Mika Tan
Mika Tan | |
---|---|
Tan at the 2005 AVN Adult Entertainment Expo | |
Born |
[1] Honolulu, Hawaii, USA[2][3] | November 27, 1977
Nationality | American[3] |
Other names | Mikatan, Mika, Mika Okinawa,[3] Leiloni |
Ethnicity | Japanese, Taiwanese, Samoan,[3][4] Okinawan |
Height | 5 ft 4 in (1.63 m)[3] |
Weight | 121 lb (55 kg; 8.6 st)[3] |
Spouse(s) | Alec Knight[5] (divorced[6]) |
Website | http://www.mikatan.com |
No. of adult films | 475 (per IAFD)[3] |
Mika Tan (born November 27, 1977[1]) is the stage name of an American fetish model (BDSM/DS/stocking and pantyhose fetish), and pornographic actress.[3]
Early life and career
Tan was born in Hawaii[2][3] to a Japanese-Samoan father and an Okinawan-Taiwanese mother. She was raised by her grandmother, who was an established folk dancer and singer and was also the owner of several massage parlors.[6][7] While her mother's family was musical, her father's was mainly military,[2] including her sister[6] - who serves in the United States Marine Corps and has helped Tan with her official website.[2] As a "Navy brat", Tan traveled around the United States, Europe, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and North Africa all before she started high school.[2] She had a childhood background in the performing arts and has worked in the commercial fisheries industry in the past.[4]
Tan began as a child model, doing catalog work beginning at age 12, and she has also appeared as an extra in movies & television and in commercials and live musical theater.[2][6][8][9] She was a member of a dance troupe, where she performed modern jazz and ballet.[8]
Tan used her National Merit Scholarship to earn a bachelor's degree in biochemistry[2] from San Diego State University[8] and an associate's degree in psychology. It took her five years to graduate,[2] and she did nude art modeling and was a stripper[6] to support her last year as a student.[10] Tan has studied classical voice and also graduated from the John Robert Powers Modeling/Finishing School.[8] She has also appeared on Playboy TV and in a music video for Too $hort called "Get in Where you Fit In".[8]
Despite her aptitude for science, she did not enjoy it and worked in sales and marketing in the timeshare industry[2] for Dennis Hof.
She tried her hand at mainstream acting in California but quit after discovering that the casting couch was not a myth.[6]
Adult film career
Tan was discovered at an am/pm by porn[6] director Jack Pearl. Tan also had a third trimester miscarriage during this period, which she has described as the worst time of her life.[2] She was married once to Alec Knight, another performer in the adult industry.[2][5][6]
Tan primarily does fetish-oriented work, including work as a dominatrix and sub[2] for the Kink.com group of companies, mostly the "Men in Pain" and "Divine Bitches" websites. She also stars in non-fetish oriented work. She considers herself mainly a fetish model rather than a porn star though. The official biography on her website states: "For the record, I do not consider myself a porn star and any girl who has done less than 250 films shouldn't either."[2] Tan moved into film production & direction with her own production company (GenerAsianxxx Productions) with her debut film featuring heterosexual Asian-American men in hardcore scenes.[5]
Tan identifies as bisexual, and she briefly tried escorting in 2001.[6]
Awards
- 2006 Adam Film World Award - Best Asian Starlet[11]
- 2006 XRCO Award - Unsung Siren[12][13]
- 2007 AVN Award - Underrated Starlet of the Year (Unrecognized Excellence)[14]
- 2009 Urban X Award - Hall of Fame[15]
Gallery
References
- 1 2 "Portfolio Page 1". mikatan.com. 2005. Archived from the original on March 4, 2012. Retrieved 13 November 2011.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 "Mika Tan: About Me". mikatan.com. 2005. Archived from the original on April 29, 2013. Retrieved November 13, 2011.
Born in Honolulu, as a military brat, I was raised across the Pacific.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Mika Tan at the Internet Adult Film Database
- 1 2 Gabriel Alvarez (2011-09-19). "The Top 50 Hottest Asian Porn Stars of All Time". Complex. Retrieved 2013-08-02.
- 1 2 3 "Mika Tan Starts Production House". May 23, 2006. Retrieved February 1, 2015.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Mika Tan: F.A.Q.". Archived from the original on March 25, 2013. Retrieved February 1, 2015.
- ↑ Mika Tan (August 18, 2006). Casual Fridays - Photo Frenzy. Interview with Gram Ponante. Archived from the original on 2006-11-02. Retrieved February 1, 2015.
My grandmother used to own three massage parlors. (Yes, those kind)
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Mika Tan: Resume". Archived from the original on November 12, 2012. Retrieved February 1, 2015.
- ↑ "My Good Porn Friday". Archived from the original on January 29, 2008.
- ↑ http://blog.myspace.com Interview by Vincent P Davis
- ↑ Thomas J Stanton (2006-04-19). "Adam Film World Announces Award Winners". AVN. Retrieved February 1, 2015.
- ↑ "Hillary Scott Big Winner at XRCO Awards". XBIZ. Retrieved 1 February 2015.
- ↑ "XRCO 2006 AWARD CATEGORIES, NOMINATIONS, AND WINNERS". 5 April 2007. Retrieved 20 April 2015.
- ↑ "2007 AVN Award Winners Announced". AVN. 2007-01-14. Retrieved February 1, 2015.
- ↑ "2009 Award Winners". Retrieved August 1, 2009.
External links
- Mika Tan at the Internet Movie Database
- Mika Tan on Twitter
- Mika Tan at the Internet Adult Film Database
- Mika Tan at the Adult Film Database
- Mika Tan Partial Adult Filmography