Mimi Miyagi
- Actress
- Director
- Producer
Mimi Miyagi was born Melody Damayo in Davao City, Philippines, the
second of four children. Her parents were strict Seventh Day
Adventists, and when the family moved to California, Mimi stayed with
them until she reached high-school age, at which time her parents sent
her back to the Philippines to be educated in a Seventh Day Adventist
school.
She finished high school and enrolled in an Adventist college, but
dropped out after a year. She had gotten involved in radio broadcasting
at the college and decided that she wanted to pursue a career in the
entertainment industry. She returned to Los Angeles and won a
scholarship to a fashion merchandising school, but lost interest in the
field and dropped out. While looking for a job she stumbled into the
adult-film business--she answered an ad for "nude models"--and decided
that this was a good way to make some extra money (she was almost
broke). She began in the business by making a "amateur" video with the
infamous Ed Powers under the name
"Mimi Miyagi", Mimi being a nickname her grandmother had given her and
Miyagi being the character from the "Karate Kid" film series.
In addition to appearing in adult videos, she also became a magazine
publisher--"Oriental Dolls"--and began running a string of sex-oriented
websites. She also became a producer and talent scout for Metro Home
Video and began a series of adult films with an Asian theme called
"FantAsiany".
She retired from the adult-film business, but came back in 2003 after
having been through a messy divorce and needing to make some quick
money. In 2006 she ran for Governor of Nevada on the Republican ticket
(she lost) and then went back to making adult films.
second of four children. Her parents were strict Seventh Day
Adventists, and when the family moved to California, Mimi stayed with
them until she reached high-school age, at which time her parents sent
her back to the Philippines to be educated in a Seventh Day Adventist
school.
She finished high school and enrolled in an Adventist college, but
dropped out after a year. She had gotten involved in radio broadcasting
at the college and decided that she wanted to pursue a career in the
entertainment industry. She returned to Los Angeles and won a
scholarship to a fashion merchandising school, but lost interest in the
field and dropped out. While looking for a job she stumbled into the
adult-film business--she answered an ad for "nude models"--and decided
that this was a good way to make some extra money (she was almost
broke). She began in the business by making a "amateur" video with the
infamous Ed Powers under the name
"Mimi Miyagi", Mimi being a nickname her grandmother had given her and
Miyagi being the character from the "Karate Kid" film series.
In addition to appearing in adult videos, she also became a magazine
publisher--"Oriental Dolls"--and began running a string of sex-oriented
websites. She also became a producer and talent scout for Metro Home
Video and began a series of adult films with an Asian theme called
"FantAsiany".
She retired from the adult-film business, but came back in 2003 after
having been through a messy divorce and needing to make some quick
money. In 2006 she ran for Governor of Nevada on the Republican ticket
(she lost) and then went back to making adult films.