Aïssa Maïga

Born in Senegal and raised in France, Aissa Maiga is a well-known actress who has appeared in over 40 films and television programs. After graduating from high school, Maiga's interest in acting led her to enroll in drama school but she soon dropped out in a dispute over the direction of her classes. Her aunt, who worked as a comedian, offered to train her and by 1997 Maiga had landed a role in the police crime drama "Saraka bo." She worked steadily throughout the early 2000s in TV miniseries such as "Un mois de reflexion" and "Maison de famille," and in 2005 she landed a breakout role as a Senegalese salesgirl in "The Russian Dolls," the sequel to the popular 2002 romantic comedy "The Spanish Inn." Maiga soon after landed a small role in the Michael Haneke domestic thriller "Hidden" and in 2006 landed another major part in the film anthology "Paris, je t'aime," as a paramedic who attempts to save a dying man in the busy Place des fetes. The same year she landed the lead role in "Bamako," and her fiery performance as an unhappy bar singer turned political-rights activist garnered Maiga critical and commercial success. She has since appeared in the action thriller "Crossfire" and in the TV movie "Suite Noire."