JOEY ANSAH - The GHANAIAN International Movie Superstar

Joey Ansah (born 24 November 1982 in London) is a British actor and martial artist. Joey was born in London, England of mixed ethnicity, the second son of celebrated Ghanaian fashion designer Kofi Ansah and his Devon-born wife Nicola. He lived in London for the first 10 years of his life before immigrating with his family to Ghana. While in Ghana at Ghana International School (GIS) , he
studied the martial art of Tae Kwon Do for 4 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. Whilst studying for his GCSEs and A levels at Devonport High School for Boys, he began training in the martial art of Ninjutsu. This would include a period of training with Ninjutsu Grandmaster Hatsumi Sensei. 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.

Acting 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 Ansah appeared in The Bourne Ultimatum as Desh Bouksani, an assassin tracking down Jason Bourne.

His 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, in which Ansah performed all of his own stunts. In 2008 he was nominated for a 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.

Other work

Ansah has choreographed, co-written and directed the fan film short 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 than the two theatrically-released films, which were not in the style of his perception.

Family

His artistic family includes:

• Kofi Ansah (father) - fashion designer
• Kwaw Ansah (uncle) - award-winning film director
• Tumi Ebow Ansah (uncle) - actor, composer, ethnomusicologist and researcher
• Ryan Ansah (brother) - musician

Filmography

• Attack the Block (2011) - Policeman 1
• Knock Out (2010)
• Street Fighter: Legacy (2010) - Akuma, also co-Writer and co-Director
• 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 Warriors
• Left for Dead (2004) - Kickboxer 1