Oscar-winning actress Michelle Yeoh will be honored with the Berlin Film Festival‘s Golden Bear in recognition of her outstanding achievements in film and cinema, the festival announced Friday.
The Everything Everywhere All At Once star will receive the award at the opening ceremony of the 76th Berlinale on February 12, 2026.
“Michelle Yeoh is a visionary artist and performer whose work defies boundaries ‒ whether geographic, linguistic or cinematic,” said Berlinale festival director Tricia Tuttle in a statement. “Her commanding presence, fearless artistic choices and unmistakable style have left a lasting impression on generations of filmmakers and fans at the Berlinale and across the globe.”
Yeoh rose to prominence in the 1980s and early 1990s in films such as Yes, Madam, Royal Warriors, Police Story III, and Wing Chun, becoming an iconic figure of Asian action and martial arts cinema. Her international breakthrough came in 1997, playing Chinese secret agent Wai Lin in the James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies. She solidified her global stardom with her iconic performance in Ang Lee’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. She received her long-overdue Oscar for Everything Everywhere All at Once, directed by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, in 2023, marking the first Asian actress to win an Academy Award for Best Actress.
Yeoh can next be seen playing Madame Morrible in Jon M. Chu’s Wicked: For Good, set to hit U.S. theaters next week. She served as a member of the Berlinale International Jury in 1999.
“Berlin has always held a special place in my heart. It was one of the first festivals to embrace my work with such warmth and generosity,” Yeoh said in a statement. “Returning after all these years, in recognition of my journey in cinema, feels truly meaningful.”
The 76th Berlinale runs Feb. 12-22, 2026.
