A MODERN
BIOGRAPHY ARCHIVE
THE COLLECTION / Film & TVARCHIVE № 012
1962 —   ACTRESS

MICHELLEYEOH

Yeoh Choo KhengAug 6, 1962Malaysia

What happened at what age?
Where were they at your age?

The year she turned 21, she won the Miss Malaysia pageant and competed at Miss World in London. The year she turned 22, she appeared in a watch commercial with Jackie Chan, made her film debut in The Owl vs. Bumbo, and won the Miss Moomba International pageant in Melbourne.

The year she turned 23, she starred in Yes, Madam!, her first lead role, and did her own stunts. The year she turned 26, she retired from acting after marrying a film producer.

The breakthrough yearThe year she turned 30, she returned to acting in Police Story 3: Supercop, opposite Jackie Chan. Britannica writes that it and Supercop 2 established her as a leading star in Hong Kong.

The year she turned 31, she appeared in Supercop 2. The year she turned 32, she appeared in Wing Chun. The year she turned 33, she was seriously hurt while filming The Stunt Woman.

The year she turned 35, she played Wai Lin in the James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies, which Variety calls her Hollywood breakthrough. The year she turned 38, she played Yu Shu Lien in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. The year she turned 39, she was nominated for the best actress BAFTA.

The year she turned 43, she appeared in Memoirs of a Geisha. The year she turned 46, she played an ancient sorceress in The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor. The year she turned 54, she was cast as a Federation captain in Star Trek: Discovery.

The year she turned 55, she joined the cast of Crazy Rich Asians and appeared in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. The year she turned 56, Crazy Rich Asians opened, with her as the protective mother of the male lead. The year she turned 59, she appeared in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.

The year she turned 60, she starred in Everything Everywhere All at Once, and Time named her its Icon of the Year. The year she turned 61, she won the Golden Globe and the SAG Award, received her first Oscar nomination, and won the Oscar for best actress on Mar. 12. She also married Jean Todt and appeared in A Haunting in Venice.

The year she turned 62, she played Madame Morrible in Wicked. The year she turned 63, she joined the English voice cast of Ne Zha 2 and appeared in Wicked: For Good. The year she turned 64, she received the Honorary Golden Bear at the Berlinale, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and Busan’s Asian Filmmaker of the Year award. Sony acquired her film The Surgeon in September.

Michelle Yeoh (born Aug 6, 1962) made her film debut in 1984, the year she turned 22, and became known in 1992, the year she turned 30, with Police Story 3: Supercop. She played Wai Lin in the James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies in 1997, the year she turned 35, and won the Oscar for best actress on Mar 12, 2023.

Ages are by calendar year (the year minus the birth year), birthdays aside.

Full timeline · 35 records1983 — 2026   ＋
AGE / YEAR

  1. 21 · 1983
    Pageant

    Wins Miss Malaysia

    Won the Miss Malaysia pageant after her ballet studies in London ended with a back injury, then competed in the Miss World pageant in London.

    Source 02 · The Guardian · How Everything Everywhere gave Michelle Yeoh the role of a lifetime · opens in a new tabSource 03 · The Guardian · Rare footage of Oscar-winner at 1984 Australian beauty pageant · opens in a new tabSource 05 · GQ · Michelle Yeoh Has Kicked Ass for Three Decades · opens in a new tab Year from The Guardian; exact date not confirmed.
  2. 22 · 1984
    Advert

    Watch commercial with Jackie Chan

    Appeared in a watch commercial with Jackie Chan. A Hong Kong production company saw the ad and cast her in her first film roles.

    Source 02 · The Guardian · How Everything Everywhere gave Michelle Yeoh the role of a lifetime · opens in a new tabSource 03 · The Guardian · Rare footage of Oscar-winner at 1984 Australian beauty pageant · opens in a new tabSource 04 · The Hollywood Reporter · Michelle Yeoh Finally Loses Her Cool · opens in a new tab Year from The Guardian; The Guardian and The Hollywood Reporter give different accounts of where the ad was made.
  3. 22 · 1984
  4. 22 · 1984
  5. 23 · 1985
  6. 26 · 1988
  7. 31 · 1993
  8. 32 · 1994
  9. 33 · 1995
  10. 35 · 1997
  11. 38 · 2000
  12. 39 · 2001
  13. 43 · 2005
  14. 46 · 2008
  15. 54 · 2016
  16. 55 · 2017
  17. 55 · 2017
  18. 56 · 2018
  19. 59 · 2021
  20. 60 · 2022
    Film

    Everything Everywhere All at Once

    Starred as Evelyn Wang, a laundromat owner. Britannica calls it the first Hollywood film in which she had the lead role.

