Time Magazine announced their prestigious year end awards .
Tuesday and a name long familiar to martial arts movie fans was among the honorees. Michelle Yeoh, who first came to prominence teaming up with Black Belt hall of famer Cynthia Rothrock in the 1985 Hong Kong release "Yes, Madam," was named as Time's 2022 Icon of the Year.
Though not originally trained in martial arts, Yeoh had a background as a ballet dancer and worked with various expert trainers for her roles in numerous kung fu movies, including training in wing chun for "Wing Chun" and tai chi for her role in the Academy Award-winning wuxia film "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon."
Over the years, Yeoh's appeared alongside many of the biggest names in the martial arts movie industry including Jackie Chan and Jet Li. Her most recent film, the critically acclaimed "Everything Everywhere All at Once," is a genre bending fantasy that includes elements of comedy, science fiction, animation and, of course, martial arts, which may earn her an Academy Award nomination for best actress.