Patricia Apollonia Kotero (born August 2, 1959) is an American singer, actress, former model and talent manager. She is known for co-starring in

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. Th ...

's 1984 film '' Purple Rain'' and for having been the lead singer of the

girl group A girl group is a music act featuring several female singers who generally harmonize together. The term "girl group" is also used in a narrower sense in the United States to denote the wave of American female pop music singing groups, many of who ...

Apollonia 6 Apollonia 6 was a 1980s American female singing trio. Origin Apollonia 6 was created by recording artist Prince, who had also created the group Vanity 6 one year prior in 1982, but the groups did not exist simultaneously. After a number of disp ...

Early life

Kotero was born in

San Pedro, California San Pedro ( ; Spanish: " St. Peter") is a neighborhood within the City of Los Angeles, California. Formerly a separate city, it consolidated with Los Angeles in 1909. The Port of Los Angeles, a major international seaport, is partially located wi ...

, the daughter of immigrants from

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

, and the eldest of four children. Her father, Victor, was a restaurant manager, and her mother, Socorro, was a caregiver for the elderly. She dropped out of school at 16 to pursue a career as a model.

Career

Early career

Kotero worked as an actress, singer and a model. After winning the Miss San Pedro beauty competition, and following her stint as a cheerleader for the

Los Angeles Rams The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division. The Rams play ...

in the early 1980s, Kotero began acting in film and television series such as ''

CHiPs ''CHiPs'' is an American crime drama television series created by Rick Rosner and originally aired on NBC from September 15, 1977, to May 1, 1983. It follows the lives of two motorcycle officers of the California Highway Patrol (CHP). The serie ...

'', ''

Tales of the Gold Monkey ''Tales of the Gold Monkey'' is an American adventure drama television series broadcast in prime time on Wednesday nights by ABC from September 22, 1982, until June 1, 1983. Debuting the year following the release of ''Raiders of the Lost Ark' ...

'', ''

Fantasy Island ''Fantasy Island'' is an American fantasy drama television series created by Gene Levitt. It aired on ABC from 1977 to 1984. The series starred Ricardo Montalbán as the mysterious Mr. Roarke and Hervé Villechaize as his assistant, Tattoo. Gu ...

'', ''

Matt Houston ''Matt Houston'' was an American crime drama television series starring Lee Horsley as the title character, a wealthy oilman who decides to hold a side job as a private investigator. Created by Lawrence Gordon and produced by Aaron Spelling, i ...

'', and ''

Knight Rider ''Knight Rider'' is an American entertainment franchise created by Glen A. Larson. The core of ''Knight Rider'' is its three television series: the original ''Knight Rider'' (1982–1986) and sequel series ''Team Knight Rider'' (1997–1998) ...

''. Between March and September 1982, she appeared in music videos for " The Other Woman" by

Ray Parker Jr. Ray Erskine Parker Jr. (born May 1, 1954) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. As a solo performer, he wrote and performed the theme song to the 1984 film '' Ghostbusters''. Previously, Parker achieved a US top-10 h ...

and " Shakin'" by

Eddie Money Edward Joseph Mahoney (March 21, 1949 – September 13, 2019), known professionally as Eddie Money, was an American singer and songwriter who, in the 1970s and 1980s, had eleven Top 40 songs, including "Baby Hold On", "Two Tickets to Parad ...

. In May 1984, she appeared in the

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

television film ''

The Mystic Warrior ''The Mystic Warrior'' is a 1984 American TV movie about a band of Sioux and the efforts of one man to save his people from destruction through the use of mysterious powers handed down by ancestors. The movie was originally a nine-hour mini-seri ...

'' as the Native American woman Wicahpi. While dating

Van Halen Van Halen ( ) was an American rock band formed in Pasadena, California, in 1972. Credited with "restoring hard rock to the forefront of the music scene", Van Halen was known for its energetic live shows and for the virtuosity of its lead gu ...

singer

David Lee Roth David Lee Roth (born October 10, 1954) is an American rock singer. Best known for his wild, energetic stage persona, he was the original lead vocalist of the hard rock band Van Halen across three stints, from 1974 to 1985, in 1996 and again fro ...

