Michelle Yeoh is a Malaysian actress who has received many awards and nominations. Following a spinal injury that prevented Yeoh from pursuing a professional ballet career, she began competing in beauty pageants. In 1983, she was crowned Miss World Malaysia at the age of 20 and represented her country in the Miss World pageant, where she placed 18th overall. A year later, she went on to win the title Miss Moomba International in Australia.
Michelle Yeoh's first starring role in Yes, Madam earned her her first nomination at the Hong Kong Film Awards for Best New Performer. In 1998, Yeoh received her second nomination for Best Supporting Actress for The Soong Sisters. In the same year, Yeoh's first role in Hollywood in the James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies earned her an MTV Movie & TV Awards nomination in the Best Fight category. In the early 21st century, Yeoh gained widespread recognition for her role in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, the first foreign-language film to surpass $100 million at the box office in the United States, which brought her numerous award nominations, including the British Academy Film Awards, Chlotrudis Awards, Saturn Awards, Hong Kong Film Awards, Golden Horse Awards, Toronto Film Critics Association, Vancouver Film Critics Circle. She was also awarded Best Film Actress by the Ethnic Multicultural Media Academy.
The next era was marked by fluctuations in the actress's career. She embarked on producing her first two English-language films, The Touch and Silver Hawk, through Mythical Company, Yeoh's own production company, earning her two Huabiao Awards for Outstanding Co-Production Film. In 2011, Yeoh received Satellite Award and Asian Film Award nominations for her performance as a Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, and for her role in the wuxia film Reign of Assassins. Seven years later, her participation in the series Star Trek: Discovery earned her a second Saturn Award nomination in the category Best Guest Starring Role on Television. Additionally, the success of the project Crazy Rich Asians has resulted in further nominations, including those from the AARP Movies for Grownups Awards, Dorian Awards, Actor Awards, as well as a Best Cast award from the National Board of Review.
As the female lead in the film Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022), she received her second British Academy Film Award nomination and earned multiple accolades, including the National Board of Review, Critics' Choice Super, Satellite, and Saturn Awards. Her Golden Globe win made her the second actress of Asian descent to win Best Actress in a Motion Picture (Musical or Comedy), after Awkwafina. She was also the first Asian woman to win the Actor Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role.
On March 12, 2023, Yeoh won the Academy Award for Best Actress, becoming the first Asian actress to receive the award in the 95-year history of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which was recognized by Guinness World Records, and the second woman of color to win in that category after Halle Berry. She is also only the second Asian performer nominated for Best Actress, following Merle Oberon in 1936.
Major associations Academy Awards Year Category Nominated work Result 2023 Best Actress Everything Everywhere All at Once
Actor Awards Year Category Nominated work Result 2019Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Crazy Rich Asians 2023Everything Everywhere All at Once Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role 2025 Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Wicked
Asian Film Awards Year Category Nominated work Result 2011 Best Actress Reign of Assassins
BAFTA Awards Year Category Nominated work Result British Academy Film Awards 2001 Best Actress in a Leading Role Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon 2023 Everything Everywhere All at Once
Critics' Choice Awards Year Category Nominated work Result Critics' Choice Movie Awards 2023 Best Actress Everything Everywhere All at Once Best Acting Ensemble 2025 Wicked Critics' Choice Super Awards 2022 Best Actress in a Superhero Movie Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings 2023 Best Actress in a Science Fiction/Fantasy MovieEverything Everywhere All at Once 2024 Best Actress in a Science Fiction/Fantasy Series, Limited Series or Made-for-TV Movie American Born Chinese Best Superhero Series, Limited Series or Made-for-TV Movie 2025 Best Actress in a Science Fiction/Fantasy Series, Limited Series or Made-for-TV Movie Star Trek: Section 31
Golden Globe Awards Year Category Nominated work Result 2023 Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy Everything Everywhere All at Once
Golden Horse Awards Year Category Nominated work Result 2000 Best Leading Actress Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Hong Kong Film Awards Year Category Nominated work Result 1986 Best New Performer Yes, Madam 1998 Best Supporting Actress The Soong Sisters 2001 Best Actress Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Other associations
