Best Actress nominees 2023

Yeoh's win, for her role in 'Everything Everywhere All at Once,' makes her the first Asian woman to win the category in the Academy Awards' 95-year history.

[Oscar race](https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2023/03/awards-insider-oscar-winner-predictions-2023), Michelle Yeoh has been crowned the victor, making her the first Asian woman to win a lead-actress Oscar in the awards show’s 95-year history. Yeoh had another historically significant win in late February, when she became the first Asian actor to win the best-actress category at the SAG Awards. Oberon went to great lengths to hide her Asian heritage— [bleaching](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2023/mar/06/merle-oberon-oscars-best-actress) her skin, refining a posh accent, and claiming she was from Tasmania. [Vanity Fair Oscar Party](https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/photos/2023/03/photos-inside-2023-vf-oscar-party?itm_content=footer-recirc&itm_campaign=more-great-stories-oscars-2023) And of those 23, only four—before Sunday evening—won their category. Everything Everywhere All at Once earned 11 Oscar nominations, more than any other film this year, with other acting nominations going to Yeoh’s costars Stephanie Hsu, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Ke Huy Quan. In a supernatural twist, she transverses universes as a superhero version of herself. But in general, it’s always an older man.” Yeoh, who has been acting for about 40 years, initially rose to fame overseas in Hong Kong action films before breaking out with US audiences in 1997’s James Bond film, Tomorrow Never Dies, playing a Chinese spy opposite Pierce Brosnan’s 007. “Thank you for giving me a seat at the table, because so many of us need this. The first was Merle Oberon, a Mumbai-born actor who was nominated for 1935’s The Dark Angel; however, while alive, Oberon This is proof that dreams do come true,” Yeoh said in her speech, receiving cheers in response.

Michelle Yeoh won Best Actress for Everything Everywhere All at Once at the 95th Academy Awards, dedicating the award to her mother in Malaysia and "all the ...

And it's happening to me." "When I started off in 1984, women were relegated to being the damsel in distress," she said. Added Yeoh, "A lot of actresses find, as the numbers get bigger, the roles start to dwindle. "At that point, people in the industry couldn't really tell the difference between whether I was Chinese or Japanese or Korean or if I even spoke English," she remembered. "The film industry is abhorrently unequal in terms of opportunity," she added. Thank you to the Academy, this is history in the making," she concluded. "She's 84, and I'm taking this home to her," Yeoh continued. "I have to dedicate this to my mom, all the moms in the world, because they are really the superheroes. When Andrea Riseborough earned a surprise nod after not being recognized in many precursor events during awards season, the Academy launched an investigation into the social media campaigning tactics that garnered attention for Riseborough and her low-profile movie To Leslie just before voting ended. And without them none of us would be here tonight." "Thank you, thank you. "Never give up"

Michelle Yeoh won best actress at the 2023 Oscars. See how this win made history at the 95th Academy Awards.

Yeoh, who starred in "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and 2018's "Crazy Rich Asians," played Evelyn Wang in "Everything Everywhere All at Once." The film also stars Jamie Lee Curtis and James Hong. Never give up." [Ke Huy Quan](https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/culture/story/ke-huy-quan-reacts-first-oscar-nomination-96637002)) and her daughter Joy Wang ( [Stephanie Hsu](https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/culture/story/stephanie-hsu-oscar-nominated-dream-97616259)). [Michelle Yeoh](https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/culture/video/best-michelle-yeoh-97711346) won the Academy Award for best actress at the [2023 Oscars](https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/oscars) Sunday night for her performance in " [Everything Everywhere All at Once](https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/culture/story/review-drop-84834830)." Yeoh, who was born in Malaysia and is a legend in the Hong Kong action film world, also made history as the first Asian woman to win best actress in the 95-year history of the Academy Awards.