    Source 17 · IndieWire · Everything Everywhere All at Once review · opens in a new tabSource 01 · Britannica · Michelle Yeoh · opens in a new tabSource 04 · The Hollywood Reporter · Michelle Yeoh Finally Loses Her Cool · opens in a new tab Month from the IndieWire review dated Mar. 11, 2022 and The Hollywood Reporter interview of Mar. 15, 2022; release date not confirmed.
  21. 60 · 2022
  22. 61 · 2023
  23. 61 · 2023
  24. 61 · 2023
  25. 61 · 2023
  26. 61 · 2023
  27. 61 · 2023
  28. 62 · 2024
  29. 63 · 2025
  30. 63 · 2025
  31. 64 · 2026
  32. 64 · 2026
  33. 64 · 2026
  34. 64 · 2026

END OF SELECTED RECORDSSelected records, 1983–2026 · not a complete list of work. “Key moment” is an editorial label, not a measure of success.

02 / QUICK ANSWERS

Q & AFrequently asked

How old was Michelle Yeoh when she started acting?
In 1984, the year she turned 22, Britannica lists her big-screen debut in The Owl vs. Bumbo. She had appeared in a watch commercial with Jackie Chan that year.
How old was Michelle Yeoh when she became famous?
In 1992, the year she turned 30, Police Story 3: Supercop and Supercop 2 established her as a leading star in Hong Kong, according to Britannica. Variety dates her Hollywood breakthrough to Tomorrow Never Dies in 1997, the year she turned 35.
How old was Michelle Yeoh in Tomorrow Never Dies?
The film opened on Dec 19, 1997, the year she turned 35. She played Wai Lin, a Chinese spy.
How old was Michelle Yeoh when she won the Oscar?
She won on Mar 12, 2023, the year she turned 61. Reports at the time gave her age as 60. It was the first time the best actress Oscar went to an Asian woman.
How old is Michelle Yeoh?
Born in 1962, she turns 64 in 2026 (64 as of Sep 30, 2026).
04 / ABOUT THE ARCHIVE

A LIFE,
IN CHAPTERS.

What did they do, and at what age?
AgeTrail lines up the key moments of a life by age.
Debut and breakthrough are marked separately, and every record has a source.

COLLECTION012Michelle Yeoh / MICHELLE YEOH

Film & TV · Malaysia
Aug 6, 1962 —

Sources and method34 SOURCES   ＋

Ages are counted from the birth year 1962: the year of the event minus 1962, birthdays aside. “Key moment” labels and the connecting story are AgeTrail's editorial reading.

