Ayisha Issa facts for kids

Ayisha Issa (born March 18, 1984) is a talented Canadian actress and a skilled martial artist. She has appeared in many TV shows and movies in both English and French. Some of her well-known roles include parts in Dark Matter, Unité 9, and Brick Mansions. Ayisha is also a champion in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, winning at the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation World Championships twice. She won once in 2010 as a white belt and again in 2014 as a blue belt. She currently holds the rank of brown belt.

Ayisha also lent her voice to video games like Ubisoft's Far Cry Primal and The Dark Pictures Anthology: Man of Medan. For her role in Man of Medan, she was even nominated for a BAFTA Award. In 2022, she won a Canadian Screen Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series. This award was for her role as Dr. June Curtis in the TV series Transplant.

Ayisha Issa's Early Life and Career

Ayisha Issa was born and grew up in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. She spoke English while living on Montreal's West Island. As a teenager, she faced some challenges, including feelings of sadness and worry. Despite these difficulties, she tried to start a modeling career, but it didn't work out. She felt her athletic build wasn't what the modeling world was looking for.

Finding a New Path in Athletics

In her twenties, Ayisha worked at a hotel in Montreal. After losing that job, she decided to try something new and focused on sports. She first tried kickboxing, but soon found her passion in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. This martial art became a big part of her life.

By 2010, Ayisha had become a champion. She won the heavyweight adult female white belt category at the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation World Championships. Around the same time, she got her first big movie role in Immortals (2011).

Ayisha's Acting Journey

After Immortals, Ayisha quickly landed another role in The Bait (L'Appât). This was a French-language action-comedy film where she played a "ninja assassin." Her first TV appearance was in 2011 on the French series 30 vies.

Roles in Movies and TV Shows

Ayisha then had several smaller roles in English movies. These included Warm Bodies and Betty and Coretta (both from 2013). She also appeared in Brick Mansions (2014), which was one of actor Paul Walker's last films.

In 2014, Ayisha got a major role in the French TV series Unité 9. This show was set in a women's prison. Ayisha played a character named Bouba, who was tough and made life difficult for other prisoners. This role made her very well-known in Montreal and Quebec.

More Martial Arts Success

Ayisha continued her success in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. She won again at the 2014 International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation World Championships, this time as a heavyweight blue belt. After this win, she decided to focus more on her acting career and stopped competing.

Later TV and Film Appearances

In the late 2010s, Ayisha appeared in several Canadian TV series. These included 12 Monkeys (2016), Dark Matter (2017), and Workin' Moms (2019). She also had roles in Shadowhunters and The Expanse in 2019. Her film roles during this time included The Hummingbird Project (2018) and Polar (2019).

Venturing into Video Games

Ayisha also started working on video games. In 2016, she did voice acting for Ubisoft's Far Cry Primal. For this game, she even learned to speak lines in a special language created by the developers. In 2018, she did motion-capture work for Assassin's Creed: Odyssey, providing movements for many female characters. To end the decade, she played Fliss, a boat captain, in the video game The Dark Pictures Anthology: Man of Medan (2019).

Current Work and Achievements

Ayisha's most recent work is a regular role in the CTV series Transplant. This show is a medical drama set in Toronto. For her work on Transplant, she was nominated for and won a Canadian Screen Award in 2022.

Today, Ayisha holds a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. She also owns a training center called 4Points in Toronto, where people can learn martial arts.

Ayisha Issa's Filmography

Movies

Television Shows

Video Games

See also

In Spanish: Ayisha Issa para niños