Joey Ansah
| Joey Ansah | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Joey Ansah 24 November 1982 London, England |
| Occupation | Actor, martial artist, fight choreographer, producer, director |
Joey Ansah (born 24 November 1982) is a British actor and martial artist best known for his roles in The Bourne Ultimatum and Street Fighter: Assassin's Fist.[1]
Early life
Ansah was born in London, England, of mixed ethnicity, the second son of celebrated Ghanaian fashion designer Kofi Ansah[2] and his Devon-born wife Nicola. Joey Ansah lived in London for the first 10 years of his life before emigrating with his family to Ghana. While in Ghana, he studied the martial art of Tae Kwon Do for four years and took up hip-hop dance and motorbike racing. At 15 he returned to England, settling with his mother and young sister in Plymouth. While studying for his GCSEs and A-levels at Devonport High School for Boys, he began training in the martial art of Ninpo Taijutsu. This would include a period of training with Bujinkan Grandmaster Masaaki Hatsumi. Later, while studying for his degree in Human Biology at Oxford Brookes University, he began training in the Brazilian martial art of Capoeira. He also worked as a model and extra at this time.
Early career
His first important role as an actor was in the UK indie film Love Struck (2005). Notable appearances on British TV followed in episodes of BBC productions Spooks (2005) and Timewatch (2006).
Ansah went on to play a minor role as one of the Shadow Warriors in Batman Begins (2005). However, his most noteworthy role to date came in 2007, when he appeared in The Bourne Ultimatum as Desh Bouksani, an assassin tracking down Jason Bourne. Ansah's performance was notable for an extended set-piece fight scene between himself and Matt Damon, regarded by one reviewer as one of the best ever filmed,[3] in which Ansah performed all of his own stunts. In 2008 he was nominated for an MTV Film Award in the "Best Fight" category.
Ansah has also acted in British independent martial arts films, such as Left for Dead and Underground.
Street Fighter
Ansah choreographed, co-wrote and directed the short film Street Fighter: Legacy. A self-proclaimed fan of the video game series, Ansah wanted the short to be the most accurate depiction of the series, different from the two theatrically released films. He and collaborator Christian Howard whom he worked with on SFL, worked on the live-action Street Fighter series Street Fighter: Assassin's Fist and they are developing a second season titled Street Fighter: World Warrior.
Family
His artistic family includes:
- Kofi Ansah (father) – fashion designer[4]
- Kwaw Ansah (uncle) – award-winning film director[5]
- Tumi Ebow Ansah (uncle) – actor, composer, ethnomusicologist and researcher [6]
- Ryan Ansah (brother) – musician[7]
- Tanoa Ansah - (sister) CEO of Dæ.WEAR
Filmography
- Street Fighter: World Warrior (TBA)
- Street Fighter: Assassin's Fist (2014) - Akuma, also co-creator
- The Numbers Station (2013) - Derne
- U.F.O. (2013) — Police Officer / Black Ops Soldier
- Snow White and the Huntsman (2012) - Aldan
- Attack the Block (2011) – Policeman 1
- Knock Out (2010)
- Street Fighter: Legacy (2010) – Akuma, also co-writer and co-director [8]
- Hit Girls (2009) – James
- Ghost Town (2009) (TV) – Bonesera
- Underground (2007) – Joey, The Model
- The Bourne Ultimatum (2007) – Desh
- Voyage: Killing Brigitte Nielsen (2007) (TV)
- Love Struck (2005) – Mango
- Batman Begins (2005) as League of Shadows member
- Left for Dead (2004) – Kickboxer 1
- Green Street 3 - Victor
References
- ↑ "Kofi Ansah’s Son Produce Hollywood Movie", OneTainment, 5 June 2014.
- ↑ Alfred Tamakloe. Celebration of local fabrics. Djembe Online – No 28.
- ↑ Bourne Ultimatum: Review, Rolling Stone. Retrieved 28 May 2012.
- ↑ Artdress website.
- ↑ Kwaw Ansah at the Internet Movie Database
- ↑ Tommy Ebow Ansah at the Internet Movie Database
- ↑ ryanansah.com
- ↑ "This Could Be The Best Street Fighter Film Ever Created". Kotaku, Australia (May 2010). Retrieved 28 May 2012.