Joey Ansah

Joey Ansah (born 24 November 1982) is an English actor of mixed ethnicity, martial artist, and director, acclaimed for his roles in internationally known movies like The Bourne Ultimatum (2007), Street Fighter: Assassin's Fist (2014), and The Old Guard (2020). He was born in the borough of Hackney, London, England, and is the second son of Ghanaian fashion designer Kofi Ansah and his Devon-born wife Nicola. Between the tender ages 10 and 15, Ansah spent time living in Ghana where he studied Tae Kwon Do for four years. Upon his return to England, inspired by Ray Park's portrayal as Darth Maul, he began auditioning for stunt roles in films.

Ansah's career gained momentum with his first significant role in the UK indie film Love Struck (2005). He made noticeable appearances on British TV in BBC productions Spooks (2005) and Timewatch (2006). His breakout role came when he portrayed Desh Bouksani, an assassin in the action-thriller The Bourne Ultimatum (2007). The memorable fight scene between Ansah and Matt Damon was highly commended and saw Ansah doing all of his own stunts. This performance led to his nomination for an MTV Film Award in the "Best Fight" category. Passionate about martial arts, Ansah later ventured into British independent martial arts films, such as Left for Dead (2004) and Underground (2007). As a fan of the Street Fighter video game series, Ansah not only choreographed but co-wrote and directed the short film Street Fighter: Legacy, and later he joined forces with Christian Howard to work on the live-action Street Fighter series.