- Armi Kuusela
Pageant titleholder bio
photo=
birthname=Armi Helena Kuusela
title=Suomen Neito 1952 (winner)Miss Universe 1952 (winner)
nationalcompetition=Miss Universe 1952
birth =birth date and age|1934|8|20
location=Muhos ,Finland
height=height|ft=5|in=5
weight=convert|108|lb|kg st|abbr=on
eye color=
hair color=
imdb=0476614Armi Kuusela (born Armi Helena Kuusela on
August 20 ,1934 inMuhos ) was a Finnish beauty queen. OnMay 24 1952 she won the nationalbeauty contest Suomen Neito and was presented with a trip to theUnited States to participate in the first-everMiss Universe contest. She was the first winner of this beauty pageant originally created to sell swimsuits for Catalina swimwear.Biography
Childhood and early life
Armi Kuusela's parents, Aarne Kuusela (father) and Martta Kyrö (mother) met each other in
Ontario ,Canada , where they also were married. Their first baby was also born there. After several years in Canada, they returned to Finland to settle inMuhos .Martta gave birth to five girls and one boy; one of the girls died when only two-and-a-half years old. Armi was born on
August 20 ,1934 , she was the fourth oldest of the children. Armi lived her childhood in welfare and happiness along with plenty of friends.She went to
middle school in Muhos, and in 1951 she started attending thewomen's college inPorvoo . Armi likedswimming ,skiing ,gymnastics and after successfully completing herAbitur , she intended to apply to theUniversity of Helsinki Gymnastics Institute.Miss Universe
When Armi Kuusela easily won the national
Suomen Neito pageant onMay 24 ,1952 , she was awarded with a box ofchocolate s, agold bangle , and a two-way ticket sponsored byPan American Airways to theUnited States . OnJune 17 , Armi took a flight to the United States and the firstMiss Universe contest.Twenty-nine contestants participated in the first Miss Universe pageant in 1952, held in Long Beach,
California , U.S.. The pageant was held on29 June 1952 , and Armi Kuusela, asSuomen Neito , captured the crown. Born20 August 1934 , at her crowning she was only 17 years old. At the time she weighted 49 kg (108 lb), and her height was 1.65 m (5 feet 5 inches).Immediately after her winning there was a Finnish movie made of her, called "Maailman kaunein tyttö" (World's most beautiful girl) where she acted herself, and
Tauno Palo acted Jack Coleman (opposite role). It was directed by Veikko Itkonen, with writing credits going toMika Waltari . [ [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0046021/ IMDb.com - Maailman kaunein tyttö (1953)] ]Even though a part of winning the pageant was a contract with
Universal Studios , she chose not to take advantage of it after refusing the first part they chose for her (in a movie with Abbott and Costello) and arguing over the contract (by way of her sister Sirkka since she was a minor and did not speak English), probably because they suggested she should marryTony Curtis to avoid issues with her work permit.Post-Miss Universe
On
February 22 ,1953 Armi took a journey round the world, during which time she met a Filipino businessman,Virgilio Hilario . Less than a year later after being crowned, on4 May ,1953 Armi chose to give up her Miss Universe crown before her year was complete to marry Hilario. They were married inTokyo , but then lived in thePhilippines where they had a family of five children:* Arne Hilario, married with 3 children, lives in
Chile
* Anna-Lisa De Gari, married with 2 children, lives inSpain
* Jussi Hilario, married, lives inCanada
* Eva-Maria Hess, married with 2 children, lives inCalifornia , U.S.
* Mikko Hilario, lives in thePhilippines Their house located near
Manila in a rich community called Forbes Park, on a street which was nicknamed "Millionaire Street".She was also in one film in the
Philippines around this time.Later life
Virgilio Hilario died of a heart attack on
7 September 1975 , and Kuusela married an Americandiplomat Albert Williams on8 June ,1978 . First they moved toBarcelona , then toİzmir ,Turkey before moving toLa Jolla , a community in San Diego,California (two hours' drive fromLos Angeles ).As of 2003, she and her husband were still living in San Diego. She is still active in her community, actively participating in charities and involved in
cancer research at the [http://www.burnham.org/ Burnham Institute] .See also
*
Miss Universe References
* [http://www.muhos.fi/kunta/miss-universum-1952-armi-kuusela-2 Miss Universum 1952 – Armi Kuusela]
Persondata
NAME=Kuusela, Armi
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=Kuusela Kovo, Armi Helena
SHORT DESCRIPTION=Beauty queen
DATE OF BIRTH=August 20 ,1934
PLACE OF BIRTH=Muhos ,Finland
DATE OF DEATH=
PLACE OF DEATH=
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