  1. Britannica · Michelle Yeoh ↗Born Aug. 6, 1962, in Ipoh; original name Yeoh Choo Kheng; 1983 Miss Malaysia; 1984 film debut in The Owl vs. Bumbo; 1985 Yes, Madam!; married and retired in 1988; 1992 Police Story 3: Supercop and Supercop 2 (1993) established her as a leading star in Hong Kong; 1997 Tomorrow Never Dies; Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000); 2005 Memoirs of a Geisha; The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (2008); Guardians of the Galaxy franchise the year after 2016; Shang-Chi (2021); Everything Everywhere All at Once as her first Hollywood lead role
  2. The Guardian · How Everything Everywhere gave Michelle Yeoh the role of a lifetime ↗May 13, 2022: won Miss Malaysia 1983 at 20; first co-star Jackie Chan in a 1984 watch commercial; retired after marrying in 1987, returned after the divorce with Police Story 3: Supercop
  3. The Guardian · Rare footage of Oscar-winner at 1984 Australian beauty pageant ↗Mar. 14, 2023: Miss World Malaysia, Miss World in London, crowned Miss Moomba International in March 1984; watch commercial with Jackie Chan led a Hong Kong production company to cast her
  4. The Hollywood Reporter · Michelle Yeoh Finally Loses Her Cool ↗Mar. 15, 2022: D&B Films contract after the commercial; Yes, Madam! (1985) as her first starring film; Supercop (1992) after her return; 1990s films reinforced her standing in Hong Kong action cinema; The Stunt Woman injury; Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)
  5. GQ · Michelle Yeoh Has Kicked Ass for Three Decades ↗Aug. 17, 2018: born Aug. 6, 1962, in Ipoh; starring role as a police inspector in 1985’s Yes, Madam; returned in 1992 with Supercop; Wing Chun (1994); Crazy Rich Asians role as the protective mother
  6. Variety · Michelle Yeoh Says Hollywood Questioned If I Even Spoke English After 1997 Bond Film ↗Mar. 3, 2023: already a star overseas by 1997 through Hong Kong films including Police Story 3: Supercop; Tomorrow Never Dies as her Hollywood breakthrough, playing Wai Lin
  7. Box Office Mojo · Tomorrow Never Dies ↗Earliest release date Dec. 19, 1997 (domestic)
  8. BBC News · Tiger fights Gladiator in Bafta race ↗Jan. 31, 2001: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Gladiator lead with 14 nominations each; Yeoh nominated for best actress
  9. Box Office Mojo · Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon ↗Earliest release date Dec. 8, 2000 (domestic)
  10. Box Office Mojo · Memoirs of a Geisha ↗Domestic release Dec. 9, 2005
  11. Box Office Mojo · The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor ↗Domestic release Aug. 1, 2008
  12. Deadline · Star Trek: Discovery Casts Michelle Yeoh In Captain Role ↗Nov. 23, 2016: cast as a Federation captain
  13. Box Office Mojo · Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 2 ↗Earliest release date Apr. 25, 2017 (EMEA, APAC)
  14. The Hollywood Reporter · Crazy Rich Asians Adds Michelle Yeoh ↗Mar. 7, 2017: joins Constance Wu in the Jon M. Chu film
  15. Box Office Mojo · Crazy Rich Asians ↗Earliest release date Aug. 15, 2018 (domestic, EMEA)
  16. Box Office Mojo · Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings ↗Domestic release Sep. 3, 2021
  17. IndieWire · Everything Everywhere All at Once review ↗Review dated Mar. 11, 2022; Yeoh plays Evelyn Wang
  18. Los Angeles Times · Time names Michelle Yeoh its 2022 Icon of the Year ↗Dec. 6, 2022: Time named her Icon of the Year on Tuesday; earlier named to its 100 Most Influential People of 2022
  19. CTV News (AP) · At rehabbed Golden Globes, Yeoh, Spielberg and White Lotus win ↗Golden Globes held Tuesday (Jan. 10, 2023); best actress in a comedy or musical; second female actor of Asian descent to win the category
  20. BBC News · Michelle Yeoh wins Golden Globe for Everything Everywhere ↗Jan. 11, 2023: best actress award for Everything Everywhere All at Once; Yeoh, 60
  21. The Hollywood Reporter · Michelle Yeoh Makes History as First Asian Best Actress Nominee ↗Jan. 24, 2023: first Oscar nomination; first best actress nominee to identify as Asian
  22. The Hollywood Reporter · Michelle Yeoh Makes History With SAG Awards Win ↗Feb. 26, 2023: first woman of Asian descent to win the SAG lead acting honor
  23. NPR · Michelle Yeoh is the first Asian woman to win best actress Oscar ↗Mar. 12, 2023: first time in the Academy’s 95-year history the best actress Oscar went to an Asian woman
  24. The Hollywood Reporter · Michelle Yeoh and Jean Todt Marry 19 Years After Engagement ↗Married in Geneva on July 27, 2023; Todt, former Ferrari CEO, proposed 19 years earlier
  25. Box Office Mojo · A Haunting in Venice ↗Domestic release Sep. 15, 2023
  26. Variety · A Haunting in Venice casts Tina Fey, Jamie Dornan, Michelle Yeoh and More ↗Oct. 10, 2022: Branagh reprises Poirot; Yeoh in the cast
  27. Box Office Mojo · Wicked ↗Domestic release Nov. 22, 2024
  28. The Hollywood Reporter · Michelle Yeoh Joins Wicked Film as Madame Morrible ↗Dec. 8, 2022: cast as Madame Morrible
  29. Variety · Ne Zha 2 Sets English-Language U.S. Release From A24, Michelle Yeoh Joins Voice Cast ↗Jul. 9, 2025: English version to open in U.S. theaters Aug. 22 with Yeoh in the voice cast
  30. Variety · Wicked: For Good Earns $30.8 Million in Previews ↗Nov. 21, 2025: cast includes Michelle Yeoh; $30.8 million in previews
  31. Variety · Berlinale Opening Ceremony ↗Feb. 12, 2026: Sean Baker presented the Honorary Golden Bear to Yeoh at the opening ceremony
  32. Yahoo Entertainment · Michelle Yeoh receives Walk of Fame star ↗Ceremony Feb. 18, 2026; introduced by Ang Lee and Jon M. Chu
  33. Deadline · Michelle Yeoh Named Busan Film Fest’s Asian Filmmaker Of The Year ↗Aug. 6, 2026: 31st Busan International Film Festival
  34. The Hollywood Reporter · Sony Lands Michelle Yeoh Action Movie The Surgeon ↗Sep. 22, 2026: Sony acquired the film after its TIFF debut; Yeoh plays a newly retired surgeon who is kidnapped

Fact-checked: 2026.09.30 · An independent archive, not affiliated with the person or their agency.