Michelle Yeoh

Chosen by "People" magazine as one of the 50 Most Beautiful People in the World.

One of the only female stars whom Jackie Chan lets do her own stunts.

A former Miss Malaysia, she got her start in acting in a commercial with Jackie Chan.

Miss Malaysia

Fought her way to the top in the male-dominated genre of Hong Kong action films, where she has been known for years as the "queen of martial arts".

Has a Bachelors Degree in Dance from the Royal Academy of Dance (London, England).

One of the highest paid Chinese-language actresses in the world.

Highest paid actress in Asia.

Released a single CD in 1993, "Love Quite Like a Comet", from her movie Xin liu xing hu die jian .

Surname, "Yeoh" is pronounced "yo".

She is currently engaged to Jean Todt , who became the President of Fdration Internationale de lAutomobile in 2009.

She speaks 3 languages, English, Malay and Cantonese. However, she cant read Chinese and relies on pinyin (a system of phonetic notation) to pronounce words. In Wo hu cang long , she uses pinyin to recite her lines (with help from Mandarin speaking crew members) in Mandarin as she doesnt speak the language.

Member of the jury at the Cannes Film Festival in 2002.

In 2001, she was given the title of "dato" by the Sultan of Perak, her native state. "Dato" is an honorary Malaysian title somewhat like an English knighthood, and it lies below the ranks of "Dato Seri," "Tan Sri" and "Tun."

Member of the jury at the Berlin International Film Festival in 1999.

Was a very close friend to Anita Mui since early 90s. She also hosted a memorial event for Mui in 2007.

In October 2007, was named a Chevalier of the French Legion dHonneur, for her contributions to international culture.

Only the second Asian actress to play the major James Bond girl in Tomorrow Never Dies . The first one was Mie Hama in You Only Live Twice , thirty years earlier.

In Asia, we constantly play Koreans, Malay, Chinese. We do not question,that, as you do not question an Englishman playing an American or a,German.

I prefer to be kicked four or five times well, you know, hard, than,twenty or twenty five times not so good. . .

My career in the movie business began in Hong Kong, my heart has always,been tied to Asia, and it is immensely gratifying to see international,recognition for Asian cinema as a whole.

I have been presented with roles with demand not just a physical ability,but mental disciplines as well. Memoirs of a Geisha (2005) was,not so much about physical exertion. . . it was much more graceful and,contained than that.

Wai Lin is the first Bond Girl who is on a par with Bond, someone who,can match up with him mentally and physically. From the moment our,characters see each other, there is a wariness and a recognition that,this person is not who she or he seems to be.

I have people who love me and people that I love and a man that I love.

Martial arts is just practice. Being a geisha requires complete control.

To be a geisha, you have to have to an iron-clad layer around you -,around your physical body and your heart.

As an actor, you hope to find roles that are challenging to you as an,artist. Then if you are truly blessed, you will find that it also,carries a message that you can impart to your audience.

I have done many films across the globe and would love to be a part of,Bollywood, but the script must have a strong character for me.

When I watch myself on-screen, I always look for the flaws.

My mother is a very big cinema buff, so as a kid, we watched a lot of,Indian and Malay films.

I stretch and do my squats when I brush my teeth.

This world belongs to all of us, and all sexes should be able to live in,respect and harmony.

When men have a smile on their faces, that does a lot for me.

I kick and punch quite hard, and it surprises people.

I always thought of myself as James Bond.

As a producer, what you want to do is make the next hit. But you also,want to lead the audience into wanting to watch different movies. You,have to vary your content.

I thoroughly enjoy a good hot bath. That is my ultimate luxury.

You have to have integrity.

There is so much we can do to save lives on our roads.

The Asia and the Pacific region is facing an epidemic of road death and,injury, but we also have innovative Asian road safety solutions.

For an actress, everything is always fine - you are looked after, you,have your trailer, and everything provided. But the crew are the ones,out there in the wilds all the time, hours before and after us.

As an actress, you know there are limitations on what you can do,creatively.

Sometimes, being a girl away from home - it gets to you.

Before you get into the mind, you have to inhabit the physicality. Body,language is a great way of speaking.

Martial arts is something you can learn or pick up and think you could,do really well.

Some of the martial arts films, the motivation is about martial arts.

Playing Aung San Suu Kyi was a journey in itself. She represents many,things for many people and for many reasons. Although I have played,many important roles in my life, I can say that this role has been a,journey of self-realization.

Movies cater to what the audiences want.

I went to the Gobi Desert, even though I had no scenes there. This is,the greatness of China, the landscape, even for us.

I believe all of us want to do good for our country.

I did ballet, piano and all that - my brother did martial arts, my,passion.

I love my martial arts and action movies. They give another dimension to,the acting world: the emotional plus the physical.

I gravitate towards roles where women find strength in very difficult,uncompromising situations but maintain clarity in mind, discipline at,heart, and a certain strength in spirit.

The first one I did was an action film with Sammo Hung and George Lam,but I had the usual female role for that time: you know, damsel in,distress, rescued by the hero.

Unfortunately, many parents reject helmets for their kids out of a,mistaken perception that helmets are unsafe for children.

Every time I choose to do a movie, I make the decision because of what I,think I can learn from it.

When I made my first film, it was just an adventure. But after my first,movie, I guess I got more of a feeling of what was happening around me.

Playing a sinner is very liberating!,When it is real person, especially who means so much to millions of,people, you have an obligation, you cannot take liberties, you cannot,pretend to know. But we are telling the love story of Michael Aris and,his wife, the story of a beautiful, lush country, and the emotions of a,mother.

Raising awareness for Nepal was and still is an important role for me.

In Europe and America, you never see a director pick up a camera. They,all sit behind monitors.

When you face up to bad things in the past, the most important thing is,not to allow them to happen today or in the future, and as,storytellers, we must play our part in that.

We have to make movies where we do not think this is for the American,market or this is for the Chinese market. We have to make a good movie,that anyone would just want to sit down and watch because love,language, culture transcend everything.

I think that learning Burmese has to have been one of the most,challenging things that I have had to do for a movie.

It was like baptism by fire. There was no school for studying acting.

I gathered as much reading material about Aung San Suu Kyi and about,Burma as I could. And I read every article and every book she had,written. I also had 200 hours of footage of her to watch. I tried to,discover who were her heroes and where he desire and strength to pursue,democracy in a non-violent fashion came from.

I gathered as much reading material about Aung San Suu Kyi and about Burma as I could. And I read every article and every book she had written. I also had 200 hours of footage of her to watch. I tried to discover who were her heroes and where he desire and strength to pursue democracy in a non-violent fashion came from.

I gravitate towards roles where women find strength in very difficult, uncompromising situations but maintain clarity in mind, discipline at heart, and a certain strength in spirit.

The beauty about being a producer is you sit there, and you explore ideas which become a passion, which slowly becomes a reality.

When men have a smile on their faces, that does a lot for me. .