Apollonia Kotero
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Apollonia
Biography
Apollonia, the protégé of rock star Prince, is a singer and actress. ~ Rovi
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Apollonia
- Genres: Rhythm & Blues
Biography
Born Patricia Kotero on August 2, 1959, in Santa Monica, CA, the woman rechristened Apollonia by Prince became one of a number of female artists in the '80s to benefit from her association with the Purple One. Her career began as a model and actress in the late '70s, including an appearance on the television show CHiPS. In 1984, she landed the female lead in Prince's Purple Rain (during which time he changed her name) and replaced Vanity in the female trio Vanity 6, performing with them in the movie under the name Apollonia 6. The three scored a minor hit with "Sex Shooter," but it was as Prince's duet partner on "Take Me with You" from the soundtrack that she made a greater chart impact. When the two had a falling out over the direction of her career, Apollonia 6 split up and Kotero ended her association with Prince. She went on to appear in several minor films during the period (reportedly declining to appear in the Purple Rain follow-up, Under the Cherry Moon) before landing a role in the night-time drama Falcon Crest during 1985-1986. Apollonia finally released her debut in 1988, but the fairly pedestrian set of R&B/dance songs failed to make much impression on the music-buying public, and the album soon vanished from sight. She remained active (if slightly underneath the radar) as an actress during the ensuing decade with small television roles and minor films and even issued an exercise video. In 1997, Apollonia released a Spanish/English album entitled Stay with Me, but it seems likely that her profile will never be as high as it was during the years of her association with Prince. Instead, her future might be more behind-the-scenes, as Apollonia returned to school and received a degree in filmmaking. ~ Tom Demalon, RoviWikipedia on Answers.com:
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Apollonia Kotero
| Apollonia Kotero | |
|---|---|
 Apollonia Kotero at L.A. Fashion Week, Culver City, California, in March 2008 |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Patricia Kotero |
| Also known as | Apollonia |
| Born | August 2, 1959 Santa Monica, California, United States |
| Genres | R&B, Minneapolis sound, freestyle |
| Occupations | Singer, actress, model, designer, talent manager |
| Years active | 1984–Present |
| Associated acts | Apollonia 6, Prince |
| Website | www.myspace.com/apolloniakotero |
Apollonia Kotero, born Patricia Kotero on August 2, 1959, is an actress, singer, former model and talent manager. Kotero, born in Santa Monica, California, is of Mexican-Spanish descent.[1] Apollonia is perhaps best known for co-starring in Prince's 1984 film Purple Rain and for having been the lead singer in the girl group Apollonia 6.
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Career
Early career
Kotero initially pursued fame and fortune via work as an actress, singer and model. After winning the Miss San Pedro beauty competition and a stint as a cheerleader for the Los Angeles Rams in the 1980s, Kotero began acting in film and television shows such as CHiPs, Tales of the Gold Monkey, Fantasy Island, Matt Houston, and Knight Rider. In 1982, she appeared in the videos for "The Other Woman" by Ray Parker, Jr. and "Shakin'" by Eddie Money. She appeared in the 1984 TV movie The Mystic Warrior as the Native American woman "Wicahpi."
Prince and Purple Rain
When Prince's girlfriend Denise "Vanity" Matthews, then leader of the girl group Vanity 6, resigned from its membership before Prince's 1984 film Purple Rain was made, Kotero landed the movie's female lead role. Vanity 6, which was renamed Apollonia 6 for this movie, also featured supporting singers Brenda Bennett and Susan Moonsie. Apollonia 6 went on a worldwide tour to promote their hit single "Sex Shooter".
Apollonia had originally recorded a version of the song "Manic Monday" for the 1984 Apollonia 6 album. Written and composed by Prince, the song would later become a worldwide hit single for girl group The Bangles. Prince's song "Take Me with U" featured vocals by Apollonia and it reached #25 on the Top 40 chart in the U.S.
Apollonia left Prince's camp in 1985 to appear on the television series Falcon Crest, playing for ten consecutive weeks "Apollonia", the girlfriend of the character played by teenage heartthrob Lorenzo Lamas. She performed several solo songs, including "Red Light Romeo" written and composed by songwriter Jon Lind.
Later career
In 1988, Apollonia released her first solo album, entitled Apollonia, on Warner Bros. Records. Containing high energy dance music, three singles were released from the album: "Since I Fell For You", "The Same Dream", and "Mismatch".
Apollonia went on to star in films such as Ministry of Vengeance (1989), Back To Back (1990), Black Magic Woman (1991) and two Italian productions: La Donna di una Sera (1991) and Cattive Ragazze (1992). She returned to television on shows such as Sliders and Air America (which co-starred Lorenzo Lamas, her former co-star in Falcon Crest, in 1986), and also hosted The Jazz Channel's Latin Beat program. During this period an exercise video entitled Go For It was also released. Apollonia could also be seen on E!'s Celebrity Homes and MTV Cribs, with friend Carmen Electra, The Test and Rendezview.[2]
In 2005, Apollonia formed a multi-media entertainment company, Kotero Entertainment, which formed partnerships with a number of producers to produce a children's animated television series, as well as feature films. Kotero Entertainment also commenced to manage young talent such as television and film star Sascha Andres and young pop singer Nikki Barreras, also known as Nikki B.
On December 1, 2007, Kotero appeared at a Project Angel Food charity event in Beverly Hills, CA.
In 2009, Kotero recorded with Greg Dulli's The Twilight Singers on a cover of "When Doves Cry" for Spin magazine's 25th anniversary tribute to the Purple Rain album, entitled Purplish Rain.
Personal life
Apollonia was married to writer Kevin Bernhardt for ten years, from 1987 to 1997. During the 1980s, before she and Bernhardt married, Apollonia was linked to Prince, Lorenzo Lamas, and David Lee Roth.
References
- ^ Murthi, R.S. (Jan 8, 1990). "Apollonia keeps the fires going". New Straits Times. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=mLsTAAAAIBAJ&sjid=iZADAAAAIBAJ&dq=sex%20shooter%20apollonia%206&pg=5539%2C1908407.
- ^ http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0467664/bio
External links
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Mentioned in
Apollonia 6
(Rock Artist, '80s)
Back to Back
(1990 Drama Film)
Apollonia 6
(1984 Album by Apollonia 6)
Season 05: Falcon Crest (TV Episode)
(1985 Drama TV Episode)
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