Hyapatia Lee

About Hyapatia Lee

Hyapatia Lee was a multi-talented performer from an early age—showing skills as a dancer, actress, choreographer, musician and singer; in fact, while in high school, she performed in several musicals. Entering the adult film business in 1983, Hyapatia worked during the "Golden Age of Porn" when, as she stated, "...we made real movies that just happened to have sex in them."

Adult Career: Film Studios and Top Rated Porn Movies
At the beginning of her career (entering the scene with then husband, Bud Lee)she played Jane, a long-hair seductress who had a very hot scene with Randy West, and in the same year appeared in Bob Chinn’s The Young Like It Hot alongside her husband. In 1984, she appeared in the movie Sweet Young Foxes—at the same time featured in Penthouse magazine, in the same September 1984 issue that exposed Miss America 1984, Vanessa Williams. After Bud Lee moved to the director's chair in 1985, he and Hyapatia starred in one of the most expensive adult movie productions of the time Ribald Tales of Canterbury, loosely based on Geoffrey Chaucer and scripted by the lady herself. (The movie had a $300,000 budget.) Hyapatia also gave exemplary performances in films like Anthony Spinelli's Red Garter and Bob Chinn's Let's Get Physical. In the following years, she appeared only as a star in high-value movies produced by adult studios like Vivid, VCA, and Wicked. Her inclusion into the Legends of Porn 2 compilation series has served as further proof of her immense popularity during the 80's. Her last title was Bud Lee’s Centerfold (1993) and in Burgundy Blues, filmed the same year, Hyapatia showed off her musical talents—a sign of things to come.

Quirky Facts
Hyapatia won the Miss Nude Galaxy contest in Roselawn, IN, in both 1979 and 1981—the first person to win the title twice.

Porn Awards
Hyapatia Lee won numerous awards, including:
1991 AVN Best Actress The Masseuse
1993 F.O.X.E Female Fan Favorite
Member AVN Hall of Fame (1993)
Member XRCO Hall of Fame (1994)

Life After Porn
In the early 90s she decided to retire from the adult scene, having directed two movies of her own, citing the decreasing production values in the adult industry and having divorced Bud Lee in 1993. Despite the separation, Hyapatia has returned to her native Indiana—land she purchased with her ex-husband—to reside with her three children. However, after this retirement she chose to continue mainstream performance in theaters, in musicals and shows. In 2011 she appeared in new, non-nude photos on the July issue of Hustler magazine, and on TV in "The Bill Cunningham Show;" and in 2013, appeared in an episode of the television series Gigolos under her real name.

Heritage
Lee claims to be of Irish and Cherokee descent and has been billed as the most popular Native American adult star of all time. She often wore native outfits in adult shoots or while dancing, and some of her roles referenced her having Cherokee heritage. No official Cherokee tribe though recognizes her and she is considered "self-identifying" as native and not part of any tribe. Lee though portrays herself as Cherokee and Native American and is active in various native causes. She is the founder of Native Strength, an alternative approach to the contemporary mental health care system based on ancient wisdom.