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies, playing Wai Lin, and the multiple Academy Award-winning Chinese action film Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, for which she was nominated the BAFTA for "Best Actress".
She is credited as Michelle Khan in some of her earlier films.
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[edit] Beginning of career
Michelle Yeoh was born to an ethnic Chinese family in Ipoh, Malaysia on August 6, 1962. 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.
Yeoh's career in Hong Kong started with a few commercials for Charles Jourdan, opposite action movie heroes Jackie Chan and Chow Yun-Fat before being offered a film contract. The Charles Jourdan brand was handled by D&B Group in Hong Kong, run by Yeoh's future husband, Dickson Poon. In 1988, she retired from acting after marrying Poon. Three years later, the couple divorced, and Yeoh returned to acting in 1992. Her first movie after the comeback was Police Story 3, which was partly shot in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
[edit] Ascension to fame
Yeoh 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[1].
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.[2] Brosnan was impressed, describing her as a "wonderful actress" who was "serious and committed about her work".[3] She wanted to perform her own stunts but was prevented because director Roger Spottiswoode ruled it too dangerous and uninsured.[4][5] 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.
[edit] Private life
Michelle Yeoh was previously married to Hong Kong businessman Dickson Poon. [6]
She is engaged to French and former CEO of Scuderia Ferrari, Jean Todt.[6] [1]. Rumors spread by the Asian press about an upcoming marriage but has been denied several times by Yeoh [2].
Recently, in March 2008 she visited Vietnam to film the documentary for the Asian Injury Prevention Foundation (AIPF).
[edit] Awards
On 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[7]. 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.[8]
[edit] Nominations
BAFTA Film Awards 2000 - Best Actress (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon)
[edit] Filmography
- The Owl and Dumbo (1984)
- Yes, Madam [3] (1985)
- Twinkle, Twinkle Lucky Stars (1985)
- In the Line of Duty a.k.a. Royal Warriors (1986)
- Magnificent Warriors (1987)
- Easy Money (1987)
- Police Story III: Supercop (1992)
- The Heroic Trio (1993)
- Butterfly and Sword (1993)
- Executioners (1993)
- Holy Weapon (1993)
- Once a Cop aka. Project S aka. Supercop 2 (1993)
- Wing Chun (1994)
- The Tai-Chi Master (1994)
- Shaolin Popey 2 - Messy Temple (1994)
- Wonder Seven (1994)
- The Stunt Woman (a.k.a Ah Kam) (1996)
- The Soong Sisters (1997)
- Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)
- Moonlight Express (1999)
- Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)
- The Touch (2002)
- Silver Hawk (2004)
- Memoirs of a Geisha (2005)
- Fearless (2006) (directors cut only)
- Sunshine (2007)
- Far North [4] (2007)
- The Children of Huang Shi [5] (2008)
- Babylon A.D. [6] (2008)
- The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor [7] (2008)
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/Sunpeople/Sunday/Features/20070408122900/Article/index2_html
- ^ Ferguson, Amy. "Back In Action", Tribute. Retrieved on 2007-01-05.
- ^ Cohen, David. "Bond girl Yeoh gets licence to thrill 007", South China Morning Post, 1997-02-11. Retrieved on 2007-01-06.
- ^ "Bond Leading Lady Won't Do Stunts", Associated Press, 1997-05-21. Retrieved on 2007-01-06.
- ^ "Much More Than Just A Bond Girl", South China Morning Post, 1997-05-30. Retrieved on 2007-01-07.
- ^ a b "No business like Yeoh business", The Sunday Times, 2007-03-25. Retrieved on 2007-04-08.
- ^ Just Call Me Datuk - Asiaweek, 4 May 2001
- ^ Yeoh receives France's top honour, BBC News, 4 October 2007.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Michelle Yeoh Web Theatre - complete website on Michelle Yeoh
- Michelle Yeoh at the Internet Movie Database
- Supercop as Woman Warrior at Salon magazine.
- Interview with Michelle Yeohon the Tavis Smiley show
- Sunday Times feature
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| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Yeoh, Michelle |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Khan, Michelle |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | Chinese actress |
| DATE OF BIRTH | August 6, 1962 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia |
| DATE OF DEATH | |
| PLACE OF DEATH | |
