Oscar winner Michelle Yeoh’s surprise connection to Melbourne

Heartwarming video footage has emerged of actress Michelle Yeoh in Melbourne when she was crowned Miss Moomba in the early 1980s.

Michelle Yeoh’s surprise connection to Melbourne has been revealed after she won an Oscar for Best Actress at the 95th Academy Awards.

The Everything Everywhere All At Once actress travelled to Melbourne in her 20s where she was crowned Miss Moomba at the city’s annual Moomba Festival in the early 1980s.

Video footage from ABC’s archives showed Yeoh on a float, waving to the crowd.

In the same year, she competed in other pageants and won Queen of the Pacific in Melbourne and Miss Malaysia.

Michelle Yeoh waves to the crowd at Moomba. Picture: ABC

Yeoh with her Best Actress Oscar. Picture: Mike Coppola

Yeoh visited Melbourne again in 2011 where she spoke at the launch of a program that educated young people on safe driving skills.

At the time, the actress was a global ambassador for the Make Roads Safe campaign.

The Malaysian-born star became the first Asian woman to win an Oscar for lead actress on Monday night.

In her acceptance speech, the 60-year-old spoke about ageism in the industry.

“For all the little boys and girls who look like me watching tonight, this is a beacon of hope and possibilities,” she said.

“This is proof, dream big and dreams do come true. And ladies, don’t let anybody tell you are ever past your prime. Never give up.”

Yeoh got her start in Hong Kong action films and continued her career in movies including Tomorrow Never Dies, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Crazy Rich Asians.

Everything Everywhere All At Once won seven of the 11 awards including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress.