Mimi Lesseos
Encyclopedia
Mimi Diane Lesseos is an American female professional wrestler, actress, model and stuntwoman best known by her ring name Magnificent Mimi.
. 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
. She also teamed with Wendi Richter
against Miceli and Sylvia (wife and valet of Robert Fuller
) in a series of tag team matches. 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.
. 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
.
, Gangs of New York
, Scorpion King, Man on the Moon, X-Files, Dr. Quinn: Medicine Woman, Double Duty
, Final Impact
, and Pushed to the Limit
. She was also the longtime stuntwoman for Jane Kaczmarek
on Malcolm in the Middle
.
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 age age sixteen.American Wrestling Association
In 1988, Lesseos debuted in the American Wrestling AssociationAmerican Wrestling Association
The American Wrestling Association was an American professional wrestling promotion based in Minneapolis, Minnesota that ran from 1960 to 1991. It was owned and founded by Verne Gagne and Wally Karbo...
. She competed against women such as Candi Devine
Candi Devine
Candace Maria Rummel is a semi-retired American professional wrestler better known by her ring name Candi Devine...
and Lori Lynne (formerly Colonel Ninotchka of Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling
Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling
Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling, also known as GLOW or G.L.O.W., was a professional wrestling promotion for women, begun in 1986 and continued in various forms after it left television. Colorful characters, beautiful women, and over-the-top comedy sketches were integral to the series' success...
) to become the top contender for the AWA World Women's Championship
AWA World Women's Championship
The AWA World Women's Championship was the female title in the American Wrestling Association from 1961 until 1990.-Title history:Silver-shaded lines in the history indicate periods of unknown lineage.-See also:*American Wrestling Association...
, which was held by Madusa Miceli
Debra Miceli
Debrah Ann Miceli is a Monster truck driver and former professional wrestler. She is best known under her ring names Madusa or Alundra Blayze. Her early career was spent in the American Wrestling Association, where she held the AWA World Women's Championship one time...
. Miceli refused to grant her singles matches, which caused Lesseos to interrupt Miceli's title defenses against other contenders, such as Susan Sexton
Susan Sexton
Shanon Sexton, better known by her stage name Susan Sexton, is a former professional wrestler. She was born in Perth, Australia on 2 February.She was trained by Ali Musa the Turk.-Wrestling career:...
and Brandi Mae
Trudy Adams
Trudy Adams is an American actress and retired female professional wrestler, who wrestled in the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling as Amy the Farmer's Daughter and in the Powerful Women of Wrestling, the Ladies Sports Club and the American Wrestling Association as Brandi Mae.-Professional wrestling...
. She also teamed with Wendi Richter
Wendi Richter
Wendi Richter is a retired American professional wrestler. She began her professional wrestling career in companies such as the National Wrestling Alliance, where she teamed with Joyce Grable, with whom she held the NWA Women's World Tag Team Championship twice. In the 1980s, she joined the World...
against Miceli and Sylvia (wife and valet of Robert Fuller
Robert Fuller
Robert Welch is a professional wrestler and manager better known by his ring names Robert Fuller and Col. Robert Parker. Robert and his brother Ron co-owned Continental Championship Wrestling for a time.-Career:...
) in a series of tag team matches. 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
Playboy
Playboy is an American men's magazine that features photographs of nude women as well as journalism and fiction. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. The magazine has grown into Playboy Enterprises, Inc., with...
magazine posing with the AWA World Women's Championship belt, even though she never held the title.
Later career
After the AWA closed, Lesseos joined the Ladies Professional Wrestling AssociationLadies Professional Wrestling Association
The Ladies Professional Wrestling Association was an all-female wrestling promotion which operated in the early 1990s . It was considered a successor to such women's promotions as Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling , but it differed in that, while GLOW slanted more toward WWF-style sports entertainment...
. She became a contender for the LPWA Championship and competed against women such as Malia Hosaka
Malia Hosaka
Malia Hosaka is an American professional wrestler. She is a former NWA World Women's Champion.-Career:Malia Hosaka was trained by Killer Kowalski at the wrestling training camp run by Misty Blue Simmes...
, Sindy Paradise, Dawn Marie
Dawn Marie Johnston
Dawn Marie Johnston is a former professional wrestler, better known by her ring name, Dawn Marie. She was active in the 1980s and early 1990s...
, Jan Flame, and La Gata. She also formed a tag team with Denise Storm. The duo feuded with Terri Power
Terri Poch
Terri Poch is an American bodybuilder and former professional wrestler, best known for her appearances with the World Wrestling Federation as Tori...
and Reggie Bennett
Reggie Bennett
Reggie Bennett is an American former professional wrestler. She is best known for her work in joshi puroresu organizations such as All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling.-Professional wrestling career:...
.
Acting career
After retiring from professional wrestling, Lesseos appeared in numerous television series films as both an actress and stuntwoman. Her credits include Million Dollar BabyMillion Dollar Baby
Million Dollar Baby is a 2004 American sports drama film directed, co-produced, and scored by Clint Eastwood and starring Eastwood, Hilary Swank, and Morgan Freeman...
, Gangs of New York
Gangs of New York
Gangs of New York is a 2002 historical film set in the mid-19th century in the Five Points district of New York City. It was directed by Martin Scorsese and written by Jay Cocks, Steven Zaillian, and Kenneth Lonergan. The film was inspired by Herbert Asbury's 1928 nonfiction book, The Gangs of New...
, Scorpion King, Man on the Moon, X-Files, Dr. Quinn: Medicine Woman, Double Duty
Double Duty
Double Duty is a 2009 action-comedy television film starring Mimi Lesseos, Tom Sizemore, Susan Duerden, Alfonso Freeman, Karen Black, Ismael 'East' Carlo, Anthony De Longis, and Connie Stevens.- Plot :...
, Final Impact
Final Impact (Film)
Final Impact is a 1991 martial arts film starring Jeff Langton, Mimi Lesseos, Lorenzo Lamas and Michael Worth. It was directed by Joseph Merhi. The film was shot in 18 days.-Plot summary:...
, and Pushed to the Limit
Pushed to the Limit
Pushed to the Limit is a 1992 action pro wrestling feature film written by Mimi Lesseos and directed by Michael Mileham. Starring Mimi Lesseos and Verrel Lester Reed, the film is about a wrestling queen who finds out that a gangster is responsible for her brother's death and trains in kickboxing...
. She was also the longtime stuntwoman for Jane Kaczmarek
Jane Kaczmarek
Jane Frances Kaczmarek is an American actress. She is best known for playing the character of Lois on the television series Malcolm in the Middle. Kaczmarek is a three-time Golden Globe and seven-time Emmy Award nominee...
on Malcolm in the Middle
Malcolm in the Middle
Malcolm in the Middle is an American television sitcom created by Linwood Boomer for the Fox Network. The series was first broadcast on January 9, 2000, and ended its six-and-a-half-year run on May 14, 2006, after seven seasons and 151 episodes...
.