Michelle Yeoh Receives Presidential Medal of Freedom

Michelle Yeoh received a prestigious honor at the White House.

On Friday, May 3, the longtime actress, 61, accepted the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Joe Biden.

In his brief remarks, Biden acknowledged Yeoh for shattering “stereotypes and glass ceilings” during her career to “enrich and enhance American culture,” adding that her roles have “transcended gender, cultures and languages, from martial arts to romantic comedies to science fiction, to show us what we all have in common.”

Yeoh “bridges cultures, not only to entertain, but also inspire and open hearts,” Biden continued. “And that’s what she keeps doing.”

Per the White House, the honor is given to people “who have made exemplary contributions to the prosperity, values, or security of the United States, world peace or other significant societal, public or private endeavors.”

The other 2024 Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients are: Mike Bloomberg, Greg Boyle, Jim Clyburn, Elizabeth Dole, Phil Donahue, Medgar Evers (posthumous), Al Gore, Clarence B. Jones, John Kerry, Frank Lautenberg (posthumous), Katie Ledecky, Opal Lee, Ellen Ochoa, Nancy Pelosi, Jane Rigby, Teresa Romero, Judy Shepard and Jim Thorpe (posthumous).

Yeoh is known for roles in martial arts movies from the beginning of her career in the 1980s to the 2000s, including hits like Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, and starred alongside stars like Jackie Chan in Hong Kong’s film scene.

Since then, she’s starred in blockbusters and dramas in the U.S. and across the globe, including Crazy Rich Asians, Memoirs of a Geisha, the James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts and many more.

At last year’s Oscars, she became the first Asian woman to win Best Actress in the entire history of the ceremony for her role in Everything Everywhere All at Once.

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“For all the little boys and girls who look like me watching tonight, this is a beacon of hope and possibilities,” she said during her acceptance speech back in March 2023. “This is proof that — dream big and dreams do come true.”

Afterward, Yeoh told reporters that her win wasn’t just impactful for her — it was impactful for “anyone who has been identified as a minority.”

“This is actually a historical moment, and I have to thank the Academy for acknowledging, embracing diversity and true representation,” she said at the time.

“I think this is something that we have been working so hard towards for a very long time, and tonight we freaking broke that glass ceiling,” the Malaysia-born actress continued. “I Kung Fu’d it out and shattered it, and we need this because there are so many who felt unseen, unheard.”