5 Asian actresses who made it in Hollywood, from Crazy Rich Asians’ Michelle Yeoh to Maggie Q, who appeared alongside Jackie Chan in Rush Hour and Tom Cruise in Mission: Impossible III

Mar 8 , 2021

Maggie Q, Michelle Yeoh and Bae Doona. Photos: Shutterstock, NBC/NBCU Photo Bank, @baedoonapics/Instagram

Chloé Zhao made history as the first woman to win best drama at the Golden Globes – and the first woman of colour to win best director – with Nomadland

K-drama’s Bae Doona, who just starred in French film #Iamhere, broke into US movies in the Wachowskis’ blockbusters Cloud Atlas and Jupiter Ascending

Chinese-born director Chloé Zhao made history last week: her film Nomadland, about a woman who travels through the American West looking for work, is the first film directed by a woman to win best drama at the Golden Globes. Zhao also won the award for best director, making her the second woman to earn this accolade and the first woman of colour to do so.

Zhao’s triumph is an important step forward in the battle for recognition that Asian talent – particularly women – struggle with in Hollywood. In celebration of International Women’s Day, on March 8, we looked at five Asian women who found success in the West.

Michelle Yeoh

Arguably the biggest Asian success story in the West is Malaysian icon Michelle Yeoh. Born in Ipoh, Yeoh rocketed to fame during the glory years of Hong Kong cinema in the mid-80s to mid-90s. Originally trained as a dancer – she attended the Royal Academy of Dance in London – Yeoh segued seamlessly into martial arts, starring in films like Yes, Madam and Police Story 3 opposite Jackie Chan, despite having no formal combat training when she was growing up.

Yeoh’s action credentials and good looks (she was a former Miss Malaysia and Queen of the Pacific) caught the attention of casting directors for the James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies. This was Yeoh’s breakout role in Hollywood, even if she soon returned to Asia to star in wuxia classic Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Notable roles in America continue to come, though, in films such as Memoirs of a Geisha, The Lady, Crazy Rich Asians and Last Christmas.

Bae Doona

There are better known South Korean actresses, like K-drama’s top-paid star Jun Ji-hyun, but Bae Doona is one of the few to have garnered credits in the US. The 41-year-old established herself in the kind of small-budget films that kick-started the rebirth of South Korean cinema early in the 21st century. Originally an actress of small note, Bae worked her way up the celebrity ladder alongside future luminaries like directors Bong Joon-ho and Park Chan-wook, whose early films she starred in.

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