Every time the industry told her to age out, she found a bigger door to kick open.
At a glance
- Known for
- Oscar-winning lead in *Everything Everywhere All at Once*, Hong Kong action cinema, *Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon*
- Before fame
- Won Miss Malaysia at 20 because her mother signed her up without asking
- Off-screen
- Engaged for 19 years before marrying former Ferrari CEO Jean Todt in 2023
Rise to Fame
A spinal injury killed the ballet career. A beauty pageant her mother entered her into without permission launched a different one. A watch commercial opposite Jackie Chan caught the attention of Hong Kong's D&B Films, and by 1985 she was doing her own fight choreography in Yes, Madam with zero martial arts training. The ballet was the cheat code, a lifetime of muscle control repurposed for stunts nobody expected her to do herself.
She made around 15 Hong Kong films over 12 years, holding her own opposite Jackie Chan and Jet Li. Tomorrow Never Dies brought the Western crossover, but Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon made her unmissable. Ang Lee's film grossed over $100 million in the US, the first non-English language film to do that.
In the Spotlight
Winning Best Actress at 60 wasn't a career-capping honor. It was a detonation. Everything Everywhere All at Once grossed $143 million on a budget under $25 million, swept seven Oscars, and made her the first Asian person to win a lead acting Academy Award. Her speech landed harder than the film: "Ladies, don't let anyone ever tell you you are past your prime."
The industry responded accordingly. Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2024. Honorary Golden Bear at the Berlinale in 2026. A star on the Walk of Fame, first Malaysian to get one. She played Madame Morrible in Wicked, which cleared $758 million worldwide. At 63, her slate is fuller than most actors half her age.
Side Notes
The stunt that almost ended everything happened in 1996. She leaped 18 feet off a bridge onto a moving truck for The Stunt Woman, landed on her head, fractured a vertebra, and spent a month in traction. Quentin Tarantino visited her during recovery and talked her out of quitting action films entirely.
Nineteen years from proposal to wedding isn't procrastination. She married Hong Kong entrepreneur Dickson Poon in 1988 and retired from acting. They divorced in 1992 after learning she couldn't have children. She stayed close with his family, and his daughter became her goddaughter. She met Jean Todt, the former Ferrari CEO and FIA president, in 2004. He proposed that same year. They didn't get around to the wedding until 2023. She brought her Oscar to the ceremony.