Yeoh a commander of Legion of Honour

Michelle Yeoh

KUALA LUMPUR • Michelle Yeoh has been made a commander of the Legion of Honour, France's highest honour available for a non-French citizen.

The Ipoh-born actress was awarded the title by French President Francois Hollande during a ceremony at the official residence of the French Ambassador here on Tuesday evening.

Established by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1802, the Legion of Honour has five ranks: Chevalier, Officer, Commander, Grand Officer and Grand Cross.

Yeoh, 54, was made a chevalier in 2007 and an officer in 2012.

She flew to Kuala Lumpur for the ceremony from Toronto, where she is filming the upcoming television series, Star Trek: Discovery. It will air later this year.

Yeoh studied dance and martial arts before being crowned Miss Malaysia in 1983, which led to a commercial with action star Jackie Chan and then a film career in Hong Kong.

She is known for her roles in the 1997 James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies and the 2000 blockbuster Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on March 30, 2017, with the headline Yeoh a commander of Legion of Honour. Subscribe