Michele Evette Watley (born July 19, 1968), known professionally as Midori, is an American singer, dancer, model, actress and former

pornographic actress A pornographic film actor or actress, pornographic performer, adult entertainer, or porn star is a person who performs sex acts on video that is usually characterized as a pornographic film. Such videos tend to be made in a number of distinc ...

. She was inducted into the

AVN Hall of Fame The ''AVN'' (''Adult Video News'') Hall of Fame has honored people for their work in the adult entertainment industry since 1995.Urban X Hall of Fame in 2023. She was the first

African-American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa. ...

woman to win an AVN award, when she was named "Best Supporting Actress" in 2001. Watley was also named one of the top 10 "hottest black porn stars" of all time by ''

Complex Complex commonly refers to: * Complexity, the behaviour of a system whose components interact in multiple ways so possible interactions are difficult to describe ** Complex system, a system composed of many components which may interact with each ...

'' and ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

'' named her "the queen of the black hardcore market".

Early life

Michele Watley was born in

Durham, North Carolina Durham ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the county seat of Durham County, North Carolina, Durham County. Small portions of the city limits extend into Orange County, North Carolina, Orange County and Wake County, North Carol ...

. Watley has a sister,

Jody Watley Jody Vanessa Watley (born January 30, 1959) is an American singer, songwriter and producer whose music crosses genres including pop, R&B, jazz, dance and electronic soul.Paoletta, Michael (February 22, 2003) "Watley Relaxes In The Setting of The ...

, and a brother. When Watley was a toddler, her family relocated to

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City, Missouri, abbreviated KC or KCMO, is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri by List of cities in Missouri, population and area. The city lies within Jackson County, Missouri, Jackson, Clay County, Missouri, Clay, and Pl ...

, followed by

Chicago, Illinois Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

. Her grandfather and father were ministers."Makin' It With Midori". ''Black Video Illustrated'' (10). 1997. Her parents divorced when she was twelve, and Watley and her sister Jody moved to California. Watley called her childhood "sheltered" and that her parents were "strict". When she was in junior high school, she said she was "mortified" seeing girls kissing their boyfriends. Eventually, Watley turned into what she called "a wild child". As a teenager, Watley started dancing, performing

hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...

ballet Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form of ...

and

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

styles. She studied theater in college and performed in plays. As a young adult, she lived in England for nine months and in 1986, she attended dance school in France. Watley was also a hair model, as well as a

backup singer A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are use ...

and dancer. As Michele Watley, she acted in commercials and modeled in ''

Elle Elle may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * Elle (magazine), ''Elle'' (magazine), a fashion publication ** Elle Style Awards * Elle (India), ''Elle'' (India), the Indian edition * Elle (film), ''Elle'' (film), a 2016 French film * ''Elle: ...

''. She did not pursue modeling full-time, as she was "not tall enough to be a super model".

Career

After her role in ''Coming to America'', she changed her

stage name A stage name or professional name is a pseudonym used by performers, authors, and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. The equivalent concept among writers is called a ''nom de plume'' (pen name). Some performers ...

to Midori. She worked as an

exotic dancer A stripper or exotic dancer is a person whose occupation involves performing striptease in a public adult entertainment venue such as a strip club. At times, a stripper may be hired to perform at private events. Modern forms of stripping m ...

for four years and in 1995 she started performing in

hardcore pornography Hardcore pornography or hardcore porn is pornography that features detailed depictions of sexual organs or sexual acts such as sexual intercourse, vaginal, anal sex, anal, oral sex, oral, or Non-penetrative sex#Manual sex, manual intercourse; e ...

. Her first scene was with Jake Steed. After that scene, she did not perform in films another year. Watley's rationale for entering the adult film industry was to increase the representation of women of color in the industry, which has historically been white. In the 1990s, Watley began directing pornographic films and started backup singing, including for

Kid Rock Robert James Ritchie (born January 17, 1971), known professionally as Kid Rock, is an American musician, singer, rapper, and songwriter. After establishing himself in the Music of Detroit#Hip-hop, Detroit hip-hop scene, he broke through into m ...

in 1999. She initially tried to avoid appearing in stereotypical Black themed films, and early in her career was mostly featured in

interracial Interracial topics include: * Interracial marriage, marriage between two people of different races ** Interracial marriage in the United States *** 2009 Louisiana interracial marriage incident * Interracial adoption, placing a child of one raci ...

scenes in white-produced films. Watley eventually started working with Black male performers because she "didn't want to have Black guys thinking I didn't do them too". She became a spokesperson for the

Free Speech Coalition The Free Speech Coalition (FSC) is a non-profit industry trade group, trade association of the sex industry in the United States. Founded in 1991, it opposes the passage and enforcement of obscenity laws and many censorship laws (with the excep ...

