Yanin Vismitananda

Quick Facts

Date of Birth3/31/1984

Country of OriginThailand

OccupationActor, Professional athlete

Also known asNicharee Vismitananda, JeeJa Yanin, Jeeja

Biography

Yanin Vismitananda, born Nicharee Vismitananda, is a Thai actress and fighter. She was born on 31 March 1984 in Bangkok. In Thailand she is known by the nickname JeeJa (จีจ้า).

Even before entering film, she held a black belt in taekwondo — 4th dan according to some sources, while others say she earned 3rd dan already at the age of eleven. She later also taught taekwondo professionally. Alongside it she trained in muay thai, in which she specializes, as well as gymnastics, kung fu and ballet. Tony Jaa taught her fighting tricks while working together.

How she got into film is described differently by sources: according to some, director Prachya Pinkaew discovered her in 2003; according to others, Panna Rittikrai noticed her at an audition for Born to Fight (2004) and connected her with Pinkaew, who wrote the screenplay of Chocolate for her. In it she made her film debut in 2008 in the lead role of an autistic fighter; she prepared for it for six months by observing autistic children and studying the films Rain Man and Forrest Gump. She performs her own stunt scenes, and was injured during one jump from a height of about 15 metres without a safety line.

In Raging Phoenix (2009) she played the character Deu; for the film Panna Rittikrai created the fighting style Merajjut ("dance that kills"), combining b-boying, drunken style, muay thai and capoeira. In 2011 she played Wawa in The Kick, and also appeared in Tom Yum Goong 2, Never Back Down: No Surrender, Hard Target 2, Europe Raiders and Triple Threat.

Associated Martial Arts

Ranks and titles

• 4th danTaekwondo

Filmography

A screen role does not mean the person actually practises the art — that is listed above.