Michel Qissi (Arabic: ميشيل قيسي; born Mohammed Qissi on 12 September 1962) is a Belgian Moroccan actor, best known for his role as Tong Po in the 1989 martial arts film Kickboxer.
Michel Qissi ميشيل قيسي | |
|---|---|
| Born | Mohammed Qissi 12 September 1962 |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1982–present |
| Spouse | Jeanette Qissi (divorced) |
| Relatives | Abdel Qissi (brother) |
Biography edit
Qissi was born in Oujda, Morocco, and moved to Brussels, Belgium, at the age of 2. He commenced training in boxing at seven years old, and became an amateur champion in his weight class at 17. He also went on to study Shōtōkan Karate, Muay Thai and Kickboxing. He befriended Jean-Claude Van Damme at an early age and they grew up together with the same love for action films and training in martial arts.[1]
In 1982, Qissi and Van Damme moved to the United States in the hope of becoming action stars. In 1984 they both were cast as extras in the film Breakin', before landing their big break in 1986. After obtaining an interview with Menahem Golan of Cannon Films, they secured a three-picture deal, the first of which was the highly successful Bloodsport, in which Van Damme starred and Qissi had a small role as a tournament fighter named Suan Paredes. In 1989, Qissi and Van Damme teamed up again for the film Kickboxer, in which Van Damme was the protagonist once more and Qissi the film's main villain, Tong Po. 1990 saw the pair make the film Lionheart, in which Qissi's brother, Abdel, played the villain. This was to be the last film Van Damme and Qissi made together for 26 years, but Qissi did go on to reprise his role as Tong Po in Kickboxer 2. He and Van Damme briefly appeared together in Kickboxer: Vengeance.
In 2014, Qissi made the movie Bara with Salar Zarza, in which he played a double role as Bara and Hamza.
Filmography edit
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Breakin' | Passerby in First Dance Sequence | Uncredited |
| 1988 | Bloodsport | Suan Paredes | |
| 1989 | Kickboxer | Tong Po | Credited as Tong Po |
| 1990 | Lionheart | Moustafa | |
| 1991 | Kickboxer 2 | Tong Po | |
| Bloodmatch | Davey O'Brien | ||
| 1993 | To the Death | Denard | |
| Terminator Woman | Alex Gatelee | Also director | |
| 2001 | Extreme Force | Kong Li | Also director |
| 2001 | The Falkland Man | DeFuego | |
| 2014 | Bara | Bara / Hamza | Also director |
| 2015 | Heart of a Lion | Also director | |
| 2016 | Kickboxer: Vengeance | Man in Cell | Uncredited |
| 2019 | Garra Mortal | Tong Po | |
| 2022 | Out for Vengeance | Tarek El-Yuzdi | |
| 2024 | The Last Kumite | Wolf |
References edit
- ^ "Muscles from Brussels". People. Retrieved 12 March 2011.
External links edit
- Michel Qissi at IMDb
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