Malaysian actress Michelle Yeoh was given the highest honor bestowed on France to a non-citizen. French President Francois Hollande conferred the title to her on Tuesday night at the French ambassador’s residence in Kuala Lumpur.
The 54-year-old actress have moved up two ranks with the conferment of the Commander title to her. When she was given the National Order of the Legion of Honor in 2007, she was awarded the title Knight and she moved up to Officer rank in 2012, Straits Times reported.
Legion of Honor Ranks
There are two more ranks in the Legion of Honor higher than Commander. These are Grand Officer and Grand Cross. It is the highest decoration in France which is given to male and female, French and foreigners, who render services to France or for their services to causes supported by France.
For the ceremony, Michelle Yeoh flew from Toronto where the actress is filming an upcoming “Star Trek: Discovery” TV series that would air in late 2017. Her role in the series is Captain Georgiou of Shenzhou, a starship.
From Beauty Contest to Movies
The former Miss Malaysia-World 1983 starred in a commercial with action star Jackie Chan which launched a movie career in Hong Kong. In the 1990s, she went international by starring in the 1997 James Bond movie “Tomorrow Never Dies.” She received nominations for Best Actress at the Bafta Awards, Hong Kong Film Awards and Golden Horse Awards for her role in the 2000 hit movie “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.
The actress said she is overwhelmed and deeply honored because it was Hollande who came to Malaysia, despite his very tight schedule, to confer the honor to her, Free Malaysia Today reported. Before Michelle Yeoh, three other Malaysians have been conferred the Legion of Honor. They are Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin of Terengganu in 2010, AirAsia group CEO Tony Fernandes in 2010.