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China Wing Kantner is an American actress in television, theatre and film. She is also a former
MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...
VJ, sometimes credited on-screen as China Slick Kantner.


Biography

Kantner was born in
San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
, California, the daughter of two
Jefferson Airplane Jefferson Airplane was an American rock band based in San Francisco, California, that became one of the pioneering bands of psychedelic rock. Formed in 1965, the group defined the San Francisco Sound and was the first from the Bay Area to ac ...
and
Jefferson Starship Jefferson Starship is an American rock band from San Francisco, California, formed in 1974 by a group of musicians including former members of Jefferson Airplane. Between 1974 and 1984, they released eight gold or platinum-selling studio albu ...
bandmembers, singer
Grace Slick Grace Slick (born Grace Barnett Wing; October 30, 1939) is an American singer-songwriter, artist, and painter. Slick was a key figure in San Francisco's early psychedelic music scene in the mid-1960s. With a music career spanning four decades, s ...
(born Grace Wing) and guitarist
Paul Kantner Paul Lorin Kantner (March 17, 1941 – January 28, 2016) was an American rock musician. He is best known as the co-founder, rhythm guitarist, and vocalist of Jefferson Airplane, a leading psychedelic rock band of the counterculture era. He cont ...
. She is a native of San Francisco, living first in the city itself, and later in
Mill Valley Mill Valley is a city in Marin County, California, United States, located about north of San Francisco via the Golden Gate Bridge and from Napa Valley. The population was 14,231 at the 2020 census. Mill Valley is located on the western and ...
. She has an older half-brother, Gareth Alexander Kantner, who works in the film industry. A common misbelief is that her name was originally "god" (with a small "g"), and was only later changed to "China". However,
Jeff Tamarkin Jeff Tamarkin is an American editor, author and historian specializing in music and popular culture. Career For 15 years Tamarkin was editor of '' Goldmine'', a magazine for record and CD collectors. Prior to that, he served as the first editor ...
's 2003 book on the history of Jefferson Airplane, ''Got a Revolution: The Turbulent Flight of Jefferson Airplane'', explains this resulted from a sardonic remark made by her mother to a nurse. Later in her MTV career, she was credited simply as "China Kantner". In January 1988, she was interviewed by
Jonathan King Jonathan King (born Kenneth George King; 6 December 1944) is an English singer, songwriter and record producer. He first came to prominence in 1965 when "Everyone's Gone to the Moon", a song that he wrote and sang while still an undergraduate, ...
for the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
TV show ''Entertainment USA'' as part of a feature on the children of rock stars working as MTV VJs. During this interview, she stated that, while she initially did not like her name, she grew to like it as she got older. She first appeared as an infant on the cover of the Kantner/Slick 1971 solo LP ''
Sunfighter ''Sunfighter'' is a 1971 album created by Paul Kantner and Grace Slick from Jefferson Airplane. The album was released shortly after the Airplane album '' Bark'' was released, and is the second record released on the Airplane's own Grunt vanity l ...
''. She has been given co-songwriting credits by her father on several of his songs. She also sang a song on his 1983 album ''
Planet Earth Rock and Roll Orchestra The Planet Earth Rock and Roll Orchestra (PERRO) is a nickname given to some artists who recorded together in the early 1970s. They were predominantly members of Jefferson Airplane, the Grateful Dead, Quicksilver Messenger Service, and Crosby, ...
''.


MTV and radio

In July 1986, she appeared as a guest VJ on MTV, which led to her making regular appearances for the next four years during her summer vacations. When she started working for the station at the age of 15, she was, at the time, the youngest MTV VJ ever. As an MTV VJ, she interviewed her father for the MTV ''Summer of Love'' 20th anniversary celebrations. For a while around 1989, she also presented a Saturday night phone-in request show on a local Bay Area radio station, KRQR-FM.


