Prince: Biography

African-American rock star Prince came into this world as Prince Roger Nelson; he was named for the Prince Roger Trio, a musical aggregation for which his father played. In light of his carefully cultivated public image -- the arrogant aloofness, the covey of bodyguards, the overemphasized androgyny -- it is sometimes easy to forget that Prince is uncommonly talented; in addition to his singing and composing skills, he is proficient at two dozen musical instruments. Prince's 1978 recording debut came and went without fanfare, but his third album, Dirty Mind, topped the charts. Even more popular was his sixth album, the double-Grammy winner Purple Rain, which of course was derived from his 1984 debut film -- which won an Oscar for Original Song Score. Though he insisted that Purple Rain was purely a work of fiction, the story line involves a young black pop singer from Minneapolis whose father is a traditionalist musician, so draw your own conclusions. Prince not only starred in his next picture, Under the Cherry Moon (1985), but also directed. Lensed in black-and-white, the film is a stylish hark-back to the film noir of the late '40s, far better directed than its detractors would have you believe; however, Prince the director would have been better off firing Prince the actor. Prince's last film work was Graffiti Bridge (1990), a sequel to Purple Rain. Later, Prince would change his name to an unpronouncable sign (a combination of the male-female symbol), although he was usually referred to as "the Artist Formerly Known as Prince". In 1999, he changed his name back to Prince. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide