Maila “Vampira” Nurmi (1922 - 2008)

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 […]

Maila Nurmi (1922 - 2008)

Television Personality. In the 1950s she created the character of Vampira (reportedly named by her then-husband Dean Riesner, a screenwriter who, the year before, had penned MESA OF LOST WOMEN). Popular for both films and as a television horror hostess, the Vampira character would set the standard for an entire legion of horror hostesses, actresses, […]

Maj Robert Pike (1616 - 1706)

Robert Pike was living in Salisbury, Massachusetts, by 1637.  According to David W. Hoyt’s “Old Families of Salisbury,” Robert Pike was one of five men given “full powers to order all the affairs of the town” in 1643.  He was wealthy enough to have “paid the largest tax in 1652” and socially prominent enough that […]

Maja Maranow (1961 - 2016)

Actress.   She was a prominent actress who was known for her roles in television and film.   She attended drama and music school in Hamburg and then went into theatrical performing before going into first film and then television.   Her first film role was in “Tage im Hotel” in 1983 and her film […]

Majed Moqed (1977 - 2001)

Majed Moqed was a law student from the small town of Al-Nakhil, Saudi Arabia (west of Medina), studying at King Fahd University’s Faculty of Administration and Economics. Before he dropped out, he was apparently recruited into al-Qaeda in 1999 along with friend Satam al-Suqami, with whom he had earlier shared a college room. The two trained […]

Majel Barrett (1932 - 2008)

Actress. The wife of Gene Roddenberry, the creator of the “Star Trek” science fiction television and motion picture franchise, she is best known for her roles in the franchise as “Nurse Chapel” in the original 1960s television series, and as “Lwaxana Troi” in the 1980s and 1990s series “Star Trek: Next Generation” and “Deep Space […]

Majel Barrett (1932 - 2008)

Majel began taking acting classes as a child. She attended Shaker Heights High School, graduating in 1950 before going on to the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida, then had some stage roles and came to Hollywood. Her father, William Hudec, was a Cleveland police officer. He was killed in the line of duty […]

Mala Powers (1931 - 2007)

She was born in San Francisco, California. In 1940, her family moved to Los Angeles. Her father was an executive with United Press. Her mother was a minister. Powers later told a reporter, “I’ve worked in show business since I’ve been seven.” In the summer of her relocation, Powers attended the Max Reinhardt Junior Workshop where […]

Malcolm Casadaban (1949 - 2009)

Malcolm Casadaban (12 August 1949 – 13 September 2009) was Associate Professor of Molecular Genetics and Cell Biology and of Microbiology at the University of Chicago. Casadaban died following an accidental laboratory exposure to an attenuated strain of Yersinia pestis, a bacterium that causes the plague.  According to a CDC report on the incident, the […]

Malcolm E Gray (1867 - 1932)

Businessman. The inventor of the five-day work week, he was the president, owner and primary inventor at the Rochester Can Company in the 1910s when he had the chance to observe Alfred Wright’s system of Monday-to-Friday and a half day on Saturday, which gave Wright’s employees a half day free of work to recuperate before […]

Malcolm Forbes (1919 - 1990)

Forbes was born on August 19, 1919 in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Adelaide (Stevenson) and Scottish-born financial journalist and author B. C. Forbes. He graduated from the Lawrenceville School in 1937 and Princeton University. Forbes enlisted in the Army in 1942 and served as a machine gun sergeant in Europe. Forbes received a […]

Malcolm Hulke (1924 - 1979)

Malcolm Hulke (21 November 1924 – 6 July 1979) was a British television writer and author of the industry “bible” Writing for Television in the 70s. He is remembered chiefly for his work on the science fiction series Doctor Who although he contributed to many popular television series of the era. His first major television work […]

Malcolm Lee Beggs (1970 - 1956)

Actor. He was the son of actor/director Lee Beggs and stage actress Doris Singleton. He was in the original Broadway casts of “Metropole” (1949), “Seventh Heaven” (1955), and “Mr. Wonderful” (1956). His films include “Houdini” (19530, and he had many television appearances, such as ‘Diamonds’ on the 1949 TV series “Captain Video and His Video […]

Malcolm Wilde Browne (1931 - 2012)

Award-Winning Reporter and Photographer. Malcolm Wilde Browne, who spent most of his career writing for The New York Times, was working as a chemist in New York in the 1950s when he was drafted to go to Korea in 1956 where he drove a tank and was later assigned to write for the military newspaper, […]

Malik Bendjelloul (1977 - 2014)

Bendjelloul was born in Ystad in Sweden, 55 kilometres (34 mi) east of Malmö, the son of Algerian-born physician Hacène Bendjelloul and Swedish translator and painter Veronica Schildt Bendjelloul. He was the brother of journalist Johar Bendjelloul and the nephew of actors Peter and Johan Schildt. Bendjelloul grew up in central and southern Sweden (Ängelholm) […]

Malvina Pastorino (1916 - 1994)

Actress. She worked in stage, cinema (19 movies) and television. Best remembered for her matrimony with the legendary actor Luis Sandrini. (bio by: 380W) Cause of death: Domestic accident