, on and off when they were both in Los Angeles, she auditioned for ''Purple Rain''. Roth had followed her modeling career and hired her for a Star of the Cars magazine cover.

Prince and ''Purple Rain''

When then-leader of

Vanity 6 Vanity 6 was a short lived American female vocal trio that gained popularity in the early 1980s. They were protégés of musician Prince (musician), Prince. Led by singer Vanity (singer), Vanity, they are known for their song "Nasty Girl (Vanity ...

, Denise "Vanity" Matthews, resigned from its membership before Prince's 1984 film '' Purple Rain'' was filmed, Kotero landed the film's female lead role. Vanity 6, which was renamed Apollonia 6 for the film, also featured supporting singers

Brenda Bennett Brenda Bennett (born January 24, 1962) is a recording artist from Rhode Island and is best known as a member of the American musical groups Vanity 6 and Apollonia 6. Bennett was married to Prince's lighting and set-designer/director Roy Benne ...

and Prince's then-girlfriend

Susan Moonsie Susan Moonsie-Mohan (born January 21, 1964) is a Trinidadian-born American singer. She is best known as a member of the 1980s musical groups Vanity 6 and Apollonia 6 that were associated with recording artist Prince. Life and career Susan V ...

. Apollonia 6 embarked on a worldwide tour to promote their hit single, "

Sex Shooter "Sex Shooter" is the debut single by Apollonia 6, released as a single in 1984. It appears on Apollonia 6 (album), the group's only album. The song reached the top 20 of the US R&B Chart and was written and produced by Prince (musician), Prince. ...

". Kotero had written half the lyrics and originally recorded a version of the song "

Manic Monday "Manic Monday" is a song written by American musician Prince, but is better known from the version recorded by the American pop rock band the Bangles, which was the first single released from their second studio album, ''Different Light'' (198 ...

" for the 1984 album ''

''. The album was written and composed by Prince, the song later became a worldwide hit single for

The Bangles The Bangles are an American pop rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1981. The band recorded several singles that reached the U.S. top 10 during the 1980s, including "Manic Monday" (1986), "Walk Like an Egyptian" (1986), " Hazy Shade ...

. Prince's song "

Take Me with U "Take Me with U" is a song by Prince and the Revolution, and the final US single released from their album, '' Purple Rain'' (1984). Background The song is sung as a duet with Apollonia Kotero, and was originally intended to be performed by Van ...

" featured vocals by Kotero, and it reached #25 on the Billboard Top 40 chart in the United States. In 1985, Kotero left Prince's camp to appear on the

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

primetime soap opera ''

Falcon Crest ''Falcon Crest'' is an American prime time television soap opera that aired for nine seasons on CBS from December 4, 1981, to May 17, 1990. The series revolves around the feuding factions of the wealthy Gioberti/Channing family in the California ...

'', playing Apollonia, the girlfriend of the character played by

Lorenzo Lamas Lorenzo Fernando Lamas (born January 20, 1958) is an American actor. He is widely known for his role of Lance Cumson, the irresponsible grandson of Angela Channing—played by Jane Wyman—in the soap opera ''Falcon Crest'' (1981–1990), for ...

, for ten consecutive weeks. She performed several solo songs, including "Red Light Romeo", written and composed by

Jon Lind Jonathan Gus Lind (April 14, 1948 – January 15, 2022), professionally known as Jon Lind, was an American songwriter, performer and A&R Executive Biography Lind was born in Brooklyn, New York on April 14, 1948, and raised in New York City. H ...

