Geri Miller (born April 27, 1942) is an American former

go-go dancer Go-go dancers are dancers who are employed to entertain crowds at nightclubs or other venues where music is played. Go-go dancing originated in the early 1960s at the French bar Whisky a Gogo, located in the town of Juan-les-Pins. The bar's ...

and actress. She was a dancer at New York's

Peppermint Lounge The Peppermint Lounge was a popular discotheque located at 128 West 45th Street in New York City that was open from 1958 to 1965, although a new one was opened in 1980. It was the launchpad for the global Twist craze in the early 1960s. Many cla ...

in the 1960s and appeared in

sexploitation film A sexploitation film (or sex-exploitation film) is a class of independently produced, low-budget feature film that is generally associated with the 1960s and early 1970s, and that serves largely as a vehicle for the exhibition of non-explicit se ...

s before becoming part of pop artist

Andy Warhol Andy Warhol (;''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary''"Warhol" born Andrew Warhola Jr.; August 6, 1928 – February 22, 1987) was an American visual artist, film director and producer. A leading figure in the pop art movement, Warhol ...

Factory A factory, manufacturing plant or production plant is an industrial facility, often a complex consisting of several buildings filled with machinery, where workers manufacture items or operate machines which process each item into another. Th ...

crowd. As a

Warhol Superstar Warhol superstars were a clique of New York City personalities promoted by the pop artist Andy Warhol during the 1960s and 1970s. These personalities hung out at Warhol's studio, the Factory, appeared in his films, and accompanied him to his New ...

, she appeared in the films ''

Flesh Flesh is any aggregation of soft tissues of an organism. Various multicellular organisms have soft tissues that may be called "flesh". In mammals, including humans, ''flesh'' encompasses muscles, fats and other loose connective tissues, ...

'' (1968), '' Trash'' (1970), and ''

Women in Revolt ''Women in Revolt'' is a 1971 American satirical film produced by Andy Warhol and directed by Paul Morrissey. It was initially released as ''Andy Warhol's Women''. The film stars Jackie Curtis, Candy Darling, and Holly Woodlawn, three superstar ...

'' (1971). She also starred in Warhol's play ''

Pork Pork is the culinary name for the meat of the pig (''Sus domesticus''). It is the most commonly consumed meat worldwide, with evidence of pig animal husbandry, husbandry dating back to 8000–9000 BCE. Pork is eaten both freshly cooke ...

'' (1971). A self-described "super

groupie A groupie is a fan of a particular musical group who follows the band around while they are on tour or who attends as many of their public appearances as possible, with the hope of meeting them. The term is used mostly describing young women, a ...

," Miller was linked to various musicians, including

Ringo Starr Sir Richard Starkey (born 7 July 1940), known professionally as Ringo Starr, is an English musician, songwriter and actor who achieved international fame as the drummer for the Beatles. Starr occasionally sang lead vocals with the group, us ...

Jimi Hendrix James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American singer-songwriter and musician. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential guitarists of all time. Inducted ...

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer, songwriter and actor. Regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Bowie was acclaimed by critics and musicians, pa ...

, and

James Brown James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, musician, and record producer. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th-century music, he is referred to by Honorific nick ...

Early life and education

Geraldine Miller was born to Mr. and Mrs. Morris Miller in

Clifton, New Jersey Clifton is a city in Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Criss-crossed by several major highways, the city is a regional commercial hub for North Jersey and is a bedroom suburb of New York City in the New York Metropolitan Area.L ...

on April 27, 1942. After graduating from Clifton High School in 1960, she attended

Berkeley College Berkeley College is a private for-profit college with campuses in New York City, New Jersey, and online. It was founded in 1931 and offers undergraduate and graduate degrees and certificate programs. Berkeley College is accredited by the Mi ...

in New Jersey.

Career

While attending Berkeley College, Miller built a portfolio as a model and dancer before being recruited as a chorus line girl at the

nightclub in New York City. The Peppermint Lounge was a celebrity hot spot and as a go-go dancer, Miller met many musicians who partied at the nightclub. Miller made her first film appearance as a go-go dancer in ''

Fail Safe In engineering, a fail-safe is a design feature or practice that, in the event of a failure of the design feature, inherently responds in a way that will cause minimal or no harm to other equipment, to the environment or to people. Unlike inheren ...