Mamdouh Abdel-Alim (1956 - 2016)

Actor. He was a prominent actor in both cinema and television where he became one of the most popular faces for Egyptian households. He got his start in the acting profession, acting in both radio shows and children’s television programs.  He would get his first break by being cast in the television series “El-ganna Wal-Azraa”. […]

Mamie Eisenhower (1896 - 1979)

Born in Boone, Iowa and named, in part, after the popular song Lovely Lake Geneva, Mamie Geneva Doud was the second child born to John Sheldon Doud, a meatpacking executive, and his wife, the former Elivera Mathilde Carlson. She grew up in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Colorado Springs, Colorado, Denver, Colorado, and the Doud winter home […]

Mamo Wolde (1932 - 2002)

Mamo Wolde was born in Ada’a to an Oromo family. In 1951, he moved to Addis Ababa. At his first Olympic appearance in 1956, Wolde competed in the 800 m, 1,500 m and the 4×400 relay. He didn’t compete in the 1960 Summer Olympics, when Abebe Bikila became the first Ethiopian to win a gold medal. Wolde […]

Mamtaz “Madhubala” Dehlavi (1933 - 1969)

Bollywood Actress. As a child, Madhubala had a small role in the movie “Basant,” but she attracted a lot of attention and eventually became a star after her work in “Mahal.” Her other movies include “Neel Kamal,” “Amar Prem,” “Chittor Vijay,” and “Paras.” At age 17, she was diagnosed with a heart problem, but she […]

Manfred Von Brauchitsch (1905 - 2003)

German Writer and Actor. He wrote the story for the 1957 film, “Rivalen Am Steuer.” In 1932 he appeared in the film, “Kampf” playing the role of ‘Robert Wenck.’  He was a famous German racing driver who drove for the Mercedes-Benz “Silver Arrows” team during the 1930s. Although a reasonable driver with some success, he […]

Manolita Saval (1914 - 2001)

Actress. She was born, of Spanish parents, in Paris, France. She studied piano in the conservatory of Valencia. She began her career as singer in the zarzuela “Marina.” But she was claimed for mexican opera singer José Mojica as his partner in the film “El Capitán Aventurero” (1938). Then, she stablished in Mexico, where developed […]

Manolo Codeso (1926 - 2005)

Character Actor. He was born in Cádiz (Andalucía, Spain) and died in Madrid, Spain. He along with actor Tomás Zori and Santos triumphed in vaudeville in the 1940s and 50s, with the play “La Blanca Doble.” He is also remembered for “Metidos en Harina” and “Oriente y Accidente.” His last work was in early 2005, […]

Manolo Gómez Bur (1917 - 1991)

Actor. He was born in Madrid and died in Bailén (Jaén). His real name was Manuel Gómez López de la Osa. He debuted on stage in 1939 as dancer in the play Las de Villadiego. He was specialized in comedic roles and triumphed with Las Dos Virginias and Devuélvame Mi Señora in the 50s. In […]

Mantan Moreland (1902 - 1973)

Born in Monroe, Louisiana, to Frank, an old-time Dixie band leader, and Marcella, Mantan Moreland began acting by the time he was an adolescent, running away to join a minstrel show in 1910. By the late 1920s, he had made his way through vaudeville, working with various shows and revues, performing on Broadway and touring […]

Mantovani (1905 - 1980)

Mantovani was born in Venice, Italy, into a musical family. His father, Bismarck, served as the concertmaster of La Scala opera house’s orchestra in Milan, under the baton of Arturo Toscanini. The family moved to England in 1912, where young Annunzio studied at Trinity College of Music in London. After graduation, he formed his own […]

Manuel Altolaguirre (1905 - 1959)

Poet, Literary Editor. He was born in Málaga (Andalucía, Spain) and died in Burgos (Castilla-León, Spain). He was a member of the Generation of 1927, along with Federico García Lorca, Rafael Alberti or Vicente Aleixandre. In 1926, he along with writer Emilio Prados founded the prestigious magazine Litoral and began his literary career. In 1933, […]

Manuel Carbonell (1918 - 2011)

Artist. He was the last of the Cuban master sculptors, known for his imposing work in different styles. He began drawing and sculpting clay figures as a boy and was educated at the Escuela Nacional de Bellas Artes in Havana. From 1945 to 1959, he received much acclaim for his life-sized sculptures and carvings, as […]

Manuel Curros Enríquez (1851 - 1908)

Poet and journalist. In 1877 he won a award for his narrative poem “A Virxe do Cristal”. In 1880 he published the book “Aires da miña Terra”, seized after the writer was accused of heresy and sentenced to two years imprisonment. Eventually a higher court acquitted him. He became the editor of the newspaper “El […]

Manuel Encarnacion Amador Torreros (1869 - 1952)

Artist, Diplomat. He is best recognized as the designer of the Panamanian flag. Amador studied in Cartagena, Colombia and the United States, receiving his degree in accounting, before taking a position in the Treasury Department. Following independence of the Republic in 1903, he was appointed Minister of Finance. From 1904 until 1908, he served as […]