Miss Universe 1977
| Miss Universe 1977 | |
|---|---|
Janelle Commissiong | |
| Date | 16 July 1977 |
| Presenters | |
| Venue | National Theater, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic |
| Broadcaster |
|
| Entrants | 80 |
| Placements | 12 |
| Debuts |
|
| Withdrawals |
|
| Returns |
|
| Winner | Janelle Commissiong Trinidad and Tobago |
| Congeniality | Pamela Mercer (Canada) |
| Best National Costume | Kim Sung-hee (South Korea) |
| Photogenic | Janelle Commissiong (Trinidad and Tobago) |
Miss Universe 1977 was the 26th Miss Universe pageant, held at the National Theater in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, on 16 July 1977.
At the conclusion of the event, Rina Messinger of Israel crowned Janelle Commissiong of Trinidad and Tobago as Miss Universe 1977. This was the first time a black woman won Miss Universe.[1] It is also the first victory of Trinidad and Tobago in the pageant's history.
Contestants from eighty countries and territories participated in this year's pageant. The pageant was hosted by Bob Barker in his eleventh consecutive year, while Helen O'Connell provided commentary and analysis throughout the event.
Background
Location and date
On 16 January 1977, Miss Universe Inc. announced that the 26th edition of the competition would be held at the National Theater in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic on 16 July 1977. The reason why Miss Universe was held in the Dominican Republic was to "open the Dominican Republic to the world".[2][3]
Selection of participants
Contestants from eighty countries and territories were selected to compete in the pageant. One candidate was selected to replace the original dethroned winner.
Replacements
Femina Miss India 1977 runner-up Bineeta Bose was selected to represent India after the father of Femina Miss India 1977, Nalini Vishwanathan, did not allow his daughter to participate in Miss Universe.[4]
Debuts, returns, and, withdrawals
This edition saw the debuts of Antigua, the British Virgin Islands, French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Réunion, Saint Christopher-Nevis-Anguilla, and Saint Lucia, and the returns of Tahiti which last competed in 1962; and Belize, Haiti, and Lebanon which last competed in 1975.
Marta Elisa Tirado of Guatemala and Jeannette Colling of Luxembourg withdrew for undisclosed reasons. Manolya Onur of Turkey withdrew because she had already participated twice.[5][6] Patricia Vatble of Martinique was supposed to competed in this edition. However, Vatble was disqualified from the competition because she did not meet the age requirement.[7][8]
Results
Placements
| Placement | Contestant |
|---|---|
| Miss Universe 1977 |
|
| 1st runner-up |
|
| 2nd runner-up |
|
| 3rd runner-up |
|
| 4th runner-up |
|
| Top 12[9] |
|
Special awards
| Award | Contestant |
|---|---|
| Miss Amity |
|
| Miss Photogenic |
|
Best National Costume
| Placement | Contestant |
|---|---|
| Winner |
|
| 1st runner-up |
|
| 2nd runner-up |
|
Pageant
Format
Same with 1971, twelve semi-finalists were chosen at the preliminary competition that consists of the swimsuit and evening gown competition. The twelve semi-finalists participated in the casual interview, swimsuit, and evening gown competitions. From twelve, five finalists were shortlisted to advance to the final interview.[12]
Selection committee
- J. Armando Bermudez – Dominican businessman[1]
- Roberto Cavalli – Italian fashion designer[1]
- Wilhelmina Cooper – Founder of Wilhelmina Models[1]
- Linda Cristal – Argentine-American actress[1]
- Robert Evans – American film producer[1]
- Uri Geller – Israel-British illusionist[1]
- Oscar de la Renta – Dominican fashion designer[1]
- Howard W. Koch – American film producer and director[1]
- Marisol Malaret – Miss Universe 1970 from Puerto Rico[1]
- Gordon Parks – American photographer, writer, and musician[1]
- Vidal Sassoon – British hairstylist[1]
- Dionne Warwick – American singer[1]
Contestants
Eighty contestants competed for the title.