'' (1964). She recorded the songs "We All Warned You" and "Peppermint Jerk" as the lead singer of The Peppermints, a trio of dancers. The single "We All Warned You" was released on RSVP Records in 1965 and received a 4-star rating from ''

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 advertis ...

'' magazine. Miller was fired from the Peppermint Lounge after her lover

sent her a telegram to the nightclub. Afterward, Miller became a topless dancer at the Jazz club

Metropole Cafe The Metropole Cafe was a jazz club in New York's Manhattan in the 1950s and 1960s. Located at 725 7th Avenue near Times Square, it was primarily noted in the bebop and Jazz fusion, progressive jazz era as a venue for traditional musicians. It late ...

in New York City. The change of environment was difficult for her and as a result, she took more uppers for confidence and became promiscuous. Feeling about her body, Miller later got a non-surgical

breast augmentation In medicine, breast augmentation and augmentation mammoplasty are terms that describe a cosmetic surgery procedure that uses either a Breast implant, breast implant or a fat-graft to realise a mammoplasty to increase the size, change the shape ...

through silicone injections. In September 1966, Miller was a contestant for the 'Miss Night Beat' title aboard a gambling cruise. Miller discovered that journalist Earl Wilson was one of the judges so she went to his office and gave him a picture of herself in a "daring outfit." Wilson wrote about their encounter in his syndicated column ''It Happened Last Night''. While working as a topless go-go dancer in spots such as the M & M Lounge in

Greenwich Village Greenwich Village, or simply the Village, is a neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 14th Street (Manhattan), 14th Street to the north, Broadway (Manhattan), Broadway to the east, Houston Street to the s ...

and Metropole in

Midtown Manhattan Midtown Manhattan is the central portion of the New York City borough of Manhattan, serving as the city's primary central business district. Midtown is home to some of the city's most prominent buildings, including the Empire State Building, the ...

, Miller ventured into acting. Miller appeared with

Muhammad Ali Muhammad Ali (; born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.; January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016) was an American professional boxer and social activist. A global cultural icon, widely known by the nickname "The Greatest", he is often regarded as the gr ...

in the ill-fated Broadway production ''Buck White'' in 1969. She appeared in several sexploitation films, including ''The Wall of Flesh'' (1968), ''Sex by Advertisement'' (1968), ''Meeting on 69th Street'' (1969), ''Monique, My Love'' (1969), and '' The Telephone Book'' (1971). She had small roles in the films ''

The Magic Garden of Stanley Sweetheart ''The Magic Garden of Stanley Sweetheart'' is a 1970 American film distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) about a confused college student's experiences with sex, relationships, and drugs in late 1960s New York City. Produced by Martin Poll an ...

'' (1970) and ''

Pound Pound or Pounds may refer to: Units * Pound (currency), various units of currency * Pound sterling, the official currency of the United Kingdom * Pound (mass), a unit of mass * Pound (force), a unit of force * Rail pound, in rail profile * A bas ...

'' (1970). Miller began hanging around

the Factory The Factory was Andy Warhol's art studio in Manhattan, New York City, which had four locations between 1963 and 1987. The Factory became famous for its parties in the 1960s. It was the hip hangout spot for artists, musicians, celebrities, and ...

crowd in the late 1960s. She appeared in the Warhol-produced underground films ''

'' (1968), '' Trash'' (1970), and ''

'' (1971). She starred as Josie in Warhol's play ''Pork'', which was controversial due to the nudity and sexual acts simulated. The play had a two-week run at La MaMa Experimental Theatre in New York City in May 1971. The production was brought to the Roundhouse in London for a six-week run in August 1971. Miller caused a scandal in London when she was arrested for exposing her breasts during a photo session in front of

Clarence House Clarence House is a royal residence on The Mall in the City of Westminster, London. It was built in 1825–1827, adjacent to St James's Palace, for the royal Duke of Clarence, the future King William IV. The four-storey house is faced in ...

, the residence of the

Queen Mother A queen mother is a former queen, often a queen dowager, who is the mother of the monarch, reigning monarch. The term has been used in English since the early 1560s. It arises in hereditary monarchy, hereditary monarchies in Europe and is also ...

. She was released from jail after pleading guilty to insulting behavior. In 1974, Miller stated that Warhol did not pay her enough for her film roles. Following their falling out, she withdrew from the public. In the book ''

The Andy Warhol Diaries ''The Andy Warhol Diaries'' is the dictated memoir of the American artist Andy Warhol and edited by his longtime friend and collaborator Pat Hackett. The book was published posthumously by Warner Books with an introduction by Hackett. The 807-p ...

