Michelle Yeoh is TIME's icon of the year 2022

Michelle Yeoh was born in Malaysia. She was a star in Hong Kong cinema before entering Hollywood. (Image credit: michelleyeoh_official/Instagram)

Malaysian acting powerhouse Michelle Yeoh has been named TIME magazine’s icon of the year for 2022. The magazine describes the 60-year-old as a woman “who knows what she wants: to prove herself, to lend voice to fully embodied, fascinating characters, to play and to love and to reach generations through the magic of movies.”

On Asian actors being given stereotypical or insignificant roles in Hollywood, Yeah told TIME, “It shouldn’t be about my race, but it has been a battle.”

“At least let me try.”

After decades first as a star in Hong Kong cinema and then more mainstream hits like “Tomorrow Never Dies”, “Crouching Tiger” and “Hidden Dragon”, the Malaysian-born Yeoh has grown into a global star. She's had integral roles in big budget US films such as “Crazy Rich Asians” and “The Legend of The Ten Rings".

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Her latest film, “Everything Everywhere All at Once”, brought her much critical acclaim and is touted to get her an Oscar nomination.

“I’ve thought about it. And not just me. I feel like my full Asian community has thought about it. They come up to me and they say, ‘You’re doing it for us,” she told TIME.

On being named TIME’s icon of the year for 2022, Michelle Yeoh wrote on Instagram: “I am blessed.”