| Country/Territory | Contestant | Age[a] | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|
| American Samoa | Virginia Suka | 17 | Pago Pago |
| Antigua | Sheryl Gibbons[13] | 20 | St. John's |
| Argentina | Maritza Jurado[14] | 24 | La Plata |
| Aruba | Eldrith Oduber[15] | 22 | Oranjestad |
| Australia | Jill Minaham[16] | 19 | Melbourne |
| Austria | Eva Düringer | 18 | Bodensee |
| Bahamas | Paulette Borghardt[17] | 20 | Nassau |
| Barbados | Margaret Rouse | 18 | Saint James |
| Belgium | Claudine Vasseur[18] | 18 | Brussels |
| Belize | Dora Phillips[19] | 18 | Belmopan |
| Bermuda | Connie Frith[19] | 23 | St. George's Parish |
| Bolivia | Liliana Gutiérrez[20] | 18 | Santa Cruz de la Sierra |
| Brazil | Cássia Janys Silveira[21] | 21 | Indaiatuba |
| British Virgin Islands | Andria Norman[22] | 21 | Road Town |
| Canada | Pamela Mercer[23] | 20 | Burnaby |
| Chile | Priscilla Brenner[24] | 18 | Santiago |
| Colombia | Aura María Mojica[25] | 18 | Valle de Cauca |
| Costa Rica | Claudia Garnier[26] | 18 | San José |
| Curaçao | Regine Tromp[27] | 22 | Willemstad |
| Denmark | Inge Erlandsen[28] | 23 | Copenhagen |
| Dominican Republic | Blanca Sardiñas[29] | 23 | Santo Domingo |
| Ecuador | Lucía del Carmen Hernández[30] | 18 | Chone |
| El Salvador | Altagracia Arévalo[31] | 19 | San Salvador |
| England | Sarah Long[32] | 19 | Bristol |
| Finland | Armi Aavikko[33] | 18 | Helsinki |
| France | Véronique Fagot[34] | 17 | Poitou |
| French Guiana | Evelyne Randel | 17 | Cayenne |
| French Polynesia | Donna Aunoa[35] | 20 | Papeete |
| Greece | Maria Spantidaki[36] | 22 | Athens |
| Guadeloupe | Catherine Reinette | 18 | Basse-Terre |
| Guam | Lisa Ann Caso | 20 | Agana |
| Haiti | Françoise Elie[37] | 19 | Port-au-Prince |
| Holland | Ineke Berends | 25 | Amsterdam |
| Honduras | Carolina Rauscher[38] | 19 | Siguatepeque |
| Hong Kong | Loletta Chu[39] | 18 | Hong Kong |
| Iceland | Kristjana Þrainsdóttir[40] | 24 | Reykjavík |
| India | Bineeta Bose | 18 | Delhi |
| Indonesia | Siti Mirza Nuria Arifin[41] | 24 | Palembang |
| Ireland | Jakki Moore[42] | 18 | Dublin |
| Israel | Zehava Vardi[43] | 21 | Haifa |
| Italy | Paola Biasini[44] | 22 | Milan |
| Japan | Kyoko Sato[45] | 19 | Tokyo |
| Lebanon | Hyam Saadé[35] | 18 | Beirut |
| Liberia | Welma Campbell[35] | 21 | Monrovia |
| Malaysia | Leong Li Ping[46] | 23 | Ipoh |
| Malta | Jane Saliba[47] | 19 | Żurrieq |
| Mauritius | Danielle Marie Bouic[48] | 22 | Port Louis |
| Mexico | Felicia Mercado | 17 | Baja California |
| New Zealand | Donna Schultze | 20 | Auckland |
| Nicaragua | Beatriz Obregón | 18 | Rivas |
| Northern Mariana Islands | Margarita Camacho | 19 | Saipan |
| Norway | Åshild Ottesen | 22 | Oslo |
| Panama | Marina Valenciano | 19 | Panama City |
| Papua New Guinea | Sayah Karakuru | 24 | Port Moresby |
| Paraguay | María Leticia Zarza | 17 | Concepción |
| Peru | María Isabel Frías | 22 | Lima |
| Philippines | Anna Lorraine Kier[49] | 17 | Baguio |
| Puerto Rico | Maria del Mar Rivera | 20 | Ponce |
