Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Minah Bird


 * The following discussion is an archived debate of the proposed deletion of the article below. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review).  No further edits should be made to this page.

The result was keep. ✗ plicit  08:34, 14 August 2021 (UTC)

Minah Bird

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Actress who only played minor supporting roles. Fails WP:NACTOR and WP:ANYBIO. Subject lacks significant coverage in reliable independent references. Fails WP:SIGCOV. 4meter4 (talk) 03:56, 7 August 2021 (UTC)
 * Note: This discussion has been included in the list of People-related deletion discussions. ☢️ Radioactive 🎃 (talk) 04:01, 7 August 2021 (UTC)
 * Note: This discussion has been included in the list of Actors and filmmakers-related deletion discussions. ☢️ Radioactive 🎃 (talk) 04:01, 7 August 2021 (UTC)
 * Note: This discussion has been included in the list of Women-related deletion discussions. ☢️ Radioactive 🎃 (talk) 04:01, 7 August 2021 (UTC)
 * Note: This discussion has been included in the list of Nigeria-related deletion discussions. ☢️ Radioactive 🎃 (talk) 04:01, 7 August 2021 (UTC)
 * Note: This discussion has been included in the list of United Kingdom-related deletion discussions. ☢️ Radioactive 🎃 (talk) 04:01, 7 August 2021 (UTC)


 * Keep Since she lived in the 20th century, an online BEFORE is not likely to bring up much. She is however notable for her work in the 70s. An African immigrant lady with named roles for that time is laudable. It also does not help that there's a bird named "Myna. Searching "Myna Bird" in Google books however brings up the following which suggest that more OFFLINE sources exist and the subject meets WP:BASIC;
 * Described as the 'only major black starlet in British sex films'
 * Described as a starlet
 * Described as socialite who fell from grace
 * Other mentions:   Princess of Ara (talk)  09:21, 7 August 2021 (UTC)
 * I would agree that the first source is significant, but all of the others are entirely trivial. This snippet view source "Described as a starlet" is a tabloid type article and not encyclopedic or significant per WP:NOTTABLOID. This "::Described as socialite who fell from grace" is a personal reminiscence lacking independence which uses her suicide as a moral fable but gives no analysis or discussion of her career to be considered significant. All of the other sources are trivial name drops or personal stories that are totally insignificant. For example, the first (and 4th as you gave it twice) of those sources describes using her for sex off camera; and is a rather disgusting tale of male conquest. With only one source rising to the level of coverage to meet notability, she still does not meet WP:BASIC.


 * With all do respect, I spend most of my time writing on entertainers/performers from the 19th and 20th centuries and have the research skills and access through my university library to historical newspapers and entertainment publications going back to even the 1800s. Miss Bird was not mentioned in detail in film reviews that I could find after going through several archive searches in PROQUEST, JSTOR, and other databases. Granted not everything has been digitized, but I did go through Variety, Billboard, The Stage, The Guardian, The Observer, The Times, etc. I also searched the Entertainment Publications archive in PROQUEST which has digitized most of Britain’s major film and television related magazines of the 1970s. In reviews, Miss Bird was either not mentioned at all or relegated to an un-named character list of "other actors" when they were because she was not in any leading or notable secondary /supporting roles. None of it was significant coverage. Best.4meter4 (talk) 13:16, 7 August 2021 (UTC)
 * Quite unfortunately, I don't have access to similar resources or databases but tried my best to optimise the ones within my reach. I decided to participate in this debate because of her Nigerian origin and found her story quite interesting. The other trivial mentions only point to the fact that she probably has more OFFLINE coverage and is most likely notable. Since we have one significant source, I've taken another deep dive.
 * This The Times post says "We traced the lady on the left, whose name was Minah Ogbenyealu Bird actress and model of Nigerian origin based in London." Can't see the entire length because of the paywall.
 * This snippet talks about her origin in Aba, Nigeria and education in Nigeria and Finland. Can't see the full length either.
 * She is listed as one of the "top black fashion models who paved the way for black women in fashion" here
 * Other mentions in Daily Mirror,The Guardian, British Film Catalogue, A cover she appeared on was discussed here  Princess of Ara (talk)  15:41, 7 August 2021 (UTC)


 * Keep The Times says that "She starred in many films, such as Up Pompeii..." and so she passes WP:ENTERTAINER. Andrew🐉(talk) 16:47, 7 August 2021 (UTC)
 * Um... her role in that film was "Girl Bather" and was very brief and minor and not even a credited role in the movie. A lot of the problem with the sources being listed here is that they are full of puffery. An uncredited film role with less than a minute of screen time and little or no dialogue is not a starring part. 4meter4 (talk) 17:19, 7 August 2021 (UTC)


 * Keep per sigcov shown above, to which let's add her portrait in the National Portrait Gallery. HouseOfChange (talk) 17:21, 7 August 2021 (UTC)
 * Keep given not too many news are available from the 70's online and based on current citations and popular films she has been in. Peter303x (talk) 19:44, 7 August 2021 (UTC)
 * Keep per Princess of Ara, the subject seems quite notable.  The Living love   talk 21:36, 11 August 2021 (UTC)


 * The above discussion is preserved as an archive of the debate. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review). No further edits should be made to this page.