Hong Kong’s culture chief has congratulated actor Michelle Yeoh after she won a Golden Globe for her role in comedic adventure flick Everything Everywhere All at Once.

Describing the Malaysian as a “Hong Kong actor,” Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Kevin Yeung said the award was well deserved: “Michelle Yeoh first made a name in the Hong Kong film sector, then moved on to the international stage with her exceptionally outstanding acting skills and hard work… We are really empowered by the fact that Hong Kong actors have continued to shine in the global film industry,” he said in a statement.

michelle yeoh
Malaysian actress Michelle Yeoh poses with the award for Best Actress – Motion Picture – Musical/Comedy for “Everything Everywhere All at Once” in the press room during the 80th annual Golden Globe Awards at The Beverly Hilton hotel in Beverly Hills, California, on January 10, 2023. Photo: Frederic J. Brown.

On Tuesday night in the US, Yeoh bagged best actress in a motion picture, musical or comedy category at the Golden Globes.

She rose to fame performing her own stunts in Hong Kong movies such as Yes, Madam and Policy Story 3: Supercop before landing a role in the 1997 James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies.

Yeoh went onto international stardom after starring in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, a 2000 film which won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 2001, and the Best Narrative Feature at the 37th Golden Horse Awards.

The film star was born in 1962 in what is now-Malaysia. Though she was once married to a Hongkonger, Malaysians cannot hold dual nationality.

“I’m just going to stand here and take this all in,” Yeoh said during her acceptance speech. “40 years… I’m not letting go of this.”

“When I first came to Hollywood, it was a dream come true… until I got here. I came here and was told, ‘You’re a minority’,” as she thanked her family and colleagues.

Everything Everywhere All at Once, which Yeoh described as a “gift,” scored six Golden Globes nominations. Yeoh’s co-star, Ke Huy Quan, won best supporting actor for the same film. It brought in US$100 million (HK$781 million) at the box office.

Additional reporting: Candice Chau.

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Tom founded Hong Kong Free Press in 2015 and is the editor-in-chief. In addition to editing, he is responsible for managing the newsroom and company - including fundraising, recruitment and overseeing HKFP's web presence and ethical guidelines.

He has a BA in Communications and New Media from Leeds University and an MA in Journalism from the University of Hong Kong. He previously led an NGO advocating for domestic worker rights, and has contributed to the BBC, Deutsche Welle, Al-Jazeera and others.