Joey Ansah
Joey Ansah | |
|---|---|
| Born | 24 November 1982 London, England |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, martial artist, fight choreographer, producer, director |
| Parent | Kofi Ansah (father) |
Joey Ansah (born 24 November 1982) is an English actor, martial artist and director best known for his roles in The Bourne Ultimatum (2007), Street Fighter: Assassin's Fist (2014) and The Old Guard (2020).[1]
Early life and education
[edit]Joey Ansah was born in the borough of Hackney, London, England, of mixed ethnicity, the second son of Ghanaian fashion designer Kofi Ansah and his Devon-born wife Nicola. Between the ages of 10 and 15, he lived in Ghana and studied Tae Kwon Do for four years.[1] Upon returning to England, Ansah began to audition for stunt roles in films, drawing inspiration from Ray Park's performance as Darth Maul in 1999.[2]
Career
[edit]Ansah's 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 (2004) and Underground (2007).
He choreographed, co-wrote and directed the 2010 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, with whom he worked 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 and Street Fighter: Resurrection.[4]
Filmography
[edit]Film
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Creep | Marcus | [5] |
| 2005 | Left for Dead | Kickboxer 1 | |
| 2005 | Love Struck | Mango | |
| 2005 | Batman Begins | League of Shadows member | |
| 2007 | Voyage: Killing Brigitte Nielsen | Joey | TV film |
| 2007 | The Bourne Ultimatum | Desh Bouksani | |
| 2007 | Underground | Joey, The Model | |
| 2009 | Ghost Town | Bonesera | TV film |
| 2009 | Hit Girls | James | |
| 2010 | Street Fighter: Legacy | Akuma | Co-writer and co-director[6] |
| 2010 | Knock Out | Fighter | |
| 2011 | Attack the Block | Policeman 1 | |
| 2012 | Snow White and the Huntsman | Aldan | |
| 2012 | I, Anna | Bull | [5] |
| 2013 | UFO | Police officer / Black-ops soldier | |
| 2013 | Green Street 3: Never Back Down | Victor | |
| 2013 | The Numbers Station | Derne | |
| 2017 | How to Talk to Girls at Parties (film) | PT Bob | |
| 2018 | Mission: Impossible – Fallout | Henchman | |
| 2019 | The Kid Who Would Be King | Police officer | |
| 2019 | Aladdin | Jafar's guard (uncredited) / stunt performer | |
| 2020 | The Old Guard | Keane |
Series
[edit]| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Starhyke | Fight coordinator and cameo[5] |
| 2005 | Spooks (MI-5) | Abbud |
| 2006 | Gideon's Daughter | Diesel |
| 2006 | Timewatch | Emperor Geta |
| 2014 | Street Fighter: Assassin's Fist | Akuma, co-writer, co-director |
| 2016 | Street Fighter: Resurrection | Writer, director |
| 2020 | The Stranger | Stuart Hope |
| 2023 | Who Is Erin Carter? | Alec Fenwick[7] |
Awards and nominations
[edit]| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 17th MTV Movie Awards | Best Fight (shared with Matt Damon) | The Bourne Ultimatum | Nominated |
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Kofi Ansah's Son Produce Hollywood Movie", Peace FM Online, 5 June 2014.
- ^ Joey Ansah, Scott Adkins (2021). The Art of Action — Episode 26. Retrieved 23 December 2023.
- ^ Bourne Ultimatum: Review, Rolling Stone. Retrieved 28 May 2012.
- ^ Gooch, Bryony (8 October 2009). "Joey Ansah - Biography". Hello Magazine. Retrieved 23 December 2023.
- ^ a b c "Joey Ansah CV". Curtis Brown. Retrieved 23 December 2023.
- ^ "This Could Be The Best Street Fighter Film Ever Created". Kotaku, Australia (May 2010). Retrieved 28 May 2012.
- ^ "Who is Erin Carter? Lands on Netflix". Curtis Brown. 24 August 2023. Retrieved 23 December 2023.
External links
[edit]- Joey Ansah at IMDb
- 1982 births
- Alumni of Oxford Brookes University
- English male film actors
- English film directors
- English people of Ghanaian descent
- English capoeira practitioners
- British stunt performers
- English male taekwondo practitioners
- Living people
- English ninjutsu practitioners
- Male actors from London
- Black British male actors
- People educated at Devonport High School for Boys
- 21st-century English sportsmen