Michelle Yeoh first Malaysian to be nominated for Best Actress at the Oscars

SHAH ALAM - Ipoh-born legend Tan Sri Michelle Yeoh is the first Asian to be nominated for Best Actress at the Oscars for her leading role in the 2022 American absurdist comedy-drama film, "Everything Everywhere All At Once".

The 60-year-old actress is also the first Malaysian to receive a nomination from the Academy Awards.

The nomination was announced during a live stream event on Jan 24, hosted by actors Riz Ahmed and Alison Williams at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills, California.

Among the contenders for the award are Cate Blanchett (Tar), Ana De Armas (Blonde), Andrea Riseborough (To Leslie), and Michelle Williams (The Fabelmans).

"Everything Everywhere All At Once" took the nomination lead with 11 in total at the 95th Academy Awards, which will be held on March 12 in Los Angeles.

The awards will be hosted by Jimmy Kimmel.

On Jan 20, Yeoh was also nominated for Best Actress at the Bafta awards, Britain’s equivalent of Hollywood’s Academy Awards. The winners will be announced on Feb 19 at a ceremony in London.

Earlier this month, Yeoh won Best Actress in Motion Picture for Musical / Comedy at the Golden Globe Awards, becoming the first Malaysian to win the prestigious award.

In the surreal parallel universes movie, Yeoh played Evelyn Wang, a Chinese immigrant at odds with her daughter.

“I was given this gift of playing this woman who resonated so deeply with me and so many people because at the end of the day, in whatever universe she was at, she was fighting for love and for her family,” she said.

The film also starred Jamie Lee Curtis, Ke Huy Quan, Jenny Slate, and more.