Acting

Having started off acting in school plays, Kantner has appeared in several movies (such as ''
Airheads ''Airheads'' is a 1994 American comedy film written by Rich Wilkes, directed by Michael Lehmann, and starring Brendan Fraser, Steve Buscemi, Adam Sandler, Chris Farley, Ernie Hudson, Michael McKean, Judd Nelson, Michael Richards, Amy Locane and ...
'', ''
The Stoned Age ''The Stoned Age'' is a 1994 American comedy film directed by James Melkonian, following two long-haired stoners who spend a night touring the suburbs of Los Angeles, looking for alcohol, parties, and young women. Plot The film is set in Torra ...
'' and ''
The Evening Star ''The Evening Star'' is a 1996 American comedy-drama film. It is a sequel to the Academy Award-winning 1983 film ''Terms of Endearment'' starring Shirley MacLaine, who reprises the role of Aurora Greenway, for which she won an Oscar in the origin ...
''), television
sitcom A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ne ...
s (notably ''
Home Improvement The concept of home improvement, home renovation, or remodeling is the process of renovating or making additions to one's home. Home improvement can consist of projects that upgrade an existing home interior (such as electrical and plumbing), ...
'') and stage plays. Between acting roles, she studied psychology at
Santa Monica College Santa Monica College (SMC) is a Public university, public, community college in Santa Monica, California. Founded as a Junior college#United States, junior college in 1929, SMC enrolls over 30,000 students in more than 90 fields of study. Althoug ...
, having relocated from San Francisco to
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
in the early 1990s. Her 1998 appearance in season seven of ''
Home Improvement The concept of home improvement, home renovation, or remodeling is the process of renovating or making additions to one's home. Home improvement can consist of projects that upgrade an existing home interior (such as electrical and plumbing), ...
'' as the recurring character Willow Branch Leaf Wilson (she 'pruned' the name back to Willow Wilson) was her final professional acting role, and she has now retired from acting. In late 2001, following an interview in '' Vanity Fair'', she also stopped giving interviews. She did, however, provide a few brief quotes for Jeff Tamarkin's book on the history of Jefferson Airplane.


Personal life

Like her mother, Kantner has, over the years, struggled with
alcoholism Alcoholism is, broadly, any drinking of alcohol (drug), alcohol that results in significant Mental health, mental or physical health problems. Because there is disagreement on the definition of the word ''alcoholism'', it is not a recognize ...
. She has been
sober In cryptography, SOBER is a family of stream ciphers initially designed by Greg Rose of QUALCOMM Australia starting in 1997. The name is a contrived acronym for ''S''eventeen ''O''ctet ''B''yte ''E''nabled ''R''egister. Initially the cipher wa ...
since about 1998. She contributed a section to the book ''Playing It Straight'' by David Dodd, alongside her mother and other recovering
substance abuse Substance abuse, also known as drug abuse, is the use of a drug in amounts or by methods which are harmful to the individual or others. It is a form of substance-related disorder. Differing definitions of drug abuse are used in public health, ...
rs such as
Dennis Hopper Dennis Lee Hopper (May 17, 1936 – May 29, 2010) was an American actor, filmmaker and photographer. He attended the Actors Studio, made his first television appearance in 1954, and soon after appeared in ''Giant'' (1956). In the next ten years ...
,
Steven Tyler Steven Victor Tallarico (born March 26, 1948), known professionally as Steven Tyler, is an American singer, best known as the lead singer of the Boston-based rock band Aerosmith, in which he also plays the harmonica, piano, and percussion. ...
, and
Ozzy Osbourne John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne (born 3 December 1948) is an English singer, songwriter, and television personality. He rose to prominence during the 1970s as the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Black Sabbath, during which period he adop ...
. In 1999, she married a Los Angeles dentist, Jamie Azdair, although the couple divorced in 2006. While they were married, she preferred to be known by her married name of China Azdair. On April 13, 2011, Kantner married actor and producer Seth Isler and now prefers to be known as China Isler. After retiring from acting, she studied art history at
UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...
. In 2007, she obtained a degree in Christian theology (with a minor in English) at
Loyola Marymount University Loyola Marymount University (LMU) is a private Jesuit and Marymount research university in Los Angeles, California. It is located on the west side of the city near Playa Vista. LMU is the parent school to Loyola Law School, which is located ...
. In a 2007 interview, her mother stated, "My daughter loves studying Jesus. Some friends of hers turn their nose up at that. They don't understand that she is not talking about churches and what churches say; she is studying the actual words and message of Jesus." Since graduation Kantner became a Minister of Substance Use Disorder and Recovery at UrbanMission in
Pomona, California Pomona is a city in Los Angeles County, California. Pomona is located in the Pomona Valley, between the Inland Empire and the San Gabriel Valley. At the 2020 census, the city's population was 151,713. The main campus of California State Polyte ...
; as of 2017, being the Faith Leader/Liaison at Facing Addiction.