| Réunion | Yolaine Morel | 22 | Saint-Denis |
| Saint Christopher-Nevis-Anguilla | Annette Frank | 20 | Basseterre |
| Saint Lucia | Iva-Lua Mendes | 18 | Castries |
| Scotland | Sandra Bell | 18 | Glasgow |
| Singapore | Marilyn Choon | 17 | Singapore |
| Sint Maarten | Marie Boirard | 19 | Marigot |
| South Africa | Glynis Fester | 19 | Cape Town |
| South Korea | Sung-hee Kim | 18 | Seoul |
| Spain | Luz María Polegre | 19 | Tenerife |
| Sri Lanka | Sobodhini Nagesan | 19 | Colombo |
| Suriname | Marlene Saimo | 19 | Paramaribo |
| Sweden | Birgitta Lindvall | 21 | Luleå |
| Switzerland | Anja Terzi[16] | 17 | Geneva |
| Thailand | Laddawan Intriya | 19 | Bangkok |
| Trinidad and Tobago | Janelle Commissiong | 24 | Port of Spain |
| United States | Kimberly Tomes[50] | 21 | Houston |
| United States Virgin Islands | Denise George | 17 | Charlotte Amalie |
| Uruguay | Adriana Umpierre | 19 | Salto |
| Venezuela | Cristal Montañez | 17 | Caracas |
| Wales | Christine Murphy | 23 | Swansea |
| West Germany | Marie-Luise Gassen | 24 | Munich |
| Yugoslavia | Ljiljana Sobajić | 22 | Belgrade |
Notes
- ^ Ages at the time of the pageant
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s "Miss Trinidad 1st black Miss Universe". The Times. 17 Jul 1977. p. 18. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
- ^ Rivera, Severo (26 May 2020). ""El día que República Dominicana se abrió al mundo" o la intimidad de Miss Universo 1977" [“The day the Dominican Republic opened up to the world” or the private life of Miss Universe 1977]. Diario Libre (in Spanish). Retrieved 30 November 2025.
- ^ "Plot to kidnap beauty contestants foiled". The Straits Times. 4 July 1977. p. 4. Retrieved 30 November 2025 – via National Library Board.
- ^ "50 years of Miss India: Winners through the years". The Times of India. 25 March 2013. Retrieved 30 November 2025.
- ^ Shrivastava, Namita A. (19 March 2006). "Princess diaries". The Times of India. Retrieved 30 November 2025.
- ^ Rahman, Maseeh (27 June 2006). "Indian prince loses maintenance battle". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 November 2025.
- ^ "Untitled". The Indianapolis Star. 8 July 1977. p. 52. Retrieved 30 November 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
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- ^ "Black chosen as fairest in Universe". The Bismarck Tribune. 18 July 1977. p. 18. Retrieved 2 December 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Which Country Has Won the Most National Costume Titles at Miss Universe?". Esquire. 14 May 2021. Retrieved 2 December 2025.
- ^ a b "Corea: mejor traje típico" [Korea: Best Traditional Costume]. El Tiempo (in Spanish). 14 July 1977. pp. 2A. Retrieved 2 December 2025 – via Google News Archive.
- ^ Copp, Earle (16 July 1977). "Soaps taking over more daytime TV". The Free Lance-Star. p. 17. Retrieved 2 December 2025 – via Google News Archive.
- ^ Hill, Eucelia (31 May 2003). "When they were there". Sun Weekend. p. 8. Retrieved 22 October 2025 – via Google Books.
