Aja Frary was born in Seattle, Washington on July 1, 1978. She is Korean, African-American and Irish. She showed athletic promise even as a youngster in elementary school where she raced and won against even the boys on the playground. Her mother, Soun Frary, was a ballet dancer and her father, Lee Leavy, was a California State High School Wrestling Champion and those genes set the stage for her future as an athlete and stunt performer. Aja excelled as a 3 sport high school athlete and by college earned a full scholarship to San Diego State University as a Track and Field Heptathlete. She graduated from San Diego State University in May of 2001 with a degree in Public Administration.
Aja Frary became a Division 1 NCAA Bronze Medalist and earned All-American Honors by her senior year in college. In 2000, while still a collegiate athlete, Aja was one of the youngest competitors at the Olympic Trials, where she placed 9th.
After college Aja was accepted into the United States Olympic Training Center program where she was able to train full time and compete across the country and throughout the world. In 2004 she was seriously injured just before her Olympic Trails competition. She was unable to compete, and after more than a decade of high-level competition, she decided to take time off to heal.
Aja traveled to New York City to visit her dad’s family for the summer. She was enthralled with big city life and her summer trip turned into a year. A college friend knew she would make an ideal stunt double and stunt performer and Aja decided to give stunt work a try. Her first stunt job was on the film American Gangster (2006) and her career took off and she has become one of the countries most sought after Stuntwomen.
She has worked as a stunt performer, stunt double, stunt driver and/or stunt actor in numerous television shows and films including The Purge 4, Okja, Unforgettable, The Commuter, Collateral Beauty, Baywatch, Nice Guys, Kidnap, Sisters, The Intern, The Nest, 22 Jump Street, Run All Night, Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, John Wick, Daredevil, Boardwalk Empire, Under The Dome, Leftovers and many others with over 125 credits.
Aja Frary became a member of the Stuntwomen’s Association of Motion Picture in 2016. She is an instructor at Rick Seaman’s Stunt Driving School-East Coast in Wall, New Jersey. She was also a 2013 Taurus World Stunt Nominee, for Hardest Hit & Best Stunt by a Stunt Woman for Premium Rush (2012).
Nominated for the 2013 Taurus World Stunt Awards in the Hardest Hit & Best Stunt by a Stuntwoman categories.
Aja Frary has been married to Stunt Coordinator and 2nd Unit Director Philip Silvera since 2016. They reside in New York City.
