Hollywood Forever Cemetery, Hollywood, California

MAILA NURMI

1922 – 2008

VAMPIRA

HOLLYWOOD LEGEND

At a masquerade party hosted by choreographer Lester Horton, a budding actress arrived dressed as a cartoon figure—straight out of the New Yorker. Maila Nurmi shimmied into a tight dress, highlighting not only her hourglass figure, but the black fabric was also in high contrast to her pale, almost alabaster, skin. She struck such a dramatic pose as Morticia Adams that television producer Hunt Stromberg, Jr. tracked her down and contracted her to host a Saturday night science fiction series. A campy Vampira was born. She floated onto the set in a haze of fog and a new genre of television personality was created that spawned the likes of Elvira.