Ayisha Issa

Ayisha Issa is a Canadian actress and model. She is known for her roles as Bouba in Unité 9 (2013-2017), Emissary in 12 Monkeys (2016), Jayma in Far Cry Primal (2016), Solara Shockley in Dark Matter (2017), Jazmin in Polar (2019), and Dr. June Curtis in Transplant (2020).

She voiced and motion captured the role of Félicité DuBois, a protagonist in The Dark Pictures Anthology's first installment, Man of Medan.

Early Life[]

Issa was born and raised in Montreal, Quebec, growing up as an Anglophone on Montreal's West Island. She had a troubled childhood, and at one point lived in a group home.

When she was 15, she was a client with the Batshaw Youth and Family Centres, a local nonprofit assisting troubled youth. As a teenager, she suffered from depression, anxiety, and eating disorders, but despite this, she began working toward a modeling career, which proved to be unsuccessful, something she attributed to her athletic build.

In her twenties, she worked as the assistant front-desk manager at a Montreal hotel before being fired. Looking for a new career, she shifted her focus toward athletics, and after a brief time in kickboxing, began to practice Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. In 2010, she had won the heavyweight adult female white belt (novice) category at the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation World Championships.

Issa holds a Brazilian Top Team Brown Belt and won World Championships in 2014 as a Blue Belt. When she is not on set, Ayisha continues to train and compete in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and is founder of 4Points BJJ, where she combines her love of the sport with her affinity for youth development to help foster confidence, perseverance and other valuable qualities in kids and young adults.

Career[]

Film & Television[]

Issa's professional acting career started when her martial arts background landed her a small role opposite Mickey Rourke and Henry Cavill in the 2011 feature film Immortals.

In 2018, Issa earned a Prix Gemeaux for her portrayal of Brittany Sizzla in the highly acclaimed French Canadian series Unité 9, a role for which she was also nominated in 2017.

Her feature film credits include supporting roles in Brick Mansions opposite the late Paul Walker, Polar for Netflix starring Mads Mikkelsen and Vanessa Hudgens, and The Hummingbird Project with Jesse Eisenberg, Alexander Skarsgard and Salma Hayek.

On the small screen, Issa plays Dr. June Curtis on the upcoming CTV medical drama Transplant, and has had recurring roles on the Syfy series Dark Matter, 12 Monkeys, and the award-winning CBC comedy Workin’ Moms.

Video Games[]

Issa make her game debut during 2016, in Far Cry Primal as Jayma. In 2019, she has also made her mark in the video game world as one of the fan favourites playable characters, Fliss, in Man of Medan, alongside Shawn Ashmore and other Canadian actors such as Arielle Palik, Kareem Alleyne, and Chris Sandiford.

Filmography[]

Television[]

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2011	30 Vies	Clara	3 episodes
2013-2017	Unité 9	Bouba	54 episodes
2016	12 Monkeys	Emissary	6 episodes
2017	Dark Matter	Solara Shockley	4 episodes
2019	Workin' Moms	Wendy	2 episodes
	Shadowhunters	Annaliese	Episode: "To the Night Children"
	The Expanse	Matar Kubileya Leader	Episode: "Retrograde"
2020	Transplant	Dr. June Curtis	13 episodes

Film[]

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2006	Cheech	Cheech's Daughter
2010	L'Appât	Van Cleef
2011	Who is Simon Miller?	Jasmine
2011	Immortals	Priestess	Secondary
2013	Warm Bodies	Athletic Woman	Secondary
2013	Betty and Coretta	Student	Secondary
2014	Brick Mansions	Rayzah
2017	Eye on Juliet	Naomi
2018	The Hummingbird Project	Ophelia Troller
2018	All the Things (Short)		Special Thanks
2019	Polar	Jazmin

Video games[]

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2016	Far Cry Primal	Jayma	Voice
2019	The Dark Pictures Anthology: Man of Medan	Fliss	Voice and motion capture of the character

External Links[]

SOCIAL MEDIA
IMDb	Ayisha Issa
Twitter	Ayisha Issa \| @Ayisha_Issa
Instagram	Ayisha Issa \| @ayishaissa