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Maila Nurmi

Film Actress / Television Actress | * 12/11/1922 († 85, 01/10/2008) | Petsamo (Finland)
Maila Elizabeth Syrjäniemi (December 11, 1922 – January 10, 2008), known professionally as Maila Nurmi, was an American 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. After several minor film roles, she found success with her Vampira character, television's first horror host. Nurmi hosted her own series, The Vampira Show, from 1954 to 1955, on KABC-TV. After the show's cancellation, she appeared in the 1959 cult film Plan 9 from Outer Space, directed by Ed Wood. She is also billed as Vampira, despite not playing the character, in the 1959 films The Beat Generation, where she plays a beatnik poet, and crime film The Big Operator. She was portrayed by Lisa Marie in Tim Burton's 1994 biopic, Ed Wood. ()
Photo of Maila Nurmi

Maila Elizabeth Syrjäniemi known professionally as Maila Nurmi, was a Finnish-American actress and television personality who created the campy 1950s character Vampira.

Most frequent genres for this person: Documentaries | Comedies | Horror

Known for these Movies & Shows

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Movies with Maila Nurmi as Actress(16)

as herself2013 Vampira and Me
as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)2013 Crystal Lake Memories: The Complete History of Friday the 13th
as Herself / 'Vampira'2006 American Scary
as herself2006 Vampira: The Movie
as Woman in Hotel Lobby1998 I Woke Up Early the Day I Died
as Mother (uncredited)1986 Population: 1
as The Hag / Sorceress1962 The Magic Sword
as Etta Toodie1960 Sex Kittens Go to College
as Poetess1959 The Beat Generation
as Gina1959 The Big Operator
as Vampire Girl1959 Plan 9 from Outer Space
as Ship Passenger (uncredited)1948 Romance on the High Seas

Full Name: Maila Nurmi
Born: Monday, 12/11 1922 (December) in Petsamo (Finland)
Died: Thursday, 01/10 2008 (January) in Los Angeles (aged: 85)
Zodiac sign: Sagittarius (Chinese zodiac sign: Dog)
Languages: English (EN)
Educated at: Astoria High School
Spouses (current/former): Dean Riesner, Fabrizio Mioni
Other names for Maila Nurmi (nicknames, foreign languages etc.):
"Vampira"
Maila Nurmi frequently works together with these people:
Albert Zugsmith (5x, Crew)
Brett Thompson (4x, Crew)
Ray Greene (4x, Crew)
Lindsey Petersen (4x, Crew)
Conrad Brooks (4x, Actor)
Bert I. Gordon (4x, Crew)
Carel Struycken (3x, Actor)
Paul Marco (3x, Actor)
Lee Harris (3x, Cast)
WatchPlayStream ID: PEOPLE:306042, Added: 08/13/2018, Last updated: 03/05/2024