Born as Yang Zi Qiong on 6th August 1962, in Ipoh, Malaysia, she is an accomplished actress, famous in markets across the world as one of the most well-known female action stars, known for appearing in such action flicks as “Tomorrow Never Dies” (1997), “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” (2000), and “Sunshine” (2007).
Have you ever wondered how much Michelle Yeoh is worth? According to authoritative sources, Yeoh’s net worth is estimated to be over $40 million, earned through her long career as an action star now spanning more than 30 years.
Michelle Yeoh Net Worth $40 Million
Yeoh was raised in Ipoh, but at age 15 her family moved to the United Kingdom where she was educated at a boarding school. Later, she attended the Royal Academy of Dancing intending on majoring in ballet, but unfortunately suffered a spinal injury and was forced to give up her dreams of being a dancer, and instead graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Creative Arts.
In 1983, Yeoh was crowned Miss Malaysia, and the same year went on to represent Malaysia at the Queen of the Pacific pageant, and also won the crown there, then represented Malaysia at the Miss World pageant. Being a beauty queen quickly led to television, when she starred alongside Jackie Chan in a string of commercials. From these, she was given a multi-film contract by D&B Productions, which would prove to be the beginning of her considerable net worth.
She starred in a few films during the 80s, most notably “Yes, Madam” (1985), mostly action and martial-arts films, and Yeoh made a name for herself by getting in peak shape and performing her own stunts. She retired from acting briefly, before returning in 1992 in the Jackie Chan film “Police Story III: Supercop” (1992), which cemented her place as a top Asian action star, and she continued starring in various action films throughout the 90s. This culminated with the release of the James Bond film “Tomorrow Never Dies” (1997), starring opposite Pierce Brosnan.
In 2000, Yeoh gained her most famous role to date, in the martial arts movie “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000); she received much critical acclaim from the film, and it is still her most successful role. The movie greatly contributed to her wealth, and led to her receiving a role in the film “Memoirs of a Geisha” (2005). This also gained her praise from critics, and added to her net worth.
Yeoh continued to make action movies into the late 2000s, starring alongside Brendan Fraser and Jet Li in “The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor” (2008). She has also recently started to branch out into television, getting her first role in the show “Strike Back” (2015). She is also set to play Federation Captain Georgiou of the Shenzhou in the new series, “Star Trek Discovery” (2017).
Regarding her personal life, Michelle was married to Dickson Poon from 1988 to 1992; Poon was the CEO of D&B Productions, the same company that gave Yeoh her first acting roles. She has been partnered with Jean Todt since 2002. She is also a Buddhist.