OrganizationsYearCategoryWorkResult AACTA International Awards 2023 Best Lead Actress Everything Everywhere All at Once AARP Movies for Grownups Awards 2019 Best Supporting Actress Crazy Rich Asians 2023 Best ActressEverything Everywhere All at Once Alliance of Women Film Journalists 2023 Best ActressEverything Everywhere All at Once Most Daring Performance Grand Dame Award for Defying Ageism — Outstanding Achievement by a Woman in the Film Industry Ammy Awards 2001 Best Female Actor Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon Astra Film Awards 2023 Best Actress Everything Everywhere All at Once Best Cast Ensemble Astra Midseason Film Awards 2022 Best Actress Austin Film Critics Association 2023 Best Actress Best Ensemble Behind The Voice Actors Awards 2012 Best Vocal Ensemble in a Feature Film Kung Fu Panda 2 Blockbuster Entertainment Awards 2001 Favorite Action Team Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon Boston Society of Film Critics 2022 Best Actress Everything Everywhere All at Once Chicago Film Critics Association 2022 Best Actress Chlotrudis Awards 2001 Best Actress Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association 2022 Best ActressEverything Everywhere All at Once Dorian Awards 2019 Film Performance of the Year – Supporting Actress Crazy Rich Asians 2023 Film Performance of the YearEverything Everywhere All at Once Dublin Film Critics' Circle 2022 Best Actress Ethnic Multicultural Media Academy 2001 Best Film Actress Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon Florida Film Critics Circle 2022 Best ActressEverything Everywhere All at Once Best Ensemble Georgia Film Critics Association 2023 Best Actress Best Ensemble Gold Derby Awards 2019 Best Ensemble Crazy Rich Asians 2021 Drama Supporting Actress Star Trek: Discovery 2023 Best Actress Everything Everywhere All at Once Best Ensemble Gold List 2023 Best Performance in a Leading Role Golden Raspberry Awards 2026 Worst Actress Star Trek: Section 31 Golden Schmoes Awards 2023 Best ActressEverything Everywhere All at Once Favorite Celebrity Coolest Character Gotham Awards 2022 Outstanding Lead Performance Houston Film Critics Society 2023 Best ActressEverything Everywhere All at Once Best Ensemble Cast Huabiao Awards 2002 Outstanding Co-Production Film The Touch 2004 Silver Hawk 2011 Outstanding Abroad Actress Reign of Assassins Huading Awards 2011 Best Actress True Legend 2023 Best Global Actress Everything Everywhere All at Once IGN Summer Movie Awards 2019 Best TV Ensemble Star Trek: Discovery 2022 Best Lead Performer in a Movie Everything Everywhere All at Once Independent Spirit Awards 2023 Best Lead Performance IndieWire Critics Poll 2022 Best Performance Kansas City Film Critics Circle 2023 Best Actress Las Vegas Film Critics Society 2022 Best Actress London Film Critics' Circle 2023 Actress of the Year Los Angeles Film Critics Association 2022 Best Lead Performer MTV Movie & TV Awards 1998 Best Fight Tomorrow Never Dies MTV Style Awards 2003 International Actress of The Year — NAACP Image Awards 2026 Outstanding Ensemble Cast in a Motion Picture Wicked: For Good National Board of Review 2018 Best Cast Crazy Rich Asians 2022 Best Actress Everything Everywhere All at Once National Society of Film Critics 2023 Best Actress New York Film Critics Online 2022 Best Actress Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards 2025 Favourite Villain Wicked Online Film Critics Society 2023 Best Actress Everything Everywhere All at Once Phoenix Film Critics Society 2022 Best Actress in a Leading Role Best Ensemble Acting San Diego Film Critics Society 2023 Best Actress Best Ensemble San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle 2023 Best Actress Satellite Awards 2011 Best Actress – Motion Picture The Lady 2023 Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical Everything Everywhere All at Once Saturn Awards 2001 Best Actress Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon 2018 Best Guest Starring Role on Television Star Trek: Discovery 2022 Best Actress Everything Everywhere All at Once Seattle Film Critics Society 2023 Best ActressEverything Everywhere All at Once SESC Film Festival 2023 Best Foreign Actress Southeastern Film Critics Association 2022 Best Actress St. Louis Film Critics Association 2022 Best Actress Best Ensemble Teen Choice Awards 2001 Choice Movie Fight Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon Toronto Film Critics Association 2000 Best Actress 2023 Everything Everywhere All at Once Vancouver Film Critics Circle 2001 Best Actress Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon 2023 Everything Everywhere All at Once Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association 2022 Best Actress Best Ensemble Women Film Critics Circle 2011 Lifetime Achievement Award — 2022 Best Actress Everything Everywhere All at Once Best Screen Couple
Other accolades
Academic Organization Year Honor American Film Institute 2022 Doctor of Fine Arts Hong Kong University of Science and Technology 2023 Honorary Doctoral Degrees
Honors