Norman Korpi (born 1967, in Wakefield, Michigan) is an American
painter, fashion designer, filmmaker and reality television star. He
is best known for being one of the original cast members/roommates on
the first season of the MTV reality show The Real World.Korpi grew up
in Williamston, Michigan and began painting at an early age. By his
early teens he was painting murals on buildings in the city. He
studied painting and photography at the Interlochen Arts Academy, and
in 1985 he became a Presidential Scholar in the Arts. By the time of
his graduation one of his sculptures was a permanent part of the
collection at the Grand Traverse Center for the Performing Arts.Korpi
grew up in Williamston, Michigan and began painting at an early age.
By his early teens he was painting murals on buildings in the city. He
studied painting and photography at the Interlochen Arts Academy, and
in 1985 he became a Presidential Scholar in the Arts. By the time of
his graduation one of his sculptures was a permanent part of the
collection at the Grand Traverse Center for the Performing Arts.Korpi
studied photography at New York City's Cooper Union, and in 1988 he
received full fellowship at Yale's Norfolk program. In 1992 Korpi
co-developed a clothing and furnishings design firm called Gouda;
their jacket outerwear line, called State to State, became popular
enough to be sold at outlets like Sharper Image and Bloomingdales, and
were worn in public by people including Barbara Bush and rapper
Yo-Yo.In May 1992 Korpi was chosen as one of the cast members on MTV's
The Real World. The show was filmed in New York City, where Korpi was
placed in a loft with six strangers (and his dog Gouda, the namesake
of his design firm). His housemates included a female rapper, a
fitness model, an alternative music singer and an aspiring dancer from
Alabama. Korpi was one of the first openly gay people to appear on
television as himself, though the show portrayed him as being
bisexual. One of the men Korpi dated was Charles Perez, who would
later go on to host a talk show. Norman Korpi Top Movies & Young Movies