Oscar winner Michelle Yeoh will receive an honorary Golden Bear at the 2026 Berlin Film Festival.
The “Crazy Rich Asians” and “Wicked” star will be honored for his contributions to film at the festival’s opening ceremony on February 12. Yeoh served on the Berlinale International Jury in 1999 and had several films screened at the festival, including Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) and Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022), for which she won an Academy Award for Best Actress.
“Berlin has always held a special place in my heart,” Yeo said in a statement. “This was one of the first festivals to receive my work so warmly and generously. Coming back after all these years feels really meaningful as it recognizes my journey in the film industry.”
Additionally, festival director Tricia Tuttle added, “Michelle Yeoh is a visionary artist and performer whose work pushes boundaries, whether geographically, linguistically or cinematically. Her commanding presence, fearless artistic choices and unmistakable style have left a lasting impression on generations of filmmakers and fans at the Berlinale and around the world.”
Yeoh first gained attention in Hong Kong action films such as Yes, Madam (1985), Magnificent Warriors (1987), Police Story 3: Supercop (1992), and Wing Chun (1994), in which he performed all the stunts himself. She got her international break in 1997 with her role as secret agent Wai Ling in the James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies, co-starring Pierce Brosnan, and went on to captivate audiences in Ang Lee’s epic martial arts romance Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon in 2000. This is Yeoh’s first acting role after supporting roles in the mega-hit “Crazy Rich Asians” and the Marvel movie “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.” An actress of Asian descent won the Oscar for Best Actress for her role in “Everything Everywhere All at Once.”
Yeoh is currently preparing to reprise her role as Madame Morrible in Wicked: For Good, which will be released in theaters on November 21st. He will next be starring in Amazon Prime Video’s Blade Runner 2099 series.
The Berlin Film Festival will be held from February 12th to 22nd, 2026.
