2023 is a successful year for Michelle Yeoh about both career and personal life. Not only did she become the first Asian woman to win the Academy Award for Best Actress, but she also officially became the wife of former Ferrari CEO Jean Todt after a two-decade engagement.
However, this is not the first time the beauty Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon has gotten married. The first husband of the woman born in 1962 was equally talented and wealthy as the “F1 tycoon”, Hong Kong tycoon Dickson Poon.
Michelle Yeoh was once married to Hong Kong retail king Dickson Poon. Photo: SCMP. |
After being crowned Miss World Malaysia, Michelle Yeoh smoothly entered the showbiz of Port Thom. This is also the opportunity for the beauty to know and become a couple with her first husband.
In 1984, Michelle Yeoh was invited to play the main role in her third film Yes, Madam (1985). Thanks to that, she met Dickson Poon, co-founder of D&B Films, the film’s production company.
Poon comes from a prestigious family in Hong Kong (China). His father was Poon Ka-kai, an influential jeweler who founded the Precision Watch and Artland Watch companies. Dickson Poon is known as the retail king of Hong Kong (China). With parent company Dickson Concepts, he operates famous British luxury department store Harvey Nichols, retailers Dickson Watch and Jewellery, Brooks Brothers and more.
The two got married in February 1988. At that moment, Michelle Yeoh temporarily stopped working in the entertainment industryeven intending to retire.
“In 1988, I married a wonderful man named Dickson Poon. At the age of 28, I decided maybe it was time to settle down, get married and have a new life,” the 6X star said in an interview with Bustle.
The beauty said her decision to give up what she loved at the age of 28 was to pursue what she wanted more – to have children. According to Michelle Yeoh, being born and raised in a traditional family always made her think of creating her own small family.
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Michelle Yeoh met her first husband when she accepted to act in a movie produced by his company. Photo: SCMP. |
However, fate is cruel to people who look forward to becoming a mother like Michelle Yeoh. She discovered she could not have children, and was unable to give birth to an heir to her husband’s family of billions of dollars in assets. Therefore, the two parted peacefully.
“I don’t want us to be bitter 10 years from now. And when you realize you can’t have children, you have to face it. You have to deal with the balls thrown at you,” the Hollywood star said.
After their divorce in 1992, Michelle Yeoh returned to the silver screen. She gradually rebuilt her unfinished career through action films. She is not only the most famous Chinese female martial arts star, but also reached the world and eventually entered film history with an Oscar.
One thing that few people know is that even though the marriage is broken, Duong Tu Quynh still maintains a good relationship with her ex-husband’s family.
After her Oscar win for Everything Everywhere All At Once in 2023, Yeoh shared moments of her celebrating with friends and family. In the photo, she posed with Dee Poon, her goddaughter and Dickson Poon’s daughter. Billionaire Poon’s first wife, Marjorie Yang, also appeared radiantly by their side. Dee and Yang were both in Los Angeles to celebrate the important milestone with the Malaysian star.