Joey Ansah

Joey Ansah (born 24 November 1982) is an English actor, martial artist, stuntman and director best known for his roles in The Bourne Ultimatum, Street Fighter: Assassin's Fist (2014) and The Old Guard (2020).

Early life and education 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.

Career 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, 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.

Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes 2004 Creep Marcus 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 2010 Knock Out Fighter 2011 Attack the Block Policeman 1 2012 Snow White and the Huntsman Aldan 2012 I, Anna Bull

Awards and nominations Year Award Category Nominated work Result 2008 17th MTV Movie Awards Best Fight The Bourne Ultimatum