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IMDbPro

Michel Qissi

  • Actor
  • Stunts
  • Director
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
Michel Qissi
Home Video Trailer from HBO Home Video
Play trailer0:31
Kickboxer (1989)
1 Video
12 Photos
When he was seven years old Michel Qissi began training in boxing. He soon met and befriended a young Jean-Claude Van Varenberg (Jean-Claude Van Damme) who was studying Shotokan Karate, and the two traded techniques in their systems. They grew up together and shared the same love of action films and dreamed of being action stars themselves one day. In 1982, Qissi and Jean-Claude went to Hollywood together to look for a career in action movies. landing their big break in 1986. After obtaining an interview with Menahem Golan of Cannon Pictures they secured a three-picture deal, the first of which was the highly successful Bloodsport. In Cyborg (1989), Qissi worked as Van Damme's personal trainer but had no part in the cast. In the picture, Kickboxer (1989), Qissi was working as a choreographer when he overheard the production crew say they needed a tall Asian-looking guy who had a background in Muay Thai. Qissi had studied Muay Thai years before in Thailand so he volunteered and got the part of Tong Po. Michel Qissi was not credited; however, he was dubbed as Tong Po and even given a make-up job to make him look Asian. His final picture with Van Damme was Lionheart (1990) (AWOL), playing a legionnaire sent to bring Van Damme back to the army. Since then, he returned to his role of Tong Po in the sequel Kickboxer 2: The Road Back (1991). Qissi also did a few of his own flicks including Terminator Woman (1993) which he directed; he also had a relative Jeanette Agaronoff as the writer for this movie. Extreme Force (2001) was a movie directed by him along side Hector Echavarria as once again looking just like Tong Po but under the moniker Kong Li.
BornSeptember 12, 1962
  • More at IMDbPro
    • Contact info
    • Agent info
    • Resume
BornSeptember 12, 1962
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
  • View contact info at IMDbPro
  • Awards
    • 1 win

Photos12

Michel Qissi
Jean-Claude Van Damme, Vojislav Govedarica, and Michel Qissi in Lionheart (1990)
Michel Qissi and Salar Zarza
Michel Qissi and Salar Zarza
Sasha Mitchell and Michel Qissi in Kickboxer 2: The Road Back (1991)
Jean-Claude Van Damme and Michel Qissi in Kickboxer (1989)
Jean-Claude Van Damme and Michel Qissi in Kickboxer (1989)
Jean-Claude Van Damme, Sasha Mitchell, and Michel Qissi in Kickboxer (1989)
Sasha Mitchell and Michel Qissi in Kickboxer 2: The Road Back (1991)
Jean-Claude Van Damme and Michel Qissi in Kickboxer (1989)
Jean-Claude Van Damme and Michel Qissi in Kickboxer (1989)

Known for

Kickboxer (1989)
Kickboxer
6.4
  • Tong Po(as Tong Po)
  • 1989
Jean-Claude Van Damme and Vincent Klyn in Cyborg (1989)
Cyborg
5.0
  • Stunts(Mr. Van Damme)
  • 1989
Sasha Mitchell and Michel Qissi in Kickboxer 2: The Road Back (1991)
Kickboxer 2: The Road Back
4.5
  • Tong Po
  • 1991
Jean-Claude Van Damme, Forest Whitaker, and Bolo Yeung in Bloodsport (1988)
Bloodsport
6.8
  • Parades(as Michelle Qissi)
  • 1988

Credits

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IMDbPro

Actor

  • The Last Kumite
    • Wolf
    • Pre-production
  • Killer Ex
    • Shakur
    • Pre-production
  • Out for Vengeance 2: Back to Revenge
    • Tarik El-Yuzdi
    • Pre-production
  • Life Zone
    • Chief Survivor
    • Pre-production
    • Short
  • Denard Anatomy of An Antihero (2021)
    Denard Anatomy of An Antihero
    • Ryan
    • 2021
  • Code Leone
    • Samuel
    • Short
    • 2019
  • Garra Mortal (2019)
    Garra Mortal
    • Tong Po
    • 2019
  • Jean-Claude Van Damme, Dave Bautista, Georges St-Pierre, Gina Carano, and Alain Moussi in Kickboxer: Vengeance (2016)
    Kickboxer: Vengeance
    • Prisoner (uncredited)
    • 2016
  • Bara (2015)
    Bara
    • Bara
    • Hamza
    • Video
    • 2015
  • 8 Assassins (2014)
    8 Assassins
    • Le borgne
    • 2014
  • Un Marocain à Paris (2012)
    Un Marocain à Paris
    • Atila (as Mohamed Quissi)
    • 2012
  • Road to Kabul (2011)
    Road to Kabul
    • General
    • 2011
  • Los Bravos (2001)
    Los Bravos
    • DeFuego
    • Video
    • 2001
  • Hector Echavarria in Extreme Force (2001)
    Extreme Force
    • Kong Li (as Kong Li)
    • 2001
  • Karen Sheperd in Terminator Woman (1993)
    Terminator Woman
    • Alex Gatelee
    • 1993
  • To the Death (1992)
    To the Death
    • Denard
    • 1992
  • Peter Cunningham, Vincent Klyn, Thom Mathews, Thunderwolf, and Benny Urquidez in Bloodmatch (1991)
    Bloodmatch
    • Davey O'Brien
    • 1991
  • Sasha Mitchell and Michel Qissi in Kickboxer 2: The Road Back (1991)
    Kickboxer 2: The Road Back
    • Tong Po
    • 1991
  • Jean-Claude Van Damme in Lionheart (1990)
    Lionheart
    • Moustafa
    • 1990

Stunts

  • Denard Anatomy of An Antihero (2021)
    Denard Anatomy of An Antihero
    • assistant stunt coordinator
    • 2021
  • Karen Sheperd in Terminator Woman (1993)
    Terminator Woman
    • fights choreographer
    • 1993
  • To the Death (1992)
    To the Death
    • fight choreographer
    • 1992
  • Jean-Claude Van Damme and Vincent Klyn in Cyborg (1989)
    Cyborg
    • fight trainer: Mr. Van Damme
    • 1989

Director

  • Bara (2015)
    Bara
    • Director
    • Video
    • 2015
  • Hector Echavarria in Extreme Force (2001)
    Extreme Force
    • Director
    • 2001
  • Karen Sheperd in Terminator Woman (1993)
    Terminator Woman
    • Director
    • 1993
  • In-development projects at IMDbPro

Videos1

Kickboxer
Trailer 0:31
Kickboxer

Personal details

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  • Official sites
    • Facebook
    • Youtube
  • Alternative names
    • Kong Li
  • Height
    • 6′ 2″ (1.88 m)
  • Born
    • September 12, 1962
    • Oujda, Morocco
  • Relatives
      Abdel Qissi(Sibling)

Did you know

Edit
  • Trivia
    Ironically, his first film was Breakin' (1984), which was also the first film of his most famous adversary, Jean-Claude Van Damme. Both were cast as extras.
  • Nickname
    • Tong Po
  • Salary
    • Lionheart
      (1990)
      $22,000

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