Andrew Koji
Andrew Koji | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1987 (age 36–37) |
| Nationality | British |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 2006–present |
Andrew Koji(born 1987) is a British actor and martial artist. He had his breakout role as Ah Sahm in theCinemaxseriesWarrior(2019–2023). Koji went on to playStorm ShadowinSnake Eyes(2021) and Yuichi "The Father" Kimura inBullet Train(2022).
Life and career[edit]
Koji was born in 1987 to an English mother and a Japanese father. His parents separated when he was young, and he was brought up by his mother inEpsom.[1]
Koji started in the industry doing extra work and making short films as a teenager. At 18, he moved toThailandwhile still training in martial arts and did some small jobs in the film industry.[2]He subsequently worked in Japan's film industry for a few years, before returning to England to train at the Actors' Temple Studio in London.[2]Eventually, Koji started getting more jobs in theatre and television in the UK. Regarding his opportunities there, he stated: "In the UK I would say my dual heritage has not particularly been advantageous. Opportunities for East Asian actors at the time was [sic] and still is quite limited—although things are changing. "[2]
Koji dropped out of university at the age of 19 to focus on acting and martial arts. In his twenties, Koji studied and competed intaekwondoand trained inShaolin kung fuat theShaolin Temple UK.[3]He has written and produced his films, and has also worked as a stunt double; most notably onFast & Furious 6.[3]He has also performed with theRoyal Shakespeare Company,at theRegent's Park Open Air Theatre,Hampstead Theatre,Royal Court,Charing Cross Theatre,andOvalhouseamong others.[4]
By 2017, Koji was discouraged by a recent lack of television roles and considered a career change. His agent and his mother convinced him to submit an audition tape for the lead role of Ah Sahm in theCinemaxseriesWarrior,which he secured.[5][6]
Based on an original idea byBruce Leefor the 1972 seriesKung Fu,that starredDavid Carradine,and was produced by filmmakerJustin Lin,Warrioris centered around a martial arts prodigy in the late 1870s who emigrates fromChinatoAmericain search of his sister, only to be drawn into theTong WarsofSan Francisco.[7]In a nod to Lee's idea for the character's ethnic background, Ah Sahm is of partial European ancestry, which Koji found fitting for the character and relatable due to his own ancestry.[8]The first season premiered in April 2019, and the second season premiered in October 2020.[9]
Koji playedStorm Shadowin the 2021 filmSnake Eyes,[10]and assassin Yuichi Kimura inDavid Leitch's 2022 action filmBullet Train.In 2023, he appeared in the action-fantasy filmBoy Kills World,directed by Moritz Mohr,[11][12]and joined Netflix seriesBlack Doves.[13]
Filmography[edit]
Film[edit]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Project One | Soldier | Short film |
| 2007 | FB: Fighting Beat | Kali | |
| 2009 | 20th Century Boys 2: The Last Hope | Thai Gangster | |
| 2011 | The Missing Day | Huan | |
| Mercutio's Dreaming: The Killing of a Chinese Actor | Lawrence Yang | Short film | |
| Gorjilla (Gojira) Suit | Yoshi | Short film | |
| 2013 | Fast & Furious 6 | Undercover police, stunt double for Sung Kang | Extra role (uncredited) |
| Scrutiny | Stefan Aire | ||
| Above the Waist | Ken | Short film; writer and producer; Won Best Actor Award, Asian on Film Festival | |
| A Situation | Yuji | ||
| #aiww: The Arrest of Ai Weiwei | 1st Policeman / 1st Soldier | ||
| 2014 | Way of the Warrior | Goro | Short film |
| Hollow | Swordman | Short film | |
| Chameleon | Guard Kuro | Short film | |
| 2015 | Backwater | Justin Lau | Short film |
| Luck | Rai | ||
| Deep Pan Fury | Katashi Kimoto | ||
| 2016 | Hall of Mirrors | Basil | Short film; writer and producer |
| 2017 | Trendy | Estate Agent 1 | |
| 2019 | Sandwich | Michael | Short film |
| 2021 | Snake Eyes | Tomisaburo Arashikage /Storm Shadow | |
| Cake Bomb | August | Short film | |
| 2022 | The Como Connection | August | Short film |
