Miss Universe 1977

Last updated
Miss Universe 1977
Janelle Commissiong, ACF 2014.png
Janelle Commissiong
Date16 July 1977
Presenters
Venue National Theater, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Broadcaster
Entrants80
Placements12
Debuts
  • Antigua
  • British Virgin Islands
  • French Guiana
  • Guadeloupe
  • Réunion
  • Saint Kitts
  • Saint Lucia
Withdrawals
  • Guatemala
  • Luxembourg
  • Turkey
Returns
  • Belize
  • