{{Short description|Canadian actress}} {{Use Canadian English|date=January 2026}} {{Use dmy dates|date=January 2026}} {{Infobox person | name = Tajja Isen | image = Tajja Isen 2022 Texas Book Festival.jpg | alt = <!-- descriptive text for use by speech synthesis (text-to-speech) software --> | caption = Isen at the 2022 Texas Book Festival | birth_name = <!-- only use if different from name --> | birth_date = <!-- {{Birth date and age|YYYY|MM|DD}} for living people supply only the year with {{Birth year and age|YYYY}} unless the exact date is already widely published, as per WP:DOB. For people who have died, use {{Birth date|YYYY|MM|DD}}. --> | birth_place = Toronto, Ontario, Canada | occupation = {{hlist|Actress|writer}} | years_active = 1997–present | relatives = Nissae Isen (sister) }} '''Tajja Isen''' is a Canadian actress and writer. Her first book, the essay collection <em>Some of My Best Friends: Essays on Lip Service</em>, was published in April 2022.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Some-of-My-Best-Friends/Tajja-Isen/9781982178420|isbn=9781982178420|title=Some of My Best Friends|date=April 19, 2022|last1=Isen|first1=Tajja|publisher=Simon and Schuster }}</ref> As an actress, she is best known for voicing the title character ''Atomic Betty.'' She has several other voice credits, including Samantha in ''Franklin and the Turtle Lake Treasure'', Sister Bear in the 2002 revival of ''The Berenstain Bears'', Pipsqueak in ''The ZhuZhus'', Princess Pea/Presto in the PBS Kids show ''Super Why!'', Jane in ''Jane and the Dragon,'' Jodie in ''Time Warp Trio'', Franny's singing voice in ''Franny's Feet'', and Jazzi in ''The Save-Ums!''.
==Early life== Isen was born in Toronto, the oldest of five children to Karen, who is originally from Trinidad and Tobago and Jordie Isen, who is of Eastern European heritage. Her younger sister, Nissae is also an actress.<ref>Fanfair, Ron. [https://www.ronfanfair.com/home/2017/7/26/isen-comfortable-being-cast-in-male-voice-over-roles "Isen comfortable being cast in male voice-over roles"] July 27, 2017. Retrieved on March 23, 2018.</ref>
==Career== At 10 years old, she began her voice acting career with Nelvana's 2002 version of ''The Berenstain Bears'', where she voiced Sister Bear. Before that, she was a huge fan of the books and watched videos of the 1985 series.<ref name="toonarific-interview" /> At the age of 9, she portrayed Young Nala in a Toronto stage production of Disney's ''The Lion King''<ref name="toonarific-interview">{{cite web|url=http://www.toonarific.com/interview.php?interview_id=28|title=Tajja Isen Interview|date=December 11, 2005|publisher=toonarific.com|accessdate=November 28, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060508103745/www.toonarific.com/interview.php?interview_id=28|archive-date=May 8, 2006|url-status=dead}}</ref> and was nominated for an Equity Emerging Artist Award for that role.<ref name="sharenews-2009">{{cite news|last=Fanfair|first=Ron|url=http://sharenews.com/archives/features20091029gemini-award-first-time-nominee/|title=Gemini Award for first-time nominee|date=October 29, 2009|publisher=sharenews.com|accessdate=November 28, 2012}}</ref>
Her first book, <em>Some of My Best Friends: Essays on Lip Service</em>, was published in 2022 by Atria/One Signal and Doubleday Canada.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://tajjaisen.com/about|title=About}}</ref> She was the editor-in-chief of <em>Catapult</em> magazine.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://catapult.co/pages/catapult-magazine-masthead|title = Catapult | Catapult Magazine| newspaper=Catapult |date = February 8, 2022}}</ref>
