Michelle Yeoh makes Oscars history with best actress win for ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’

Michelle Yeoh capped her prolific awards season with a historic win at the 2023 Academy Awards, picking up a best actress statuette Sunday for her performance in “Everything Everywhere All at Once.”

Yeoh is the first Asian actress to win an Oscar for a leading role. She starred in the acclaimed science-fiction spectacle as Evelyn, a Chinese-American immigrant on a high-stakes journey across alternate dimensions.

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Michelle Yeoh accepts the Best Actress award for "Everything Everywhere All at Once" onstage during the 95th Annual Academy Awards at Dolby Theatre on March 12, 2023 in Hollywood, Calif. (Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

“For all the little boys and girls who look like me, watching tonight, this is a beacon of hope and possibilities,” Yeoh, 60, said during her acceptance speech at Hollywood’s Dolby Theatre. “This is proof that dreams dream big and dreams do come true. And ladies, don’t let anybody tell you [that] you are ever past your prime.”

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The Malaysian-born Yeoh was the first woman who identifies as Asian to be nominated for best actress. Merle Oberon, who had Sri Lankan ancestry, received a nomination in 1936 for “The Dark Angel,” but her heritage remained hidden until after her death.

Michelle Yeoh arrives at the Oscars. (Jordan Strauss/Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)

Yeoh previously won honors at the Golden Globe Awards, Screen Actors Guild Awards and Independent Spirit Awards for her “Everything Everywhere All at Once” performance.

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The genre-defying “Everything Everywhere” led all films at Sunday’s Oscars with 11 nominations. It won seven, including best picture, best supporting actor for Key Huy Quan and best supporting actress for Jamie Lee Curtis. The filmmaking duo Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert won best director and best original screenplay, and Paul Rogers took home the honor for best film editing.

The other nominees for best actress included Cate Blanchett for “Tár,” Ana de Armas for “Blonde,” Andrea Riseborough for “To Leslie” and Michelle Williams for “The Fabelmans.”