Mimi Lesseos

Mimi Diane Lesseos[1] (born February 25, 1964) is an American female professional wrestler, actress, model and stuntwoman best known by her ring name Magnificent Mimi.

Mimi Lesseos
Birth nameMimi Diane Lesseos
Born (1964-02-25) February 25, 1964[1]
Children2
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)Magnificent Mimi
Billed height5'8"
Billed weight130 lb (59 kg)
Debut1980
Retired1994

Early life

Lesseos was raised in Hollywood, California. She is the youngest of five children born to a Greek father and a Latino mother. She began martial arts lessons at age six, and debuted as a professional fighter at age sixteen.[2]

Professional wrestling career

American Wrestling Association

In 1988, Lesseos debuted in the American Wrestling Association. She competed against women such as Candi Devine and Lori Lynne (formerly Colonel Ninotchka of Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling) to become the top contender for the AWA World Women's Championship, which was held by Madusa Miceli. Miceli refused to grant her singles matches, which caused Lesseos to interrupt Miceli's title defenses against other contenders, such as Susan Sexton and Brandi Mae.[3] She also teamed with Wendi Richter against Miceli and Sylvia (wife and valet of Robert Fuller) in a series of tag team matches.[4] She was eventually rewarded with singles matches against Miceli. They feuded throughout the summer and fall of 1988, but Lesseos was unable to win the title. While working in the AWA, Lesseos was featured in the December 1989 issue of Playboy magazine posing with the AWA World Women's Championship belt, even though she never held the title.[1]

Later career

After the AWA closed, Lesseos joined the Ladies Professional Wrestling Association. She became a contender for the LPWA Championship and competed against women such as Malia Hosaka, Sindy Paradise, Dawn Marie, Jan Flame, and La Gata. She also formed a tag team with Denise Storm. The duo feuded with Terri Power and Reggie Bennett.[2]

Acting career

After retiring from professional wrestling in 1994, Lesseos appeared in numerous television series films as both an actress and stuntwoman. She has written, produced, and starred in several motion pictures, including Pushed to the Limit (1992), Beyond Fear (1993), Streets of Rage (1994), Personal Vendetta (1995)[5] and Double Duty (2009). Her credits also include Million Dollar Baby, Gangs of New York, The Scorpion King, Man on the Moon, The X-Files, Dr. Quinn: Medicine Woman, and Final Impact. She was also the longtime stuntwoman for Jane Kaczmarek on Malcolm in the Middle.[2]

Personal life

Lesseos is the single mother of twin children.[1][2]

Notes
  1. "Magnificent Mimi profile". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved September 21, 2011.
  2. "Magnificent Mimi - All Women Wrestling". All Women Wrestling. Retrieved 2011-09-21.
  3. "CLASSIC AWA 6/3 TV REPORT". Wrestling Figs. Archived from the original on 2012-04-02. Retrieved 2011-09-21.
  4. "The SmarK Rant for AWA Championship Wrestling on ESPN Classic – 08.25.11". Inside Pulse. Retrieved 2011-09-21.
  5. "Mimi in Action", Black Belt, September 2002, p. 93.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.