Oscar-winning actress Michelle Yeoh is one of the recipients of this year’s Presidential Medal of Freedom, and will receive her award this afternoon ath the White House..
A video was shared on the official @POTUS X/Twitter account, announcing the 19 individuals who will receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, during a ceremony at the White House on May 3. The clip for Yeoh showed her Oscar-winning turn in Everything Everywhere All at Once.
According to a press release from the White House, the President of the United States presents the medals each year to a group of “individuals who have made exemplary contributions to the prosperity, values, or security of the United States, world peace, or other significant societal, public or private endeavors.”
Yeoh has been charting her own course in roles related to the world of geekdom for decades, and is known for her memorable roles in numerous blockbusters over the past four decades, including her starring turn in Ang Lee’s martial arts movie Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Paramount’s Star Trek: Discovery, Rob Marshall’s lavish film adaptation of Memoirs of a Geisha, in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, and recently made history as Evelyn Wang in A24’s Everything Everywhere All at Once by winning the Academy Award for Best Actress, becoming the first Asian actor to win in that category. The White House notes that she is an actress who “continues to shatter stereotypes and enrich American culture.”
Among the other distinguished recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2024 are Michael Bloomberg, Gregory Boyle, James Clyburn, Elizabeth Dole, Phil Donahue, Medgar Evers (posthumous), Al Gore, Clarence B. Jones, John Kerry, Frank Lautenberg (posthumous), Kathleen Ledecky, Opal Lee, Ellen Ochoa, Nancy Pelosi, Jane Rigby, Teresa Romero, Judy Shepard, and James Thorpe (posthumous).
The 19 honorees will be presented with their awards during a Medal of Freedom ceremony at the White House this afternoon.
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