Being Andy Warhol

An Actor Leads the Glamourless Life

by Sharon Nichols and photographs by Fionn Reilly, December 27, 2006

It’s not easy hooking up with the actor most widely known as Warhol’s official impersonator—he has no phone or internet access and he doesn’t drive. His studio apartment is a miniscule cube bathed in blinding morning light. A variety of well-tended plants bask in the space, and the room is tidy. Furniture is minimal—in a corner, a tripled-over mattress shrouded in Southwestern linens constitutes a bed. A tiny table with two chairs doubles as dining and lounge. The kitchen is filled more with artwork than appliances. The mat in front of the apartment door across the hall says No Smoking. Midgette lights up a cigarette after inviting me in, beginning the story about his life as a movie star in Italy and his years as a Warhol “Superstar.” I listen intently for four hours as he chain-smokes. He seems conflicted, even disgusted, at the turn of events that constitute his career. Though he considers his Italian films to be his best work, he is haunted by a past that won’t die—that of being Andy Warhol. Warhol was almost as famous for using people as he was for his Campbell’s Soup cans—rarely was anyone compensated, monetarily or otherwise. Midgette couldn’t afford an agent or manager to help him, and he used the Warhol persona to get money where he could. “I helped Andy become recognized, but he helped me to remain unrecognized,” scoffs Midgette. He intends to go public with his story soon. New Jersey-born Midgette planned to be a commercial artist but had no formal training. He chose to study acting in New York City instead, though classes only taught him to be more neurotic about acting. His first audition was with Jerome Robbins for the role of Tony in the film West Side Story. (He was ultimately cast as an extra.) Johnny Nicholson, owner of the Café Nicholson, offered him a ticket to Italy, and he decided to take the adventure.