Michelle Yeoh was born on August 6, 1962, in Ipoh, Malaysia. She grew up in a well-off family and was passionate about ballet from a young age. She pursued her dream by studying at the Royal Academy of Dance in London, but a spinal injury forced her to abandon her aspirations of becoming a professional dancer. Instead, she shifted her focus to acting.

     In 1983, Yeoh won the Miss Malaysia beauty pageant, which led to opportunities in the entertainment industry. She appeared in a commercial with Jackie Chan, which caught the attention of Hong Kong filmmakers. She soon signed with D&B Films and began her career in action films, initially credited as Michelle Khan. She quickly gained recognition for performing her own stunts, despite not having formal martial arts training. Her early films, such as Yes, Madam (1985) and Police Story 3: Super Cop (1992), established her as a leading action star in Hong Kong cinema.

     Yeoh took a brief hiatus from acting after marrying businessman Dickson Poon in 1988, but she returned to the industry following their divorce in 1992. She gained international fame with her role in the James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies (1997), where she played a skilled Chinese spy. Her performance in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) further cemented her status as a global star, earning her a BAFTA nomination.

     Throughout the 2000s and 2010s, Yeoh continued to take on diverse roles in Hollywood and Asian cinema. She starred in Memoirs of a Geisha (2005), Sunshine (2007), and The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (2008). She also portrayed Aung San Suu Kyi in The Lady (2011), a biographical film about the Burmese political leader. Her career saw a resurgence with her role in Crazy Rich Asians (2018), where she played the formidable Eleanor Young.

     Yeoh joined the Star Trek universe in Star Trek: Discovery (2017–2020), portraying Captain Philippa Georgiou as well as the mirror universe of he character.. Michelle Yeoh reprised her role as Mirror Universe Philippa Georgiou in the movie Star Trek: Section 31, which was released on January 24, 2025, on Paramount+.

     She later appeared in the Marvel Cinematic Universe film Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021). Her most celebrated role came in Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022), where she played Evelyn Quan Wang, a struggling laundromat owner who discovers the ability to travel across multiverses. Her performance earned her the Academy Award for Best Actress, making her the first Asian woman to win in that category.

     Beyond acting, Yeoh has been involved in humanitarian efforts and was appointed a member of the International Olympic Committee in 2023. She married Jean Todt, a former Ferrari executive, in 2023. She was also featured in Wicked (2024) and other major projects.