| Minah Bird | |
| Birth Name: | Minah Ogbenyealu Bird |
| Birth Date: | 11 March 1950 |
| Birth Place: | Nigeria |
| Death Date: | 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]
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.[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.[10]
| 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) |