Michelle Yeoh (/ˈjoʊ/) was born on 6th August 1962 in Malaysia. She was born to an ethnic Chinese family, and her father was a lawyer. From an early age, she was involved in various physical activities, including basketball and swimming, though she was particularly interested in ballet. As a teenager, she attended the Royal Academy of Dance in London, but a back injury ended her dreams of becoming a professional ballet dancer. She subsequently planned on opening a ballet school, but in 1983 her mother entered her in the Miss Malaysia pageant. Yeoh won, and she later appeared in a commercial with Jackie Chan. The ad led to an acting contract with a Hong Kong production company, which suggested her early stage name, Michelle Khan.