Cap by January
Mala Powers was born Mary Ellen Powers in 1931. She started acting early, appearing on stage at the age of 11. Mala took acting classes at UCLA and also studied acting with Michael Chekhov (the brother of writer Anton Chekhov). In 1942, she played an uncredited role in her first movie, As Tough As They Come. In the 1950s, she began regularly appearing on screen. She is well known for her role as Roxane in Cyrano de Bergerac. Mala was good friends with Ida Lupino, another Bonanza guest star, whom she met when she was in the movie Outrage--Ida was the director of the film. Mala continued acting both on stage and screen until the early 2000s. She was one of the founders of the National Michael Chekhov Association and wrote a book about his theories on acting. Mala passed away from leukemia in 2007.
Mala in Rose of Cimarron