. She was co-featured, as Michele, in the 1997 stripper documentary ''The Unveiling'', alongside

Dixie Evans Mary Lee "Dixie" Evans (August 28, 1926 – August 3, 2013) was an American burlesque dancer and stripper, best known for a burlesque parody she performed as Marilyn Monroe. Career Evans entered show-business as a model and later chorus girl be ...

and Eldad Sahar. ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' described Watley as "a petite African-American single mom who does an athletic pole-climbing act". The ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

'' described Watley as being "loaded with personality, and you hope that she fulfills her dream of moving into mainstream entertainment as a singer or actress". In 1997, she recorded a duet with

Oran "Juice" Jones Oran "Juice" Jones (born March 28, 1957) is an American retired R&B singer. Early life Jones was born in Houston, Texas, and raised in Harlem, New York City, New York. Career Military career He graduated from the United States Naval Academ ...

Tommy Boy Records Tommy Boy Records is an American independent record label and multimedia brand founded in 1981 by Tom Silverman. The label is credited with helping and launching the music careers of Queen Latifah, Amber, Afrika Bambaataa, Stetsasonic, Digita ...

and performed on tour with

Puff Daddy Sean John Combs (born November 4, 1969), better known by his stage name Diddy, and formerly Puff Daddy and P. Diddy, is an American rapper, record producer, and record executive. Born in Harlem and raised in Mount Vernon, Combs worked as a ...

and

Lil' Kim Kimberly Denise Jones (born July 11, 1974), Those giving 1974 include: * * * * * better known by her stage name Lil' Kim, is an American rapper. She was born and raised in New York City and lived much of her adolescent life on the streets after ...

. The next year,

Spike Lee Shelton Jackson "Spike" Lee (born March 20, 1957) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, actor, and author. His work has continually explored race relations, issues within the black community, the role of media in contemporary ...

offered Watley a role in ''

He Got Game ''He Got Game'' is a 1998 American sports drama film written, produced and directed by Spike Lee and starring Denzel Washington and Ray Allen. The film revolves around Jake Shuttlesworth (Denzel Washington), father of the top-ranked basketball ...

'' - as a prostitute - a role she declined because she did not want to play a sex worker. Watley was featured in the British documentary ''Glamour Girlz'' on

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...

, which documents Black women in the adult film industry. Watley was featured in the show alongside Charmaine Sinclair, who had relocated to Los Angeles from London to further her career, and porn legend

Ron Jeremy Ronald Jeremy Hyatt (born March 12, 1953) is an American former Pornographic film actor, pornographic actor, and actor. Nicknamed "The Hedgehog", Jeremy was ranked by AVN (magazine), ''AVN'' at No. 1 in their "50 Top Porn Stars of All Time" l ...

. In the series, Watley helps Sinclair expand her career into the adult film industry. Watley also discusses her desire to move into music, and is seen meeting by phone with

Luther Campbell Luther Roderick Campbell (born December 22, 1960), also known as Luke Skyywalker, Uncle Luke and simply Luke, is an American rapper, promoter, record executive, actor, and former leader of the rap group 2 Live Crew. He is known for having hel ...

2 Live Crew 2 Live Crew is an American hip hop group from Miami, Florida, formed in 1984. The group was originally composed of DJ Mr. Mixx (David Hobbs), Fresh Kid Ice (Christopher Wong Won), and Amazing Vee (Yuri Vielot), though its most well-known lineup ...

to discuss prospects. In 1999, she had one track entitled ''5-10-15-20'', which she wrote on the '' Porn to Rock'' compilation, which was released on

. The single features

. In an interview with the ''

National Post The ''National Post'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet newspaper and the flagship publication of the American-owned Postmedia Network. It is published Mondays through Saturdays, with Monday released as a digital e-edition only.

'', Watley said that she was pursuing a career in hip hop by using her fame as a porn star. Then ''National Post'' music critic

Finbarr O'Reilly Finbarr O'Reilly (born 1971) is a Welsh-born Irish/CanadianFinbarr O’Reilly
Reportage Atri Festival ...

called Watley's single on the compilation "one of the better tracks". To support the compilation, Watley toured with fellow porn performers Madison Stone, Johnny Toxic, and Nina Whett, including performing at

South by Southwest South by Southwest (SXSW) is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and Convention (meeting), conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, Texas. It began in 1987 and has conti ...

. That same year,

produced the track ''F.M.A.'' for the ''Deep Porn'' compilation with Midori on vocals. The ''

New York Daily News The ''Daily News'' is an American newspaper based in Jersey City, New Jersey. It was founded in 1919 by Joseph Medill Patterson in New York City as the ''Illustrated Daily News''. It was the first U.S. daily printed in Tabloid (newspaper format ...

