MICHELLE YEOH
Malaysia (1962–)
First Asian to Win an Academy Award for Best Actress
While it’s still challenging to find an Asian face in the US film business who isn’t either a baddie or a boy, Asian representation in Hollywood has seen a gradual uptick in the last couple of decades. From Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon in 2000 to Crazy Rich Asians in 2018 to Everything Everywhere All at Once in 2022, Asians – and Asian women especially – are finally, deservedly, enjoying the limelight.
One woman who has been at the centre of it all – and who also happens to have starred in all of the above movies, among many others – is veteran actress Michelle Yeoh. Not only did she become the first Asian to win the Academy Award for Best Actress, for , but
