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Life | Entertainment

8 things you didn’t know about Michelle Yeoh

All the facts you need to know about the legendary star

By Shazrina Shamsudin - 

Credits: Instagram/@michelleyeoh_official
Credits: Instagram/@michelleyeoh_official
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Michelle Yeoh is a force to be reckoned with. She’s been around in the industry for over 40 years and made a household name for herself in Hollywood. But if you’re in the loop, you would know that the star recently made waves on the internet when she bagged home the award for best actress at the 95th Academy Awards ceremony for her role in the sleeper hit Everything Everywhere All At Once.

In the film, she plays the role of a beleaguered wife, mother and laundromat owner whose life is turned upside down when she is thrown into multiple parallel universes. But what’s groundbreaking about the award is that she also took on the title of being the first Asian actress to win in a lead acting category at the Academy Awards. A huge win for all Asians, clearly, you can tell why everyone can’t stop talking about her.

But while she’s known for her amazing acting skills in front of the camera, you’d be surprised that there’s more than meets the eye with this star. From being a pageant queen to her growing passion for adventure, ahead, we’ve rounded up eight facts you didn’t know about her.

She has almost 40 years of experience in acting

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Believe it or not – Michelle Yeoh has almost 40 years of professional acting experience under her belt. Some of the more well-known movies that she’s been in include Tomorrow Never Dies, Crazy Rich Asians, and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. And while she’s turning 61 this year, the star is showing no signs of slowing down. In fact, she’s booked till 2028 and she already has roles in upcoming projects like The School For Good and Evil, as well as the remainder for the Avatar franchise.

She has won several awards

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It goes without saying that after the Oscars, along with the other award ceremonies that she has attended over the past few months, Michelle is one of the key actresses to not miss. Over the years, she has won several awards for her acting including her most recent award for the best actress in her indie hit Everything Everywhere All At Once at the Oscars, as well as the Lifetime Achievement Award at the ASEAN International Film Festival in 2013.

She was a trained ballet dancer

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Michelle pursued her love for ballet at the age of four, before she was enrolled in the Royal Academy of Dance in London where she majored in ballet. However, due to a spinal injury, she couldn't complete her programme and pursued her studies in creative arts and drama.

She enjoys doing her own stunts

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Michelle has acted in multiple action movies and she's also known for doing her own stunts. Even though she got injured a few times over the years while doing so, she still enjoys doing them herself. What’s more, she was never a trained martial artist but she relied on her dance discipline and on-set trainers for the martial arts scenes.

She’s an adventurer

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While she does enjoy her time being in front of the camera, Michelle also loves spending time outdoors doing activities such as hiking and boating.

She won several beauty pageants in the past

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Michelle was crowned Miss Malaysia in 1983. But that was not the only title she bagged. She also travelled to Australia in 1983 and won several pageants, including Miss Moomba and Queen of the Pacific.

She’s trilingual

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Born in Ipoh, Malaysia, Michelle doesn't only speak one or two, but three languages. Michelle speaks English, Malay and Cantonese. She started speaking English and Malay before learning Cantonese.

She owns her own production company

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Did you know that Michelle owns her own company called Mythical Films? With her production company, she hopes to use it to discover and nurture new film-making talent.

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actressesMichelle Yeohoscars
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