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Linda Le

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about an American cosplayer. For the French writer, see Linda Lê.
Linda Le (Vampy)
Linda Le dressed as Psylocke in 2013
Born (1982-12-15) December 15, 1982 (age 43)
Okmulgee, Oklahoma, U.S.
Alma materSan Jose State University
PartnerJesse Yu[2][3]
Modeling information
Height5 ft 2 in (157 cm)[1]
Hair colorBlack
Eye colorBrown[1]

Linda Le (born December 15, 1982) is an American cosplayer, costumer, model, artist, and Internet personality of Vietnamese descent.[4][5] She is also known as Vampy Bit Me,[6] or just Vampy or Vamp; "Vampy" is also a name she has given to her own fictional character persona.[5][7][8]

As a model and cosplayer, Le has been featured in several mainstream magazines including FHM Singapore and Playboy. She is a prominent spokesperson, brand ambassador, and event host for multiple Japanese and American companies, with partnerships including Bandai, Capcom, DC Comics, Kotobukiya, and Udon Entertainment.[9]

Biography

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Early life

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Born in Okmulgee, Oklahoma to a family of Vietnamese immigrants,[5] Le moved to and grew up in San Jose, California[1] where she graduated with a business degree from San Jose State University while doing various odd jobs.[10] She later studied hairstyling from Paul Mitchell's in the U.S., Toni & Guy in London,[5] as well as in Tokyo,[11] before returning to America where she began teaching makeup and modeling. She has been dressing up as classic anime and video game characters since she was 12.[7]

Career

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Linda Le posing as Jun from Gatchaman in 2013

Le's early fame came after some of her cosplays were featured in the showcase book Otacool 2[12] by Japanese toy and collectible company Kotobukiya.[13] Le then collaborated with Street Fighter artist Long Vo to create artwork and a comic for Udon Entertainment's book Vent, as well as with Sideshow Collectibles' sculptor Tim Miller, theCHIVE,[14][15] Gibson Guitar Corporation,[16] KusoVinyl,[7] Myx TV,[17][18] Manga Entertainment UK and Bang Zoom! Entertainment,[19] Jessica Chobot,[20] and other artists and companies in the USA and Japan.[21] Le was part of costume and armor prop-making group Team Mantium Designs,[21] later renamed Mantium Industries,[22] and a video gamer sponsored by Mad Catz.[21]

Le wrote a column for YouBentMyWookie[23] and in 2012 she joined Nerdist Industries to produce Just Cos, an Internet show about the world of cosplay, co-hosted by Chloe Dykstra.[24] Le was a member of Kat Gunn's professional gaming and cosplay team, Less Than 3 (LT3), which was also sponsored by Mad Catz.[25] In 2013, FHM Singapore featured Le in the December issue, including on the cover.[26][27]

Among her popular cosplay performances are Psylocke from X-Men,[28][29][30] and Morrigan Aensland from Darkstalkers.[11][29][31][32] In 2013 interviews, Le said she works "almost 15 hour days" and sleeps a maximum of 4 hours.[27] From 2008 to 2013, she appeared at over 200 American fan conventions.[5]