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- ^ "Eldrith Oduber Miss Aruba 1976". Amigoe di Curacao (in Dutch). 20 September 1976. p. 5. Retrieved 2 December 2025 – via Delpher.
- ^ a b "Notas del concurso" [Contest Notes]. El Tiempo (in Spanish). 11 July 1977. p. 9. Retrieved 2 December 2025 – via Google Books.
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- ^ "Erelijst Miss België". De Morgen (in Dutch). 11 January 2010. Retrieved 11 October 2025.
- ^ a b "This was the kind". The Afro American. 30 July 1977. p. 3. Retrieved 2 December 2025 – via Google Books.
- ^ "El título les dio alegrías, trabajo y fama que aún saborean". El Deber (in European Spanish). 29 July 2017. Archived from the original on 23 October 2023. Retrieved 29 November 2025.
- ^ "Conheça a história do Miss Brasil" [Learn about the history of Miss Brazil.]. Terra (in Brazilian Portuguese). 29 September 2022. Retrieved 2 December 2025.
- ^ "Miss Universe Pageant Is In 29th Year". The Virgin Islands Daily News. 22 June 1979. p. 13. Retrieved 2 December 2025 – via Google Books.
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- ^ "Miss Universe Costume Award To Korean Girl". St. Joseph News-Press. 13 July 1977. p. 2. Retrieved 2 December 2025 – via Google Books.
- ^ "Reina y corte de la belleza" [Queen and court of beauty]. El Tiempo (in Spanish). 13 November 1976. p. 1. Retrieved 2 December 2025 – via Google News Archive.
- ^ "Electas anoche representantes de Costa Rica a concursos de belleza" [Representatives from Costa Rica were elected last night to beauty pageants]. La Nacion (in Spanish). 5 June 1977. pp. 4A. Retrieved 2 December 2025 – via Google News Archive.
- ^ "Regine Tromp Miss Curacao". Amigoe (in Dutch). 6 June 1977. p. 3. Retrieved 2 December 2025 – via Delpher.
- ^ "Ætluðu skæruliðar að ræna fegurðardrottningum?" [Did guerrillas plan to kidnap beauty queens?]. Tíminn (in Icelandic). 26 August 1977. pp. 6–7. Retrieved 2 December 2025 – via Tímarit.is.
- ^ "Hace 18 años Amelia Vega se coronó en el Miss Universo" [18 years ago Amelia Vega was crowned Miss Universe]. Diario Libre (in Spanish). 4 June 2021. Retrieved 2 December 2025.
- ^ "Ana Lucía Cevallos, una candidata fotógrafa y diseñadora" [Ana Lucía Cevallos, a photographer and designer candidate]. El Universo (in Spanish). 13 February 2008. Retrieved 4 September 2023.
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- ^ Mathieu, Clément (8 December 2022). "Miss France 77 : Véronique Fagot chahutée par le public, acclamée par ses camarades" [Miss France 77: Véronique Fagot heckled by the audience, cheered by her fellow contestants]. Paris Match (in French). Retrieved 2 December 2025.
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- ^ Efthymiou, Antonios (13 May 2019). "Από τα Καλλιστεία στο Σινεμά" [From Kallistia to Cinema]. MaxMag (in Greek). Retrieved 2 December 2025.
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- ^ Gámez, Sabino (25 April 2008). "El Miss Honduras, una historia que contar" [Miss Honduras, a story to tell]. La Prensa (in Spanish). Retrieved 29 November 2025.
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- ^ Sembiring, Ekel Suranta (6 August 2021). "Profil dan Sosok Siti Mirza Nuria, Dokter Sekaligus Mantan Putri Indonesia yang Laporkan Anak Akidi Tio ke Polisi" [Profile and Figure of Siti Mirza Nuria, Doctor and Former Miss Indonesia Who Reported Akidi Tio's Child to the Police]. Correcto (in Indonesian). Archived from the original on 6 April 2023. Retrieved 9 December 2025.
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