Andrew Koji

Andrew Koji (born 1987) is a British actor and martial artist. He had his breakout role as Ah Sahm in the Cinemax series Warrior (2019–2023). Koji went on to play Storm Shadow in Snake Eyes (2021), Yuichi "The Father" Kimura in Bullet Train (2022), and Zeek Kimura in Gangs of London (2025–present).

Early life

Andrew 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 in Epsom, Surrey.

Career

Koji began working in the film 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 the 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 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 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 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 Regent's Park Open Air Theatre, Hampstead Theatre, Royal Court, Charing Cross Theatre, and Ovalhouse among others.

By 2017, Koji was discouraged by a 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 the Cinemax series Warrior, which he secured.

Based on an original idea by Bruce Lee for the 1972 series Kung Fu, that starred David Carradine, and was produced by filmmaker Justin Lin, Warrior is centered around a martial arts prodigy in the late 1870s who emigrates from China to the United States in search of his sister, only to be drawn into the Tong Wars of San Francisco. 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. The first season premiered in April 2019, and the second season premiered in October 2020. A third season ran on HBO Max. Overall the series ran for three seasons and a total of 30 episodes from 2019 to 2023.

Koji played Storm Shadow in the 2021 film Snake Eyes, and assassin Yuichi Kimura in David Leitch's 2022 action film Bullet Train. In 2023 he appeared in the action-fantasy film Boy Kills World, directed by Moritz Mohr, and joined Netflix series Black Doves.

In May 2025, Koji was confirmed for the role of Ryu in the Street Fighter reboot film.

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

Theatre

External links

• at IMDb
• on Instagram
• on YouTube