Laurer, Joanie 1970-

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LAURER, Joanie 1970-

(Chyna, Joanie Marie Laurer)

PERSONAL: Born December 27, 1970, in Rochester, NY; daughter of Joe and Tina Laurer. Education: University of Tampa, B.A. (with honors), 1991.

ADDRESSES: Agent—c/o Author Mail, HarperCollins Publishers, 10 E. 53rd St., 7th Fl., New York, NY 10022.

CAREER: Professional wrestler with World Wrestling Federation (WWF) under name Chyna, 1997–2001, appearing regularly on television broadcasts of WWF tournaments and in wrestling videos. Actress in movies, sometimes under her wrestling name, including Beyond the Mat, MCA/Universal, 1999; Alien Fury: Countdown to Invasion, Paramount, 2000; On the Line, Miramax, 2001; and Frank McKlusky, C.I., Buena Vista, 2002. Actress in television series, including Third Rock from the Sun, Pacific Blue, Mad TV, Fear Factor, The Nick Cannon Show, Whose Line Is It Anyway?, The Howard Stern Show, The Martin Short Show, Street Smarts, and Sabrina, the Teenage Witch. Contributed voice in video game WWF Attitude, Acclaim Sports, 1999; created workout videos, including Chyna Fitness: More than Meets the Eye, 2001. During early career, worked for Peace Corps and as a pager salesperson, bartender, waitress, belly dancer, singing telegram performer, telephone chat line attendant, and musician.

AWARDS, HONORS: Rookie of the Year, Professional Girls Wrestling Association, 1996; Intercontinental title, 1999, 2000, 2001, Diva of the Year, 1999, and Women's Champion, 2001, all from World Wrestling Federation.

WRITINGS:

(With Michael Angeli) Chyna: If They Only Knew (autobiography), Regan Books (New York, NY), 2001.

SIDELIGHTS: Best known by her wrestling persona name, Chyna, Joanie Laurer was a star in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) from 1997 until she left the sport in 2001. Although she still believes that physical exercise is important, Laurer does not wish to be known only for the well-muscled physique she once proudly displayed in an issue of Playboy. She is happy to have made it to the top of the WWF, where she was the first woman to ever win the Intercontinental title, but wants to do more with her life and has actively pursued an acting career since her retirement. Her desire to be seen as more than the one-dimensional, intimidating Chyna is reflected in her autobiography, Chyna: If They Only Knew.

Chyna tells the story of a bright young woman who excelled in school but was also abused by her parents. Among the setbacks she endured while growing up were fearing cancer when doctors found cysts on her ovaries, struggling with bulimia, and being raped at a party while in college. After her parents divorced, the young Laurer and her siblings had several stepfathers; their own father was an alcoholic who later lied to his daughter that she had a full college scholarship. After graduating from the University of Tampa, she discovered that she owed more than 40,000 dollars in loans. A talented young woman who played the cello, sang, and could speak four languages, Laurer decided to join the Peace Corps after abandoning her dream of working for the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Two months in Guatemala changed her mind, though, and she left the Peace Corps. Jumping from job to job, she tried everything from bartending and music to belly dancing and working for a telephone sex hotline. While training to be a boxer, she met Wladek "Killer" Kowalski, who convinced her to try wrestling.

After gaining experience in a number of minor wrestling leagues, Laurer signed with the WWF in 1997. Because wrestlers for the WWF are always given stage names, she picked the name Chyna from a list of possible choices. The WWF was dominated by male wrestlers, and it took time for Laurer to earn their respect. With the help of other wrestlers such as Hunter Hearst Helmsley (known as Triple H) and Shawn Michaels, as well as her own single-minded determination, she quickly achieved star status. Eventually, though, Laurer tired of being identified only as Chyna, and she began to investigate other pursuits in her life, including acting. As she stated in a Fresno Bee article, "I don't want to live my life as Chyna. That's not who I am." Quitting the WWF officially in 2001, she has since concentrated on acting in films and television and making workout videos. As an actress, Laurer seeks out rolls in entertaining films and is unconcerned about striving for an Oscarwinning performance. "I think I can be the female Arnold Schwarzenegger," she confessed to Ken Hoffman in the Houston Chronicle.

Laurer tells her story, from her grim childhood to her triumphs as a wrestler and beyond, in Chyna. "Nothing is off limits in my book," the former wrestler told Jim Varsallone in the St. Petersburg Times. "It's very candid. It's the story of Joanie Laurer, the story of my life. This is not a sports memoir. The book has stuff about the character Chyna, but it's more about the behind-the-scenes road of how I became Chyna, how I survive in this man's world, what I do and all the ups and downs of my life." Although some reviewers criticized the writing style of the autobiography, several commented that it relates a compelling story that Laurer's fans will enjoy. A Publishers Weekly contributor concluded that the autobiography keeps the author's Chyna image intact while delivering a "deeply personal, poignant and inspirational insight into Joanie Laurer."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

BOOKS

Angeli, Michael, and Joanie Laurer, Chyna: If They Only Knew, Regan Books (New York, NY), 2001.

Contemporary Theatre, Film, and Television, Volume 43, Thomson Gale (Detroit, MI), 2002.

Newsmakers, Issue 4, Thomson Gale (Detroit, MI), 2001.

PERIODICALS

Boston Herald, August 30, 1999, Christopher Cox, "Killer Career Moves: Two Ex-N.H. Residents Tackle WWF Jobs as Chyna and Triple H," p. 33.

Entertainment Weekly, January 19, 2001, review of Chyna, p. 80.

Fresno Bee (Fresno, CA), January 25, 2001, Rick Bentley and Donald Munro, "Smack down the Flab with a WWF Maven," p. E1.

Globe and Mail (Toronto, Ontario, Canada), February 17, 2001, Simon Houpt, "My Name's Not Chyna, It's Joanie! The WWF's Marquee Queen Is a Masochist's Dream, All Leather Binding and Snarling Countenance."

Hollywood Reporter, August 7, 2001, Cynthia Littleton, "Chyna Leaves Ring for Screen," p. 3.

Houston Chronicle, November 22, 2001, Ken Hoffman, "Ex-Wrestler Breaks Chyna-Doll Image," p. 1.

New York Post, August 8, 2001, "Chyna Will Fight No More—WWF Star Quits the Ring to Take on a TV Career," p. 71; November 27, 2001, "Amazon Grace," p. 42.

Publishers Weekly, January 1, 2001, review of Chyna p. 85.

Time, September 27, 1999, Joel Stein, "Chyna," p. 107.

Wrestling Digest, December, 2000, Thomas Chamberlin, "Chyna's Dynasty," p. 20.