Amped Asia in 2010 called her "probably the #1 most universally attractive Asian girl on the planet due to her geekiness (and sexiness too)."[32] IGN in 2011 opined "her cosplay skill is off the charts."[11] According to Kotaku in 2012, "Linda is a cosplay machine, renowned not just for the quality of her costumes, but their variety as well;"[33] Kotaku has also previously described her as "incredibly attractive" and her works as "amazing".[34] Asked in 2013 as where she sees herself in 20 years from now, Le answered: "Cosplay is great, but I can't be doing it forever ... Hopefully, I'll have my own costume line, come up with toys and do something related to the arts scene."[5]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Vamp Beauty Linda - Model - San Jose, California, US". ModelMayhem.com. Retrieved 2014-06-24.
  2. ^ Duhaime, Arielle (2013-07-22). "Being Spider Girl: a day at Comic-Con with a master of make-believe". The Verge. Retrieved 2014-06-25.
  3. ^ Kidrobot (26 November 2013). "J★RYU and Vampy Customs for Retail and Web! | Kidrobot Blog". Kidrobot Blog. Blog.kidrobot.com. Retrieved 2014-06-25.
  4. ^ Miniboss (2012-09-12). "Linda Le - Cosplay and Social Media (Part 3)". GameWads. Archived from the original on 2014-12-20. Retrieved 2014-06-24.
  5. ^ a b c d e f Yuen Sin of The Straits Times (2013-09-04). "8 questions with Vampy With Me, AsiaOne Showbiz News". News.asiaone.com. Archived from the original on 2014-11-05. Retrieved 2014-06-24.
  6. ^ "Vampy Bit Me Cosplay Profile". Cosplay News Network. 2017-08-13. Retrieved 2018-10-10.
  7. ^ a b c "Exclusive Interview : Linda Le". KusoPop. 2010-12-13. Archived from the original on 2014-08-17. Retrieved 2014-06-24.
  8. ^ Charles, Chris (2013-11-23). "Linda Le's FHM Cover Shoot". Idol Features. Retrieved 2014-06-24.
  9. ^ NYC, Anime. "Vampy Bit Me". Anime NYC. Retrieved 2026-05-02.
  10. ^ "Vampy Cosplay". GeektheNews. 2012-10-22. Retrieved 2014-06-24.
  11. ^ a b c "Linda Le: Cosplay Extraordinaire - IGN". Uk.ign.com. 2011-03-07. Retrieved 2014-06-24.
  12. ^ "Vampy Bit Me". POPCulture Online. Retrieved 2014-06-24.
  13. ^ "Interview with Vampy Bit Me :: Features :: Around Town". Time Out Singapore. 2013-07-29. Retrieved 2014-06-24.
  14. ^ "linda le the boom headshot girl revealed". theCHIVE. 2010-05-21. Retrieved 2014-06-24.
  15. ^ "Linda Le Chivette of the Week". theCHIVE. 2011-08-25. Retrieved 2014-06-24.
  16. ^ "Impulse Gamer Interviews Linda Le Interview (Vampy Returns)". www.impulsegamer.com. Retrieved 2014-06-24.
  17. ^ "Grow Up Voltron: Falling in Love". YouTube. 2012-08-07. Retrieved 2014-06-24.
  18. ^ "MYX-Rated MYX TV Linda Le aka Vampy Interview". YouTube. 2011-08-21. Retrieved 2014-06-24.
  19. ^ "Freakin' Awesome Network | Interview Time! Vampy". Freakinawesomenetwork.net. 2011-08-03. Retrieved 2014-06-24.
  20. ^ "Halloween Cosplay Blowout - IGN". Uk.ign.com. 2011-10-31. Retrieved 2014-06-24.
  21. ^ a b c "Linda "Vampy Bit Me" Le". Mad Catz. Retrieved 2014-06-24.
  22. ^ "home". Mantiumindustries.com. Archived from the original on 2014-02-12. Retrieved 2014-06-24.
  23. ^ "Linda Le". YBMW. YouBentMyWookie. 10 June 2011. Retrieved 2014-06-24.
  24. ^ "Just Cos and Effect: Dressing the Part with Chloe Dykstra, Linda Le and Seth Herzog « Nerdist". Nerdist.com. 2012-05-18. Archived from the original on 2015-01-08. Retrieved 2014-06-24.
  25. ^ "Mad Catz Announces Partnership with Less Than 3". Madcatz.com. 2013-02-14. Archived from the original on 2016-05-09. Retrieved 2015-09-11.
  26. ^ "Linda Le aka Vampy Bit Me – FHM Magazine (Singapore) – December 2013 Issue". CelebMafia. 2013-12-13. Retrieved 2014-06-24.
  27. ^ a b "Cover Girl: Vampy Bit Me - FHM on xinmsn Lifestyle". Lifestyle.xin.msn.com. 2013-12-02. Archived from the original on 2014-03-11. Retrieved 2014-06-24.
  28. ^ "YBMW Girl Of The Month: Linda 'Vampy' Le". YBMW. YouBentMyWookie. 14 January 2010. Retrieved 2014-06-24.
  29. ^ a b "Cosplay Interview: Linda Le aka Vampy |". Nerdsociety.com. 2010-12-14. Retrieved 2014-06-24.
  30. ^ "Linda Le (Vampy Bit Me) Psylocke Cosplay - SDCC 2013". GameSpot. Retrieved 2013-10-20.
  31. ^ "Interview de Vampy (Linda Le) - Blogs - Forums de discussion jeux vidéo Gamekult". Gamekult.com. Retrieved 2014-06-24.
  32. ^ a b "Linda Le aka Vampy". Amped Asia. 2010-10-07. Retrieved 2014-06-24.
  33. ^ Luke Plunkett (2012-04-02). "The Very Best In Cosplay: Linda Le". Kotaku.com. Retrieved 2014-06-24.
  34. ^ Mike Fahey (2010-08-24). "One Mother Loving EarthBound Cosplayer". Kotaku.com. Retrieved 2014-06-24.
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