Maila Nurmi

Maila Nurmi (December 11, 1922 – January 10, 2008) was a Finnish-American actress, who created the campy 1950s character Vampira. Her portrayal of this character as television's first horror host and in the Ed Wood cult film Plan 9 from Outer Space was influential over the decades that followed. Born as Maila Elizabeth Syrjäniemi, she claimed to be the niece of the Finnish athlete Paavo Nurmi, who began setting long-distance running world records... more

Maila Nurmi (December 11, 1922 – January 10, 2008) was a Finnish-American actress, who created the campy 1950s character Vampira. Her portrayal of this character as television's first horror host and in the Ed Wood cult film Plan 9 from Outer Space was influential over the decades that followed. Born as Maila Elizabeth Syrjäniemi, she claimed to be the niece of the Finnish athlete Paavo Nurmi, who began setting long-distance running world records in 1921, the year before her birth. She moved to the United States with her family when she was two years old and grew up in Ashtabula, Ohio, home to the largest Finnish-American community in the state. She attended high school in Astoria, Oregon for at least several years, before arriving in Los Angeles at age 17. She modeled for Alberto Vargas, Bernard of Hollywood and Man Ray, gaining a foothold in the film industry with an uncredited role in Victor Saville's 1947 film, If Winter Comes. She reportedly was fired by Mae West from the cast of... less