==Selected filmography== ===Animation=== '''List of voice performances in animation''' {| class="wikitable sortable" |- ! Year ! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" | Notes |- | 2002–03 | data-sort-value="Berenstain Bears, The" | ''The Berenstain Bears'' | Sister Bear | |- | 2002–06 | data-sort-value="Save-Ums!, The" | ''The Save-Ums!'' | Jazzi | |- | 2003–07 | ''JoJo's Circus'' | Trina Tightrope/Princess Josephina | Main role (Trina) |- | 2005–08 | ''Franny's Feet'' | Lacey/Franny (singing voice) | 2 episodes/singing voice in the theme song |- | 2004–08 | ''Atomic Betty'' | Betty Barrett/Atomic Betty (title role) | 78 episodes |- | 2005–06 | ''Time Warp Trio'' | Borte/Jodie | episodes 3, 20–26, voiced by Sarah Gadon from 1–14 (earlier) Credited as Tajja Eisen. |- | 2005–06 | ''Jane and the Dragon'' | Jane (title role) | 26 episodes |- | 2005–07 | ''Miss Spider's Sunny Patch Friends'' | Lil Sis | 4 episodes |- | 2005–08 | ''Miss BG'' | BG (singing voice) | Opening and closing songs |- | 2006 | ''Meteor and the Mighty Monster Trucks'' | Pony | 52 episodes |- | 2007–16 | ''Super Why!'' | Princess Pea/Presto | Main role |- | 2010–11 | ''Pirates: Adventures in Art'' | Princess Cleo | Main role |- | 2011–23 | ''Mia and Me'' | Yuko | 26 episodes |- | 2011–12 | ''My Big Big Friend'' | Nessa | Main role |- | 2016–17 | data-sort-value="ZhuZhus, The" | ''The ZhuZhus'' | Pipsqueak | 26 episodes |- | 2017–20 | ''Top Wing'' | Additional voices |- | 2019–21 | ''Norman Picklestripes'' | Juniper | Main role |- | 2021–23 | ''Go, Dog. Go!'' | Cheddar Biscuit | Voice role |}
===Live-action roles=== {| class="wikitable sortable" |- ! Year ! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" | Notes |- | 2002 | ''Doc'' | Mindy |Episode: "Complicated" |- |2009–10 |data-sort-value="Latest Buzz, The" | ''The Latest Buzz'' |Zuzu Moon |Voice, 3 episodes |}
===Movies=== {| class="wikitable sortable" |- ! Year ! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" | Notes |- |2005 | ''Heidi'' |Heidi |Voice |- | 2006 | ''Franklin and the Turtle Lake Treasure'' |Samantha |Voice |}
== Awards ==
*2004 – Young Artist Awards- '''''Best Performance in a Voice-Over Role''''' – '''''Nominated''''' (Berenstain Bears)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.youngartistawards.org/noms25.htm|title=25th Annual Young Artist Awards – Winners and Nominations|publisher=youngartistawards.com|accessdate=November 28, 2012}}</ref> *2007 – Young Artist Awards- '''''Best Performance in a Voice-Over Role''''' – '''''Won''''' (Jane and the Dragon)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.youngartistawards.org/noms28.htm|title=28th Annual Young Artist Awards – Nominations / Special Awards|date=March 10, 2007|publisher=youngartistawards.org|accessdate=November 28, 2012}}</ref> *2009 – Gemini Awards- '''''Best Individual or Ensemble Performance in an Animated Television Show or Series''''' – '''''Won''''' (Atomic Betty)<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.broadcastermagazine.com/news/gemini-awards-celebrate-comedy-drama-and-variety/1000344616/|title=Gemini Awards Celebrate Comedy, Drama and Variety|date=October 21, 2009|publisher=broadcastermagazine.com|accessdate=November 28, 2012}}</ref>
== References == {{Reflist}}
==External links== * {{IMDb name|id=1375384|name=Tajja Isen}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Isen, Tajja}} Category:Living people Category:Actresses from Toronto Category:Black Canadian actresses Category:Canadian child actresses Category:Canadian musical theatre actresses Category:Canadian people of Trinidad and Tobago descent Category:Canadian voice actresses Category:Canadian women essayists Category:Year of birth missing (living people) Category:21st-century Canadian essayists Category:21st-century Canadian women writers