Mala Powers

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Mary Ellen "Mala" Powers (born December 20, 1931 in San Francisco , California - † June 11, 2007 in Burbank , California) was an American actress . In her long career she played in over 100 film and television productions.

life and work

Mary Ellen Powers was born to a couple of journalists in San Francisco, but moved with her family to Los Angeles at the age of nine , where she also grew up. In the summer of 1940 Powers took part in a children's acting course, the Max Reinhardt Junior Workshop, and thus played in front of a larger audience for the first time. This experience made her passionate about acting. She then took lessons from the actress Helene Thimig , Max Reinhardt's second wife , and finally made her camera debut at the age of eleven in William Nigh 's children's film Tough As They Come (1942).

Despite this first film experience, she initially worked for radio, where she lent her voice to various radio productions. In the early 1950s she started her extensive film career with the films Auf des Schicksals Schneide and Outrage (1950). Film director Stanley Kramer noticed her and cast her as Roxane in The Last Musketeer ( Cyrano de Bergerac ), where she played alongside José Ferrer . For her performance in this film, the nineteen-year-old was honored with a Golden Globe nomination.

During a United Service Organizations event for the Korean War troops in 1951, she developed a blood disease. She was then treated with a drug that caused an allergic reaction in her, resulting in the loss of bone marrow. She was dying at this point. Her recovery took nearly nine months, but she was still working on heavy medication. Films like The City Under the Sea , The Rose by Cimarron (1952/53) were made. After her full recovery, she appeared in a number of B-films in the western and science fiction genres, as well as countless television films and series.

In addition to working on stage and in front of the camera, Powers has also taught acting for various universities in the United States. She died at the age of 75 while on a lecture tour at Providence St. Joseph Medical Center in Burbank, California.

Mala Powers was married to Monte Vanton for the first time; This is the relationship between her only son, Toren. In 1970 she married the publisher M. Hughes Miller, with whom she remained married until his death in 1989.

In recognition of her work, she was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame .

Filmography (selection)

Web links

Commons : Mala Powers  - Collection of Images
personal data
SURNAME Powers, Mala
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Powers, Mary Ellen
BRIEF DESCRIPTION US-american actress
DATE OF BIRTH December 20, 1931
PLACE OF BIRTH San Francisco , California , United States
DATE OF DEATH June 11, 2007
Place of death Burbank , California , United States