'' described the single as "moaning unprintable pillow talk over a backdrop of distorted guitars and hip-hop drums". She also appeared on the cover of the

Bad Meets Evil Bad Meets Evil is an American Hip hop music, hip hop Supergroup (music), super duo composed of Detroit-based rappers Royce da 5′9″ ("bad") and Eminem ("evil"). Formed in 1997, the duo's name comes from the namesake song from Eminem's ''The ...

's single " Nuttin' to Do". Watley has a second track, "Zap", produced by Wide. Watley credits

Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone ( ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Referred to as the "Queen of Pop", she has been recognized for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, ...

and

as opening the door for sex positive performers, and sex workers, to perform music in mainstream entertainment. Watley appeared on the cover of

Andrew Dice Clay Andrew Dice Clay (born Andrew Clay Silverstein; September 29, 1957) is an American stand-up comedian and actor. He rose to prominence in the late 1980s with a brash, deliberately offensive persona known as "The Diceman". In 1990, he became the f ...

's album '' Face Down, Ass Up'' in 2000. She also released her first album, the dance LP ''Midori (AKA) Michele Watley''. In 2001, she won the "Best Supporting Actress" video award at the

AVN Awards The AVN Awards are List of movie awards, film awards sponsored and presented by the American trade magazine ''AVN (magazine), AVN'' (''Adult Video News'') annually to honor achievements in the global Sex industry, adult entertainment industry. ...

, making her the first African-American woman to ever win an AVN award. That same year, she released the rap album ''Miss Judged'', which featured

rapper Rapping (also rhyming, flowing, spitting, emceeing, or MCing) is an artistic form of vocal delivery and emotive expression that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and ommonlystreet vernacular". It is usually performed over a backing ...

AMG. In 2001, she appeared in the video for

Coo Coo Cal Calvin Bellamy (born July 4, 1970), better known as Coo Coo Cal, is an American rapper and truck driver from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. His single " My Projects" went to #1 on the Billboard Hot Rap Singles chart in 2001. Coo Coo Cal’s debut album, ...

's "My Projects." She toured internationally for her music, including New Zealand and Europe. She starred in the Polish porn ''Big Sister'' and toured Poland. Watley appeared as singer and MC on rapper Warrior's single "Who's Hustlin' Who" in 2003. Watley was described as "decent but uninteresting" on the single by ''Rap Reviews''. Around this time, she also began exploring a comeback. During her exploration of potential roles, Watley expressed issues with being offered primarily roles for older women in porn, including as MILFs.

Personal life

In a 1997 interview with ''Black Video Illustrated'', Watley said she was straight; however, in the 1998, documentary ''The Unveiling'', Watley identified as bisexual. She is

monogamous Monogamy ( ) is a relationship of two individuals in which they form a mutual and exclusive intimate partnership. Having only one partner at any one time, whether for life or serial monogamy, contrasts with various forms of non-monogamy (e.g. ...

. In 1999, Watley was in a relationship with

. The relationship ended after three months, with both Rock and Watley citing Rock's busy schedule as the reason for the break up. Watley discovered she was pregnant after her relationship with Rock ended, and she decided not to have the baby. Watley is divorced from a man she describes as a "knucklehead". She has a daughter. Watley does not like watching pornography. It took considerable time for her family to accept that she was an adult film entertainer. She took her mother with her to an adult film award ceremony in an attempt to convince her mother that the adult film industry "also holds formal events where people dress up in black ties and fancy dresses".

Awards and nominations

Discography

Albums

* ''Midori (AKA) Michele Watley'' (2000) * ''Miss Judged'' (2001)

Singles

* "Who's Hustlin' Who", Warrior featuring Midori (2003)

Album appearances

* 2002: ''Perfect Weapon'', Warrior, "Who's Hustlin' Who" feat. Midori * 2000: ''Deep Porn'', Various Artists, "F.M.A." - Kid Rock featuring Midori, "Zap" - Wide featuring Midori * 1999: '' Porn to Rock'', Various Artists, "5,10,15,20" - Midori featuring

* 1997: ''Player's Call,''

, "Let's Stay Together" (featuring Midori)

Cover girl

* "Nuttin' To Do," Bad Meets Evil (1999) * '' Face Down, Ass Up'' -

(2000)

Music video A music video is a video that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to ...
appearances

* 2001: "My Projects,"

(guest appearance)

References

External links

* * * * *
Midori's profile at AVN
__NOTOC__ {{DEFAULTSORT:Midori 1968 births Living people 20th-century American actresses 21st-century African-American actresses 21st-century American actresses 21st-century American rappers 21st-century American women singers Actresses from Durham, North Carolina African-American women rappers African-American pornographic film actors American pornographic film actresses AVN Award winners Bisexual pornographic film actresses African-American LGBTQ people Pornographic film actors from North Carolina 21st-century American singers 20th-century African-American actresses 21st-century African-American women singers 21st-century American women rappers American bisexual actresses