Maila Nurmi (born Maila Syrjäniemi, December 21, 1921 in Petsamo, Finland — now Pechenga, Russia) created the well-remembered 1950s character of Vampira. Her portrayal of this character on television and in films was influential over decades that followed.

Early life

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Born Maila Syrjäniemi, she is the niece of famed Finnish athlete Paavo Nurmi who began setting long-distance running world records in 1921, the year of her birth. She came to the United States with her family when she was two years old. 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 If Winter Comes (1947), starring Walter Pidgeon, Deborah Kerr and Janet Leigh. She was acquainted with Marilyn Monroe when she was still called Norma Jean, and she comforted Elvis Presley after he was booed during his performance at the Las Vegas Hilton in 1961. During the early 1950s, she was close friends with James Dean, and they hung out together at Googie's coffee shop on the corner of Crescent Heights and Sunset Boulevard. Vampira's explanation for their friendship: "We have the same neuroses." Dean commented, "I have a fairly adequate knowledge of satanic forces, and I was interested to find out if this girl was obsessed with such a force."

Origin of Vampira

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The idea for the Vampira character was born in 1953 when Nurmi attended choreographer Lester Horton's annual Bal Caribe Masquerade in a costume inspired by a character in The New Yorker cartoons by Charles Addams. Her appearance with pale white skin and tight black dress caught the attention of television producer Hunt Stromberg, Jr., who wanted to hire her to host horror movies on the Los Angeles television station KABC-TV, but Stromberg had no idea how to contact her. He finally got her phone number from Rudi Gernreich, later famed as the designer of the topless swimsuit. The name Vampira was the invention of Nurmi's husband, Dean Reisner (1918-2002), screenwriter of Dirty Harry, Charley Varrick, Play Misty For Me and numerous other movies and TV episodes.

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