Search results
Maila Elizabeth Syrjäniemi (December 11, 1922 – January 10, 2008), [1] known professionally as Maila Nurmi, was an American-Finn [2] actress who created the campy 1950s character Vampira. She was raised in Astoria, Oregon , where she worked in tuna and salmon canneries.
Maila Nurmi. Actress: Vampira Returns. The original glamour ghoul herself, "Vampira", of late night 1950s television, was actually born Maila Syrjäniemi (later changed to the easier surname Nurmi) on December 11, 1922 in Gloucester, Massachusetts (not Finland as she often claimed).
Many actors spend decades building impressive careers, but all Maila Nurmi needed was one night to create a legend. Most famous as the woman behind Vampira, television’s first horror host, Nurmi's life was like one long Halloween party—in the best and worst ways.
Oct 11, 2023 · Vampira hobbed-knobbed with celebrities and made guest appearances on popular network shows. However, Maila Nurmi, the quick-witted woman in the skin-tight black dress, remained a mystery. As Vampira's creator, Nurmi was consumed by the role, rarely appearing in public out of character.
Maila Nurmi. Actress: Vampira Returns. The original glamour ghoul herself, "Vampira", of late night 1950s television, was actually born Maila Syrjäniemi (later changed to the easier surname Nurmi) on December 11, 1922 in Gloucester, Massachusetts (not Finland as she often claimed).
Jan 12, 2021 · In "Glamour Ghoul," a niece of Maila Nurmi — better known as Vampira — documents the exciting, fraught Hollywood life of a bygone horror camp icon.
In 1954, a 31-year old former model, nightclub coat-check attendant and necktie painter named Maila Nurmi attended a Hollywood party with her husband, actor-writer Dean Riesner. She made her own vampire costume, inspired by the cartoons of Charles Addams, out of fabric scraps.
Jan 16, 2008 · Maila Nurmi, whose “Vampira” TV persona pioneered the spooky-yet-sexy Goth aesthetic, has died, coroner’s officials said. She was 85. Nurmi died Thursday afternoon at her Hollywood home, Los ...
Jan 16, 2008 · In the early days of television, when horror movies were often campy by nature, actress Maila Nurmi created the character Vampira, a glamorous ghoul who as hostess of late-night fright films in...
Jan 16, 2008 · LOS ANGELES — Maila Nurmi, whose “Vampira” TV persona pioneered the spooky-yet-sexy Goth aesthetic, has died, coroner’s officials said. She was 85.