Oscars 2023: Michelle Yeoh makes history as first Asian woman to win Best Actress

Michelle Yeoh made history as the first Asian to win Best Actress at the 95th Academy Awards on March 13, 2023 (Image Source: AFP)

Michelle Yeoh, the star of Everything Everywhere All At Once, won the Best Actress Oscar, in a historic moment for Asian representation. She beat the likes of Cate Blanchett (Tar) and Michelle Williams (The Fablemans) in the race for the best female acting performance of the past year.

Yeoh is the first Asian woman to win the Best Actress Oscar and only the second to be nominated. She delivered a powerful performance in the sci-fi adventure film about a Chinese-American family's battle against a dimension-hopping supervillain.

“For all the little boys and girls who look like me, this (the award) is the beacon of possibility and hope," Yeoh said in her emotional acceptance speech. "And ladies don’t let anyone tell you you are past your prime."

Oscars 2023 LIVE Updates: Everything Everywhere All At Once takes home big wins with Best Picture, Best Director & Best Actress

"I dedicate this to my mom and all the moms in the world. Without you, we wouldn’t be here," she added.

Everything Everywhere All At Once was the most-nominated film this year with 11 nods. It won both seven categories, including Best Picture and Best Director, Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress.

The film's triumph marks a win for the largely Asian cast as well the community as a whole.

Yeoh, the movie's star, is from Malaysia and entered Hollywood at a time when the industry was even more exclusionary.

"I was told 'you are a minority'", Yeoh told People magazine in an interview. "They didn't make a difference between whether I was Chinese or Japanese or Korean or if I even spoke English."

She debuted in Hollywood 1997, with Tomorrow Never Dies.