Youssef Qissi

Was born in Brussels, Belgium with a natural inclination for American boxing, having watched his older brothers Michel and Abdel Qissi practice the art for as far back as he can remember. When he was old enough to put on a pair of gloves, Youssef began training as well. His boxing career quickly took off and he won many matches with knock-out punches. In 1989, Youssef had the opportunity to spend a few days in Santa Monica, California with martial arts actor Jean-Claude Van Damme, the childhood friend of his brother Michel Qissi. Thanks to Van Damme Youssef was able to spend many fascinating hours involved with the promotion of the movie Cyborg. The experience sealed Youssef's desire to translate his boxing skills into the field of martial arts cinema. His first opportunity came in 1990, when he was invited to attend the shooting of the movie Kickboxer II, in which his brother Michel was starring as "Tong Po." Youssef attended to the hard work of the movie team every night, while he spent his days studying dramatic art and practicing on improving his English. For the next few years Youssef worked as a model, taking part in a number of fashion parades and photography sessions, but his real opportunity did not come until 1997, when he was offered a role as a killer in the movie Falkland Man, directed by Paul Schulz. This opportunity led to another: the chance to perform in the supporting role of a movie directed by his brother Michel, _Extreme Force (2000)_. Youssef portrays the villainous "Cole" with a brooding intensity that will surely open the door to him for future roles. In addition to acting in the movie, Youssef's background in American boxing also made him a natural for taking charge of some of the choreography for various fight scenes in the film.