Asia’s Leading Lady: Michelle Yeoh Will Be The First Asian Artist To Receive An Honorary Degree From AFI - Arts & Culture

With over 70 credits to her name, Michelle Yeoh is everything, everywhere, all at once.

Actress Michelle Yeoh will become the first Asian artist to receive an honorary degree from the American Film Institute (AFI).

READ ALSO: ‘Trust Your Gut’: Naomi Campbell Receives An Honorary Doctorate For Her Contributions To Global Fashion

The institute will confer a Doctorate of Fine Arts degree honoris causa to Yeoh on August 13. This is for her “contributions of distinction to the art of the moving image.”

Yeoh will be recognized during the AFI Conservatory’s commencement ceremony celebrating the Class of 2022 at Hollywood’s TCL Chinese Theatre.

Fellow honoris causa recipient, AFI Trustee Emeritus Lawrence Herbert, will join Yeoh.

“Michelle Yeoh and Lawrence Herbert have inspired the world with their remarkable talents. Though both of these trailblazers have proven impact in vastly different ways. It is their shared dedication to the art of the moving image that provides this proud moment for AFI to shine a proper light upon their gifts given us,” AFI president and chief executive officer Bob Gazzale said.

Asian representation

Yeoh has appeared in over 70 films and television series. Her portfolio includes Crazy Rich Asians, Memoirs of a Geisha, and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.

Most recently, she starred in the critically acclaimed Everything, Everywhere, All At Once.

Past AFI honoris causa recipients include Robert Altman, Maya Angelou, Saul Bass, Angela Bassett, Kathryn Bigelow, Mel Brooks, Carol Burnett, Anne V. Coates, Clint Eastwood, Roger Ebert, Nora Ephron, Jodie Foster, Lesli Linka Glatter, James Earl Jones, Lawrence Kasdan, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Kathleen Kennedy, Angela Lansbury, Spike Lee, David Lynch, Helen Mirren, Rita Moreno, Paul Schrader, Quentin Tarantino, Lily Tomlin, Robert Towne, Cicely Tyson, Haskell Wexler, and John Williams.

Banner Photo by Michelle Yeoh via Instagram.

Order your print copy of this month's LIFESTYLE ASIA Magazine:
Download this month's LIFESTYLE ASIA digital copy from:
Subscribe via [email protected]