Musical career

Kantner has, over the years, made several contributions to the music of
Jefferson Starship Jefferson Starship is an American rock band from San Francisco, California, formed in 1974 by a group of musicians including former members of Jefferson Airplane. Between 1974 and 1984, they released eight gold or platinum-selling studio albu ...
as both songwriter and singer. However, she has also commented in interviews that she has no real musical aspirations of her own, claiming that she cannot sing very well. She has also said that having well-known musicians for parents actually lost her several parts, as directors automatically assumed she was also musical. Kantner has several songwriting credits on various Jefferson Starship albums. The first is for the song "Don't Let It Rain", from the 1976 album ''
Spitfire The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft used by the Royal Air Force and other Allied countries before, during, and after World War II. Many variants of the Spitfire were built, from the Mk 1 to the Rolls-Royce Griff ...
''. This was followed by credits for "Things to Come" (''
Freedom at Point Zero ''Freedom at Point Zero'' is the fifth album by Jefferson Starship and was released in 1979. It was the first album for new lead singer Mickey Thomas, and the first after both Grace Slick and Marty Balin left the previous year (Slick rejoined the ...
'', 1979), "Out of Control" ('' Winds of Change'', 1982), and "The Sky Is No Limit" on her father's 1983 solo album ''
Planet Earth Rock and Roll Orchestra The Planet Earth Rock and Roll Orchestra (PERRO) is a nickname given to some artists who recorded together in the early 1970s. They were predominantly members of Jefferson Airplane, the Grateful Dead, Quicksilver Messenger Service, and Crosby, ...
''. Kantner appeared as credited lead vocalist on the song "Declaration Of Independence" and contributing vocalist on "The Sky Is No Limit" and "Let's Go", all of which appear on ''Planet Earth Rock And Roll Orchestra''. She also made an uncredited appearance on the songs "Wooden Ships" and "Volunteers" on the 1995 live album ''Deep Space/Virgin Sky'', which was later re-released in an expanded form as ''Deeper Space/Extra Virgin Sky''.