'', Warhol mentioned in a diary entry on November 30, 1985, that Miller called him from a women's shelter and he referred to her as a "young senile person." "In her ''Trash'' days she was our most sensible superstar—then in the seventies she suddenly got crazy. One day she was very down to earth, worrying about her topless dancing career, and then the next week she showed up barefoot to 860, saying that the

Mafia "Mafia", as an informal or general term, is often used to describe criminal organizations that bear a strong similarity to the Sicilian Mafia, original Mafia in Sicily, to the Italian-American Mafia, or to other Organized crime in Italy, organiz ...

gave her

LSD Lysergic acid diethylamide, commonly known as LSD (from German ; often referred to as acid or lucy), is a semisynthetic, hallucinogenic compound derived from ergot, known for its powerful psychological effects and serotonergic activity. I ...

because she knew too much!" recalled Warhol.

Personal life

In October 1962, Miller met singer

at the Peppermint Lounge. He invited her to his show with

The Famous Flames The Famous Flames were an American rhythm and blues, soul vocal group founded in Toccoa, Georgia, in 1953 by Bobby Byrd. James Brown first began his career as a member of the Famous Flames, emerging as the lead singer by the time of their fir ...

at the

Apollo Theater The Apollo Theater (formerly the Hurtig & Seamon's New Theatre; also Apollo Theatre or 125th Street Apollo Theatre) is a multi-use Theater (structure), theater at 253 125th Street (Manhattan), West 125th Street in the Harlem neighborhood of U ...

Harlem Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and Central Park North on the south. The greater ...

the night he recorded the live album '' Live at the Apollo'' (1963). Miller and Brown continued an on-and-off relationship for some years. Due to discrimination against interracial couples and because Brown criticized Black musicians who were involved with White women, they kept their affair hidden. Miller turned down Brown's marriage proposal because she was ashamed of her secret drug habit. "I said no, even though I loved him. … I was taking uppers all the time because I needed to keep up with… life. I was sad to turn him down, but I didn't want him to find out," she said. In February 1964, Miller had a brief affair with drummer

when

The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...

first toured America. By June 1965, she reportedly dated guitarist Lenny Davidson of

The Dave Clark Five The Dave Clark Five, also known as the DC5, were an English rock and roll band formed in 1958 in Tottenham, London. Drummer Dave Clark was the group's leader, producer and co-songwriter. In January 1964, they had their first UK top-ten single, ...

, drummer

Dennis Wilson Dennis Carl Wilson (December 4, 1944 – December 28, 1983) was an American musician, singer, and songwriter who co-founded the Beach Boys. He was their drummer and the middle brother of bandmates Brian Wilson, Brian and Carl Wilson as well as ...

The Beach Boys The Beach Boys are an American Rock music, rock band formed in Hawthorne, California, in 1961. The group's original lineup consisted of brothers Brian Wilson, Brian, Dennis Wilson, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and their f ...

, and

Gordon Waller Gordon Trueman Riviere Waller (4 June 1945 – 17 July 2009) was a Scottish guitarist, singer and songwriter, best known as Gordon of the 1960s pop music duo Peter and Gordon, whose biggest hit was the no. 1 million-selling single "A World Wit ...

Peter and Gordon Peter and Gordon were a British pop duo, composed of Peter Asher (b. 1944) and Gordon Waller (1945–2009), who achieved international fame in 1964 with their first single, the million-selling "A World Without Love". The duo had several subseq ...

, who surprised her with a painting. In the mid-1960s, Miller dated

Dino Danelli Dino Danelli (born Robert Daniel; July 23, 1944 – December 15, 2022) was an American drummer. Danelli was best known as an original member and the drummer in the rock group the Young Rascals. He has been called "one of the great unappreciated ...

, drummer of the rock group

The Young Rascals ''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The ...

. They lived together for some time in her Manhattan apartment at 310 West 47th St. After his group found success, Miller found it hard to cope with his affairs. "He was the first guy to break my heart. I was so sad. We split, and he moved out and into his own place," she recalled.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Miller, Geri 1942 births People associated with The Factory American female erotic dancers 20th-century American actresses 20th-century American dancers Groupies Clifton High School (New Jersey) alumni Entertainers from Clifton, New Jersey Living people Actresses from New Jersey