By Shawn Hogendorf, Staff Writer 

Cheyenne King of Prior Lake is living her dream.

King woke up one morning three years ago at a “life-changing moment” and decided she wanted to be an actress. By 6 p.m. that day, King had an audition and was cast in her first role on a movie set as a bar patron in the movie “Older than America” by Tribal Alliance Productions.

King went on to be cast in her first starring role in the movie “Fist of the Vampire,” for which she studied martial arts and power moves and learned how to handle guns.

From there, King said she just kept on “crashing local movie auditions” and did a lot of networking on MySpace, a social networking Web site. After setting up her Web page, she began getting work as a model, an actress in music videos and her second starring role in a movie called “Demons Rising.”

But that’s not all. King is also a comic book hero.

In her first role as a comic book hero in “Her Majesty and the Fish” by Catapult Comics, King modeled in front of a green screen, and the photo images of her were turned into computer images for the comic.

“The green screen is so fun to work in front of because it leaves everything up to the imagination,” she said.

King also will be the main character in a comic book in creation called “Tribal Force,” by Jon Proudstar Company. She plays the role of Thunderwolf Woman, a 500-year-old assassin warrior by night and “Cheyenne King” by day.

“When I learned the character was going to have my name, I just started crying,” King said.

Her character in “Tribal Force” starts out as a villain, but by the end she is a hero who helps.

King said her daughters Archelle, 13, and Sophia, 5, love seeing their mother in movies and comic books. More often than not, Sophia will put on King’s old costumes and reenact parts King played in a movie or imitate her mother while she practices her model walk at home.

“It’s so cute,” she said.

This January, King will head to Pennsylvania to film another movie called “Wendigo” by Killer Wolf Films. The film is about Ojibwe Native American Tribe folklore about a half human, half animal capable of human spiritual possession.

King also keeps busy with numerous modeling jobs around the Twin Cities, where she’s represented by Talent Poole in St. Paul and Agency Model and Talent in Minneapolis. She has recently done photo shoots for local guitarist David Kline Jr. and his custom guitars and nationally for Jason Becker Merchandise.

King also starred in the music video “Forever” by Shawn Michael Perry.

“I always wanted to be Tawny Kitaen in the Whitesnake videos,” she said. “I always wanted to be a beautiful woman everyone was after.”

King got that chance in “Forever,” shot in Sedona. She finally had her chance to wear all the pretty dresses and act vulnerable, she said.

“It was quite a change from being tough and studying martial arts for a role,” she said.

Through it all, King keeps a level head.

“In three years, I have done just about everything I wanted. As long as I can work to support my two daughters and act, I am happy,” she said. “I am grateful and happy for everything. My kids, family and health always come first and foremost. Everything else is such a blessing.”

Q and A with

Cheyenne King

What is your favorite movie?

I really like “Gigi,” “Grease” and “Chicago,” but there are just so many to choose from that I can’t pick one.

Who is your favorite comic book hero?

Wonder Woman.

What’s your favorite dance to perform?

The fancy shawl.

What’s something most people don’t know about you?

I really, really love lifting weights. It’s fun. I used to hate it, and now I love being healthy. It really changes your life.

Who is your hero?

My friend Sasha, who I have been friends with since kindergarten and remain best friends with.

What is your favorite thing to do in your free time?

Spend time with my family.

What’s your dream vacation?

Going to Italy with my two girls.

 Shawn Hogendorf can be reached at (952) 345-6374 or shogendorf@swpub.com.