International audiences may best know Michelle Yeoh as the intense swordswoman in Ang Lee's gripping Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and the charming secret agent in the James Bond hit Tomorrow Never Dies, but the Malaysian-born actress has been knocking audiences out in Asia more than a decade.
From the time she stepped into the Hong Kong film world in 1984, she has starred in 19 films and made her way up to became Asia's highest paid actress and the world's top action queen. In her movies, she has always challenged the traditional views of Asian women by creating very strong female roles. But she isn't all about action though.
Her performance in the period epic Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon earned her three nominations for best actress - at the Taipei Golden Horse Awards, the Hong Kong Film Awards and the BAFTA Awards in 2001. She was also names Cineasia's "Award of Excellence in Acting for outstanding performance as an actor" in 1999 and the "International Star of the Year" at the Showest exhibitor's convention 2001.
In 2000, she added another feather to her cap by establishing her own production company, Mythical Films, with the aim of nurturing creative talents and producing high-quality Chinese films. She produced and starred in The Touch, a US$20 million contemporary romantic action adventure set in China, which is scheduled for release in Summer, 2002. Most recently, she co-founded Han Entertainment Inc., a company focusing on high-quality investment opportunities in the entertainment industry in Asia.
Jury attendance
- Member Feature films, 2002
