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Michelle Yeoh takes on a new role in Netflix’s The Brothers Sun: the eight-episode action comedy has been co-created by Gwyneth Paltrow’s husband Brad Falchuk and Byron Wu, and drops on January 4

Justin Chien, Michelle Yeoh and Sam Song Li star in new Netflix series The Brothers Sun. Photo: @netflixgeeked/Instagram
Justin Chien, Michelle Yeoh and Sam Song Li star in new Netflix series The Brothers Sun. Photo: @netflixgeeked/Instagram

  • Yeoh may be known for action films like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Tomorrow Never Dies, but recently she’s branched out into offbeat action comedies too, like Disney’s American Born Chinese
  • Next the 61-year-old plays the matriarch in The Brothers Sun alongside Justin Chien and Sam Song Li – and will also reprise her role as Emperor Philippa Georgiou in Star Trek: Section 31

From a laundromat owner dealing with a belligerent tax department while simultaneously trying to save the world, to an emperor in the sci-fi franchise Star Trek: Discovery, Michelle Yeoh has proven over her four-decade career that she has the ability to surprise audiences in whatever role she takes on.

Michelle Yeoh gave an Oscar winning performance in Everything Everywhere All At Once. Photo: A24
Michelle Yeoh gave an Oscar winning performance in Everything Everywhere All At Once. Photo: A24

The Everything Everywhere All At Once actress built her career on action-packed roles, sharing the spotlight with Asian cinema’s biggest action heroes, including Jet Li and Jackie Chan.

Michelle Yeoh with her Oscar for Best Actress during the 95th annual Academy Awards ceremony in Hollywood in March 2023. Photo: EPA-EFE
Michelle Yeoh with her Oscar for Best Actress during the 95th annual Academy Awards ceremony in Hollywood in March 2023. Photo: EPA-EFE
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In the Oscar-nominated Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, she plays a warrior troubled by unrequited love. The role showcased her range and the fact that she is capable of more than just impressive stunt work.

When the Malaysian actress’ arrived in Hollywood, she took on the role of a Bond girl in the 1997 film Tomorrow Never Dies – and brought with her the unmistakable energy and dynamism of Hong Kong cinema.

Pierce Brosnan played 007 opposite Michelle Yeoh in the James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies in 1997. Photo: Getty Images
Pierce Brosnan played 007 opposite Michelle Yeoh in the James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies in 1997. Photo: Getty Images
Beyond the silver screen, she starred in the television series Star Trek: Discovery from 2017-2020, which proved to be an even more drastic departure from the earlier action films that made her name in Hong Kong such as Supercop and Yes, Madam!
Michelle Yeoh in a still from American Born Chinese. Photo: Disney+
Michelle Yeoh in a still from American Born Chinese. Photo: Disney+
In the more recent Disney+ series American Born Chinese, Yeoh starred alongside fellow Asian actor Daniel Wu as the mythical Chinese goddess Guan Yin – and with her best actress Oscar win for Everything Everywhere All at Once this year, the age-defying 61-year-old has garnered a new generation of fans and, with that, opportunities for new projects.