Andrew Koji

Andrew Julian Hiroaki Koji (小路ヒロアキ (Kōji Hiroaki); born 10 November 1987) is a British actor and martial artist. He had his breakout role as Ah Sahm in the Cinemax series Warrior in 2019. Koji went on to play Storm Shadow in Snake Eyes (2021) and Yuichi "The Father" Kimura in Bullet Train (2022).
== Life and career ==
Koji was born in 1987 in Epsom, Surrey, where he was raised. His father is Japanese and his mother is English.
Koji started in the industry doing extra work and making short films as a teenager. At 18 he moved to Thailand while still training in martial arts and did some small jobs in that film industry. 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. Eventually, Koji started getting more jobs in theatre and TV in the UK. Regarding his opportunities there, he stated, "My dual heritage has not particularly been advantageous. Opportunities for East Asian actors at the time was and still is quite limited although things are changing."
Koji dropped out of university at the age of 19 to focus on acting and martial arts. In his twenties, Koji studied and competed in taekwondo and trained in Shaolin kung fu at the Shaolin Temple UK. He has written and produced his own films, and has also worked as a stunt double; most notably on Fast & Furious 6. He has also performed with the Royal Shakespeare Company, at the Regents Park Open Theatre, Hampstead Theatre, Royal Court, Charing Cross, and Ovalhouse among others.
By 2017, Koji was discouraged by a recent lack of television roles and considering a career change. His agent and his mother convinced him to submit an audition tape for the lead role of Ah Sahm in the Cinemax series Warrior, which he secured.
Based on an original idea by Bruce Lee for the 1972 series Kung Fu (1972 TV series), that starred David Carradine, and produced by filmmaker Justin Lin, Warrior is centered around a martial arts prodigy in the late 1870s who emigrates from China to America in search of his sister, only to be drawn into the Tong Wars of San Francisco. In a nod to Lee's ethnic background, Ah Sahm is of partial European ancestry, which Koji found fitting for the character, and relatable due to his own ancestry. The first season premiered in April 2019, and the second season premiered in October 2020.
Koji played Storm Shadow in the 2021 film Snake Eyes, and assassin Yuichi Kimura in David Leitch's 2022 action film Bullet Train. He will also appear in the action-fantasy film Boy Kills World helmed by Moritz Mohr.
== Filmography ==
=== Film ===
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 	
2011	Mercutio's Dreaming: The Killing of a Chinese Actor	Lawrence Yang 	Short film
2011	Gorjilla (Gojira) Suit 	Yoshi 	Short film
2013	Fast & Furious 6 	Undercover Police, stunt double for Sung Kang	Extra Role (Uncredited)
2013	Scrutiny 	Stefan Aire 	
2013	Above the Waist 	Ken 	Short film; Writer and Producer; Won Best Actor Award, Asian on Film Festival
2013	A Situation 	Yuji 	
2014	Way of the Warrior 	Goro 	Short film
2014	Hollow 	Swordman 	Short film
2014	Chameleon 	Guard Kuro 	Short film
2015	Backwater 	Justin Lau 	Short film
2015	Luck 	Rai 	
2015	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 	
2021	Cake Bomb 	August 	Short film
2022	The Combo Connection 	August 	Short film
2022	Bullet Train 	Yuichi Kimura 	
2022	Sandwich 2: Machete to Wasabi 	Michael 	Short film
2023	Seneca - On the Creation of Earthquakes 	Felix 	
2023	Boy Kills World 	Basho 	Post-production
TBA 	Hubris 	Alfie 	Short film; post-production
=== Television ===
Year 	Title 	Role 	Notes
2012 	Narrow Escapes 	WW2 Soldier 	
2012 	Seconds from Disaster	ATC Officer-JAL 123 	
2013 	The Wrong Mans 	Jason 	
2014 	Film Lab Presents 	Sam 	
2015 	Acquitted 	Chen Liang 	
2010-15 	Casualty 	Keong Murong / Haro Reid	
2016 	Call the Midwife 	Benny Su 	
2017 	Jade Dragon 	Mikey 	
2017 	Finding Akira 	James 	
2018 	The Innocents 	Andrew 	
2019 	American Gods 	CEO 	
2019-present	Warrior 	Ah Sahm 	Main role
2019 	Peaky Blinders 	Brilliant Chang 	
2024 	Shadow Dragon 	Tsukuyomi 	Voice
=== Theatre ===
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
2013	The Arrest of Ai Weiwei 	Policeman / Soldier	Hampstead Theatre
Category:Non-Fanon
Category:Voice actors
Category:1987 births
Category:21st-century English male actors
Category:English male film actors
Category:English male martial artists
Category:English male taekwondo practitioners
Category:English male television actors
Category:English people of Japanese descent
Category:English stunt performers
Category:Living people
Category:Male actors from Surrey
Category:Male actors of Japanese descent
Category:People from Epsom
Category:English male actors of Japanese descent