Maila Nurmi

Maila Elizabeth Syrjäniemi (December 11, 1922 – January 10, 2008), known professionally as Maila Nurmi, was a Finnish-American actress and television personality. Her fame springs from her creation of the 1950s television character Vampira, later imitated in the 1980s by Cassandra Peterson as Elvira, Mistress of the Dark.

Maila Nurmi in 1947

Quotes

• A scar on the hand the hand might be quite continental,
  But demons are a ghoul's best friend.
  • Vampira (Maila Nurmi)—Rare 1988 TV Interview, James Dean. Alan Eichler, YouTube (21 December 2016). (quote at 3:42)

• Well, apparently, I was instantly a sensation. Even Life Magazine came and photographed me — five pages in Life ... fan clubs all over the world ... almost immediately, I was blacklisted and never worked again — except, once, for Liberace.
  • Vampira in "The Haunted World of Ed Wood". The-Vampira-Show.tumblr, YouTube (20 March 2017). (quote at 3:22)

External links

• Maila Nurmi on IMDb