| Bullet Train | Yuichi Kimura | ||
| Sandwich 2: Machete to Wasabi | Michael | Short film | |
| 2023 | Seneca – On the Creation of Earthquakes | Felix | |
| Boy Kills World | Basho | ||
| Hubris | Alfie | Short film | |
| TBA | Worth the Wait | TBA | Post-production |
| TBA | Rob & Lucy | TBA | In production |
Television[edit]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010, 2015 | Casualty | Keong Murong / Haro Reid | 2 episodes |
| 2012 | Narrow Escapes | WW2 Soldier | |
| Seconds from Disaster | ATC Officer-JAL 123 | Episode: "Terrified Over Tokyo" | |
| 2013 | The Wrong Mans | Jason | 3 episodes |
| 2014 | Film Lab Presents | Sam | Episode: "Deciding to Live" |
| 2015 | Acquitted | Chen Liang | 2 episodes |
| 2016 | Call the Midwife | Benny Su | Episode: #5.3 |
| 2017 | Jade Dragon | Mikey | 2 episodes |
| Finding Akira | James | TV film | |
| 2018 | The Innocents | Andrew | 3 episodes |
| 2019 | American Gods | CEO | Episode: "The Greatest Story Ever Told" |
| Peaky Blinders | Brilliant Chang | 2 episodes | |
| 2019–2023 | Warrior | Ah Sahm | Main role; 30 episodes |
| TBA | Gangs of London | TBA | Main role |
| TBA | Black Doves | TBA |
Theatre[edit]
| Year | Title | Role | Production Company |
|---|---|---|---|
| Star Wars Stage Show | Jedi | Weird and Wonderful | |
| Richard III | Richard | The Actors Temple | |
| A Streetcar Named Desire | Stanley Kowalski | The Actors Temple | |
| 2013 | The Fu Manchu Complex | Dr. Petrie | Moongate Productions/ Mark Cartwright Productions |
| The Arrest of Ai Weiwei | Policeman / Soldier | Hampstead Theatre | |
| The Forgotten of the Forgotten | Guo | Radar Festival | |
| Hidden | Jason/ Various other roles | Royal Court Theatre | |
| 2016 | In the Bar of a Tokyo Hotel | The Barman | Charing Cross Theatre |
| Shangri-La | Karma | Yellow Earth | |
| 2017 | Snow in Midsummer | Fang | RSC |
| A Tale of Two Cities | Jacques | Regents Park Open Air Theatre |
References[edit]
- ^Francisco, Eric (7 October 2020)."Warrior's star isn't the next Bruce Lee, he's the first Andrew Koji".Inverse.Archivedfrom the original on 30 October 2020.
- ^abcTau, Timothy (2 April 2019)."Andrew Koji Talks Cinemax's New Martial Arts Series Warrior".ScreenAnarchy.Retrieved27 April2019.
- ^ab"Andrew Koji".Martial Arts & Action Entertainment.2 March 2019.Retrieved5 August2019.
- ^"Andrew Koji Biography".IMDb.Retrieved28 October2019.
- ^"Warrior Star Andrew Koji on Nearly Giving Up on Acting, Larger Than Life Fight Scenes, and More".TV Shows.Retrieved28 October2019.
- ^Andreeva, Nellie (11 October 2017)."'Warrior': Cinemax Sets Cast & Director For Bruce Lee-Inspired Martial Arts Series ".Deadline.Retrieved27 April2019.
- ^Hale, Mike (2 April 2019)."Review: 'Warrior,' Pitched by Bruce Lee and Made by Cinemax".New York Times.Retrieved5 August2019.
- ^Bundy, Andrew (3 April 2019)."'Warrior' Star Andrew Koji Discusses Shooting Fight Scenes For A TV Series & His Multi-Ethnic Connection To Bruce Lee [Interview] ".The Playlist.Retrieved5 August2019.
- ^Andreeva, Nellie (24 April 2019)."'Warrior' Renewed For Season 2 By Cinemax ".Deadline.Retrieved27 April2019.
- ^Gonzalez, Umberto (23 August 2019)."'Snake Eyes': Andrew Koji to Play Storm Shadow in 'GI Joe' Movie Spinoff (Exclusive) ".The Wrap.Retrieved23 August2019.
- ^"'Snake Eyes's Andrew Koji Joins Brad Pitt in Sony's 'Bullet Train'".15 September 2020.
- ^Kroll, Justin (10 January 2022)."Andrew Koji Joins Bill Skarsgard And Samara Weaving In 'Boy Kills World'".Deadline Hollywood.
- ^Hibbs, James (25 October 2023)."Happy Valley's Sarah Lancashire joins Keira Knightley in Black Doves".Radio Times.Retrieved26 October2023.
External links[edit]
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
- 1987 births
- 21st-century British male actors
- British male actors of Asian descent
- English male film actors
- English male martial artists
- English male taekwondo practitioners
- English male television actors
- English people of Japanese descent
- English stunt performers
- Living people
- Male actors of Japanese descent
- Male actors from Epsom