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Mala Powers

​From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Mary Ellen "Mala" Powers (December 20, 1931 – June 11, 2007) was an American film actress. She was born in San Francisco, California. In 1940, her family moved to Los Angeles. Her father was an executive with United Press. In the summer of her relocation, Powers attended the Max Reinhardt Junior Workshop where she enjoyed her first role in a play before a live audience. She continued with her drama lessons, and a year later she auditioned and won a part in the 1942 Dead End Kids film Tough as They Come. At the age of 16 she began working in radio drama, before becoming a film actress in 1950. Her first roles were in Outrage and Edge of Doom in 1950. That same year, Stanley Kramer signed Powers to star opposite Jose Ferrer in what may be her most remembered role as Roxane in Cyrano de Bergerac. She was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for her part in this movie. While on a USO entertainment tour in Korea in 1951, she acquired a blood disease and almost died. She was treated with chloromycetin, but a severe allergic reaction resulted in the loss of much of her bone marrow. Powers barely survived, and her recovery took nearly nine months. She began working again in 1952 and 1953, including a part in City Beneath the Sea and City That Never Sleeps, although she was still taking medication. Following her recovery, she appeared in B-movie westerns, such as Rage at Dawn (1955), and science fiction films, among them The Colossus of New York (1958), Flight of the Lost Balloon (1961), and Doomsday Machine (1972). She also had a large role in Tammy and the Bachelor (1957) She appeared on more than one hundred television programs, including episodes of Appointment with Adventure, John Payne's The Restless Gun, Maverick, Bonanza, Wild Wild West and Perry Mason. She co-starred opposite Anthony Quinn in the television movie The Man and the City, later a television series. She was married to Monte Vanton in 1954, but they divorced in 1962; they had a son, Toren Vanton, who survived his mother. Powers remarried in 1970 to M. Hughes Miller, a book publisher. Powers was a successful children's author of "Follow the Star" and "Follow the Year" and of "Dial a Story". Shortly before her death from complications of leukemia June 11, 2007, aged 75, she had been on a lecture tour at universities. She was a master teacher for the past 14 years in the summer program at the University of Southern Maine for the Michael Chekhov Theatre Institute, training actors and teachers of acting. Mala Powers co-founded the National Michael Chekhov Association with teaching colleagues Wil Kilroy and Lisa Dalton, who continue to teach the curriculum developed by the trio in Maine. Powers was the executrix of the Michael Chekhov estate and instrumental in publishing Chekhov's books On the Technique of Acting, To the Actor, and The Path of the Actor. She also published Chekhov's audio series "On Theatre and the Art of Acting", to which she added a 60 page study guide. She co-narrates with Gregory Peck a documentary on Chekhov entitled "From Russia To Hollywood". She was patron of the Michael Chekhov Studio London and has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Powers also had a small but recurring role on Shirley Booth's Hazel series. In that capacity she became a close friend of Lynn Borden, who played Barbara Baxter in the 1965-1966 season. Later, she gave Borden several elephant figurines, one a jade piece an another purchased on a trip to India. Borden became a collector of both frog and elephant figures. Description above from the Wikipedia article Mala Powers, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.


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Born:
Dec 20, 1931 In San Francisco, California, USA
Movie/TV Credits:
56
First Appeared:
In the movie Tough as They Come 1942-06-05
Latest Project:
Movie Hitters 2002-12-01
Known For
Poster of Fear No More
Poster of Bengazi
Poster of Geraldine
Poster of Outrage
Filmography
Movie From Russia to Hollywood: The 100-Year Odyssey of Chekhov and Shdanoff Self / Narrator (voice) 2002-08-25
Movie Hitters Mama Theresa 2002-12-01
Movie Calling the Shots Self 1988-09-08
Series Murder, She Wrote Unknown 1984-09-30
Movie Six Tickets to Hell 1981-09-10
Series Charlie's Angels Unknown 1976-09-22
Series Switch Unknown 1975-09-09
Movie Doomsday Machine Maj. Georgianna Bronski 1972-01-01
Movie Daddy's Gone A-Hunting Meg Stone 1969-05-13
Movie Rogue's Gallery Maggie 1968-01-01
Series Ironside Unknown 1967-03-28
Series Jericho Unknown 1966-09-15
Series Bewitched Unknown 1964-09-17
Series Daniel Boone Unknown 1964-09-24
Series Kraft Suspense Theatre Unknown 1963-10-10
Series Arrest and Trial Unknown 1963-09-15
Series The Gallant Men Unknown 1962-10-05
Series Dr. Kildare Unknown 1961-09-27
Series Everglades Unknown 1961-10-09
Movie Fear No More Sharon Carlin 1961-11-01
Movie Flight of the Lost Balloon Ellen Burton 1961-12-28
Series Thriller Unknown 1960-09-13
Series Surfside 6 Unknown 1960-10-06
Series Lock-Up Unknown 1959-09-28
Series The Rebel Unknown 1959-10-04
Series Rawhide Unknown 1959-01-09
Series Bourbon Street Beat Unknown 1959-10-05
Series Hawaiian Eye Unknown 1959-10-07
Movie The Colossus of New York Anne Spensser 1958-06-26
Movie Sierra Baron Sue Russell 1958-07-01
Series Wanted: Dead or Alive Unknown 1958-09-06
Series Bronco Unknown 1958-09-23
Series 77 Sunset Strip Unknown 1958-10-10
Movie The Unknown Terror Gina Matthews 1957-08-12
Movie Tammy and the Bachelor Barbara Bissle 1957-06-14
Movie Death in Small Doses Valerie 'Val' Owens 1957-09-15
Movie The Storm Rider Tay Rorick 1957-03-01
Movie Man on the Prowl Marlan Wood 1957-12-01
Series Maverick Unknown 1957-09-22
Series Perry Mason Unknown 1957-09-21
Series Sugarfoot Unknown 1957-09-17
Series Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre Unknown 1956-10-05
Movie Rage at Dawn Laura Reno 1955-03-26
Series Matinee Theater Unknown 1955-10-31
Movie Bengazi Aileen Donovan 1955-09-14
Series Cheyenne Unknown 1955-09-20
Movie Geraldine Janey Edwards 1954-01-26
Movie The Yellow Mountain Nevada Wray 1954-11-16
Series General Electric Theater Unknown 1953-02-01
Movie City Beneath the Sea Terry McBride 1953-04-21
Movie City That Never Sleeps Sally 'Angel Face' Connors 1953-06-12
Movie Rose of Cimarron Rose of Cimarron 1952-01-28
Movie Edge of Doom Julie 1950-08-03
Movie Outrage Ann Walton 1950-09-27
Movie Cyrano de Bergerac Roxane 1950-11-16
Movie Tough as They Come Esther Clark 1942-06-05