Minah Bird | |
---|---|
Born | Minah Ogbenyealu Bird 11 March 1950 |
Died | July 1995 |
Other names | Minah Uko |
Minah Ogbenyealu Bird (also known as Mynah Bird and Minah Uko) (11 March 1950 – July 1995) [1] was a Nigerian model and actress active in the United Kingdom in the 1970s.[2][3]
Early Life
Bird was born in from Aba in Nigeria and was educated in Nigeria and Finland.[4]
She appeared in several UK films of the 1970s.
Described as the "only major black starlet in British sex films",[5] she vanished from public view from the late 1970s and was found dead in her London council flat, a few weeks after suffering an apparent heart attack in 1995.[5][6][7]
Career
Bird was listed as one of the "top black fashion models who paved the way for black women in fashion" alongside Iman and Grace Jones.[8]
She appeared on the cover of Oz magazine in November 1970.[9] She is credited with a series in the Sunday Mirror in the mid 70s that birthed the trend of Kiss N Tell stories in newspapers.[7][10]
Filmography
Year | Film | Role |
---|---|---|
1971 | Up Pompeii | Girl bather (uncredited) |
1972 | The Love Box (aka Lovebox) | Black girl ("New Colours" segment) |
Four Dimensions of Greta | Cynthia | |
Layout for 5 Models | Maria | |
1974 | Percy's Progress | Miss America |
Vampira aka Old Dracula | Rose | |
It's Not the Size That Counts | Maria | |
1976 | Alfie Darling | Gloria |
1978 | The Stud | Molly |
Play For Today (BBC TV) S9.E2: "Victims of Apartheid" | Clara | |
1979 | The London Connection | Narcotics agent |
A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square | Mavis (final film role) |
References
- ^ "National Portrait Gallery - Person - Minah Ogbenyealu Bird".
- ^ "Minah Bird". BFI. Archived from the original on 21 July 2012.
- ^ Jennings, Michael-John. "This month in the Times photographic archive: October 2020". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
- ^ Drum: A Magazine of Africa for Africa. African Drum Publications. 1971.
- ^ a b Bourne, Stephen (30 November 2001). Black in the British Frame: The Black Experience in British Film and Television Second Edition. A&C Black. ISBN 978-0-8264-5539-0.
- ^ Gutowski, Gene (4 August 2011). With Balls and Chutzpah. iUniverse. ISBN 9781462002740.
- ^ a b Laud, Derek (27 January 2015). The Problem With Immigrants. Biteback Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84954-877-9.
- ^ Zartosht, Shahin (27 January 2021). MODELING by Shahin Zartosht: A guide to becoming a Model. Shahin Zartosht. ISBN 979-8-7012-4573-8.
- ^ "Hippie Hippie Shake by Richard Neville".
- ^ "Have super-injunctions killed the kiss'n'tell?". the Guardian. 20 April 2011. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
External links
- Minah Bird at IMDb