Later career

In 1988,

Warner Bros. Records Warner Records Inc. (formerly Warner Bros. Records Inc.) is an American record label. A subsidiary of the Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division of the ...

released Kotero's eponymously titled first solo album, ''Apollonia''. Three singles were taken from the album: "Since I Fell for You", "The Same Dream" and "Mismatch". She went on to appear in such films as ''Ministry of Vengeance'' (1989), ''Back To Back'' (1990), ''Black Magic Woman'' (1991), and two Italian productions: ''La Donna di una Sera'' (A Lady for a Night) (1991) and ''Cattive Ragazze'' (1992). She returned to television on such shows as ''

Sliders Slider or Sliders may refer to: Arts * K.K. Slider, a fictional character within the ''Animal Crossing'' franchise * '' The Slider'', a 1972 album by T. Rex * ''Sliders'' (TV series), an American science fiction and fantasy television series * ...

'' and '' Air America'' (which co-starred Lorenzo Lamas, her former co-star in ''Falcon Crest''), and also hosted The Jazz Channel's ''Latin Beat'' program. During this period an exercise video entitled ''Go For It'' was also released. Kotero could also be seen on E!'s ''Celebrity Homes'', ''The Test'', ''Rendezview'', and ''

MTV Cribs ''MTV Cribs'' (also known as ''Cribs'') is an American documentary television show that originated on MTV and features tours of the private homes of celebrities. It originally aired from 2000 to 2010. In 2017, MTV produced short-form episodes o ...

'', with her friend

Carmen Electra Tara Leigh Patrick (born April 20, 1972), known professionally as Carmen Electra, is an American actress, model, singer, and media personality. She began her career as a singer after moving to Minneapolis, where she met Prince, who produced h ...

. In 2005, Kotero formed a multimedia entertainment company, Kotero Entertainment, which enlisted a number of producers to produce a children's animated television series as well as feature films. Kotero Entertainment also began managing young talent such as television and film star Sascha Andres and young pop singer Nikki Barreras, also known as Nikki B.. In 2009, Kotero's vocals appeared on

The Twilight Singers The Twilight Singers are an United States, American indie rock musical group, band. The group was formed in 1997 by Greg Dulli as a side project during a hiatus from his group The Afghan Whigs. After the Afghan Whigs disbanded, Dulli used The Twi ...

cover of Prince's "

When Doves Cry "When Doves Cry" is a song by American musician Prince, and the lead single from his sixth studio album '' Purple Rain''. According to the DVD commentary of the film '' Purple Rain'' (1984), Prince was asked by director Albert Magnoli to write a ...

" for ''

Spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thread by twisting fibers together, traditionally by hand spinning * Spin, the rotation of an object around a central axis * Spin (propaganda), an intentionally b ...

'' magazine's 25th anniversary tribute to the '' Purple Rain'' album, entitled '' Purplish Rain''.

Personal life

Apollonia was married to Greg Patschull, an aspiring actor and martial artist, from 1980 to 1985. She dated singer

during the filming of ''Purple Rain''. Her second marriage was to actor

Kevin Bernhardt Kevin Bernhardt is an American screenwriter, film actor, television actor, and producer. Bernhardt started as an actor in TV, with contract roles on ''Dynasty (1981 TV series), Dynasty'' in 1989 and ''General Hospital'' (1985–1986). Following th ...

from 1987 to 1997.

Discography

Studio albums

* ''Apollonia'' (1988)

with Apollonia 6

* ''

'' (1984)

Singles

* The "Take Me with U" duet reached No. 7 in the United Kingdom, becoming Kotero's only chart entry in the country.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

*
Read Apollonia's Open Letter to Prince: 'The Pain Is Unbearable'

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

(September 1, 2016) {{DEFAULTSORT:Kotero, Apollonia 1959 births Living people Actresses from Santa Monica, California American actresses of Mexican descent American cheerleaders American dance musicians American women singers American film actresses American freestyle musicians American funk singers American soul singers American television actresses Apollonia 6 members Female models from California Women new wave singers Feminist musicians Hispanic and Latino American musicians Musicians from Santa Monica, California National Football League cheerleaders Hispanic and Latino American women singers