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Maila Elizabeth Syrjäniemi (December 11, 1922 – January 10, 2008), known professionally as Maila Nurmi, was an American-Finn actress who created the campy 1950s character Vampira. She was raised in Astoria, Oregon, where she worked in tuna and salmon canneries. She relocated to Los Angeles in 1940, with hopes of becoming an actress.
Maila Nurmi was the original "Vampira" of 1950s TV horror shows and Plan 9 from Outer Space. She was born in Massachusetts, married a screenwriter, and became an animal rights activist and painter.
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- Gloucester, Massachusetts, USA
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- Los Angeles, California, USA
Oct 11, 2023 · Maila Nurmi was a Finnish-American actress who invented the iconic horror host character Vampira in 1954. Learn about her life, career, and the controversies surrounding her legacy in this article.
- William J. Wright
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.
Oct 29, 2015 · Before she ascended to infamy at the helm of The Vampira Show, Nurmi grew up the gawky daughter of immigrant parents, escaping from her small life to find fame in Los Angeles.
Jan 12, 2021 · Maila Nurmi hanging from her feet as Vampira in a photo from the biography “Glamour Ghoul.” (Feral House) She was “the first Goth,” says Sandra Niemi, Nurmi’s niece and now her biographer.
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...