Career

Theater According to her agency resume, Kantner appeared in the following productions: * ''Batman'' - The Ensemble Theatre Company, San Francisco, California. * ''Flying Hormones'' - The Ensemble Theatre Company, San Francisco, California. * ''Touch Me'' - The Ensemble Theatre Company, San Francisco, California. * ''The Two Orphans'' - The Ensemble Theatre Company, San Francisco, California. Television Kantner has appeared as an actress in the following TV shows: * ''
Monty Monty is a masculine given name, often a short form of Montgomery, Montague and other similar names. It is also a surname. Notable people with the name or nickname include: First name Nickname * Bernard Montgomery (1887–1976), British Secon ...
'', as Geena (series regular), Touchstone/Fox Broadcasting, 1994. * ''
Murphy Brown ''Murphy Brown'' is an American television sitcom created by Diane English that premiered on November 14, 1988, on CBS. The series stars Candice Bergen as the eponymous Murphy Brown, a famous investigative journalist and news anchor for ''FYI'', a ...
'', as Beth (guest star), Warner Brothers/CBS TV, 1996. * ''
Too Something ''Too Something'' (also known as ''New York Daze'') is an American sitcom that aired Sunday at 8:30 on the Fox network in October 1995 and again from May 26 to June 30, 1996. Premise The show centered on Eric McDougal, a would-be author, and Donn ...
'' (aka ''New York Daze''), as Jennifer (guest star), Warner Brothers/Fox Broadcasting, 1996. * '' L.A. Firefighters'', as Flame (recurring character), 20th Century Fox/Fox Broadcasting, 1996. * ''
Grace Under Fire ''Grace Under Fire'' is an American sitcom that aired on ABC from September 29, 1993, to February 17, 1998. The show starred Brett Butler as a single mother learning how to cope with raising her three children alone after finally divorcing her ...
'', as Waitress (guest star), Carsey-Werner/ABC TV, 1997. * ''
Home Improvement The concept of home improvement, home renovation, or remodeling is the process of renovating or making additions to one's home. Home improvement can consist of projects that upgrade an existing home interior (such as electrical and plumbing), ...
'', as Willow Branch Leaf Wilson (recurring character), ABC TV, 1998. She has also appeared as herself as a guest or contributor on the following shows: * ''China Kantner's Guest VJ Hour'', MTV, July 1986 to circa 1990. * ''Behind The Music - Jefferson Airplane'', VH1 TV, April 5, 1998. * ''The Home & Family Show'', The Family Channel, July 6, 1998. * ''Politically Incorrect'', ABC TV, November 26, 1999. Film Kantner has appeared in the following films: * ''
Three of Hearts Hearts (french: Cœur, german: Herz) is one of the four suits in playing cards of both the French deck and the German deck. However, the symbol is slightly different: in a French deck and in a German-suited deck. In Bridge, for which in Germ ...
'', as unknown character, New Line Films, 1993. * ''
The Stoned Age ''The Stoned Age'' is a 1994 American comedy film directed by James Melkonian, following two long-haired stoners who spend a night touring the suburbs of Los Angeles, looking for alcohol, parties, and young women. Plot The film is set in Torra ...
'' (aka ''Tack's Chicks''), as Jill, Trimark Films, 1994. * ''
Airheads ''Airheads'' is a 1994 American comedy film written by Rich Wilkes, directed by Michael Lehmann, and starring Brendan Fraser, Steve Buscemi, Adam Sandler, Chris Farley, Ernie Hudson, Michael McKean, Judd Nelson, Michael Richards, Amy Locane and ...
'', as Female Rocker, 20th Century Fox, 1994. * '' S.F.W.'', as Female Pantyhose Gunman, Black Dog Productions, 1994. * ''
Grace of My Heart ''Grace of My Heart'' is a 1996 American musical comedy-drama film written and directed by Allison Anders and starring Illeana Douglas, Matt Dillon, Eric Stoltz, Patsy Kensit, and John Turturro. The film charts the music career of Denise Waverly ...
'', as Singer on beach, Universal Pictures, 1996. * ''
The Evening Star ''The Evening Star'' is a 1996 American comedy-drama film. It is a sequel to the Academy Award-winning 1983 film ''Terms of Endearment'' starring Shirley MacLaine, who reprises the role of Aurora Greenway, for which she won an Oscar in the origin ...
'', as Jane, Paramount Pictures, 1996.


References

Notes Bibliography * * Brown, A. (November 2000). "Moon, I'll Get It - The China Kantner Story" Liverpool, UK: ''Holding Together'' magazine * Dodd, D. (1996). ''Playing It Straight.'' Deerfield Beach, Florida: HCI. * Kantner, C. (2008). Official MySpace profile. * Paradigm Talent and Literary Agency (1998). "Resume: China Kantner" * Tamarkin, J. (2003). ''Got A Revolution: The Turbulent Flight Of Jefferson Airplane.'' New York: Atria Books.


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kantner, China Living people American film actresses American television actresses Songwriters from California VJs (media personalities) Actresses from San Francisco People from Mill Valley, California Jefferson Starship members Tamalpais High School alumni 21st-century American women Year of birth missing (living people) Redwood High School (Larkspur, California) alumni