(CNN) Michelle Yeoh won Best Actress at the 95th Academy Awards on Sunday night, becoming the first woman of Asian descent to win the award.
Yeoh, who won the trophy for her famous performance in Everything Everywhere All At One, also made history as the first Malaysian-born performer to win the best actress Oscar.
Yeoh is the fifth person of Asian descent to win an Oscar in the acting category and the first in the leading role category.
“To all the little boys and girls looking at me tonight, this is a light of hope and possibility. It’s a testament to dreaming big and dreams coming true,” Yeoh exclaimed as he accepted his Oscar.
She added: “Ladies, don’t let anyone tell you that you’re past your prime.”
Yeoh dedicated his Oscar to his mother and “all the mothers in the world, because they are truly superheroes and none of us would be here tonight.”
In All At Once, Yeoh played Evelyn Wang, a beleaguered Asian-American immigrant who runs a laundromat and is faced with the startling prospect of endless possible lives as part of a multiverse. As he navigates this strange new territory and gains exceptional new powers, he must come to terms with rifts within his family that ultimately pose a serious existential threat—while also facing a tax audit.
Yeoh, who learned of his history-making nomination for the film in January, told The Hollywood Reporter that “it took a long time. But I think it’s more than me.” He also noted that constantly, “Asians are saying, “You can do it, you’re doing it for us.” It’s like, ‘I get it. I totally get it.’ All this time, they’ve been unrecognized, unheard.”
“Everything Everywhere All At One” also stars Ke Huy Quan and Jamie Lee Curtis, who won in their respective supporting acting categories on Sunday night.
In total, the film won seven Oscars from 11 nominations, including best picture. Other wins include Best Original Screenplay and Best Director for Everything Everywhere for Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert.