Minah Bird

Minah Ogbenyealu Bird, (also known as Mynah Bird, 11 March 1950 – July 1995) [1] was a Nigerian model and actress active in the United Kingdom in the 1970s.[2][3]

For the bird, see Myna. For the cartoon bird, see Inki.

Minah Bird
Detail of photo by Lewis Morley (1970)
© National Portrait Gallery
Born
Minah Ogbenyealu Bird

(1950-03-11)11 March 1950
Nigeria
DiedJuly 1995
Other namesMinah Uko

Biography

Bird hailed from Aba in Nigeria and was educated in both Nigeria and Finland.[4]

After appearing in such films as Up Pompeii (1971), Four Dimensions of Greta (1972), The Love Box (1972), Layout for 5 Models (1972), Percy's Progress (1974), Vampira (1974), Alfie Darling (1976), The Stud (1978), The London Connection (1979) and A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square (1979). 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]

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 Black girl (New Colours)
Four Dimensions of Greta Cynthia
Layout for 5 Models Maria
1974 Percy's Progress Miss America
Vampira Rose
1976 Alfie Darling Gloria
1978 The Stud Molly
1979 The London Connection Narcotics Agent
A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square Mavis (final film role)

References
  1. "National Portrait Gallery - Person - Minah Ogbenyealu Bird".
  2. "Minah Bird". BFI. Archived from the original on 21 July 2012.
  3. Jennings, Michael-John. "This month in the Times photographic archive: October 2020". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
  4. Drum: A Magazine of Africa for Africa. African Drum Publications. 1971.
  5. 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.
  6. Gutowski, Gene (4 August 2011). With Balls and Chutzpah. ISBN 9781462002740.
  7. Laud, Derek (27 January 2015). The Problem With Immigrants. Biteback Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84954-877-9.
  8. Zartosht, Shahin (27 January 2021). MODELING by Shahin Zartosht: A guide to becoming a Model. Shahin Zartosht. ISBN 979-8-7012-4573-8.
  9. "Hippie Hippie Shake by Richard Neville".
  10. "Have super-injunctions killed the kiss'n'tell?". the Guardian. 20 April 2011. Retrieved 8 August 2021.


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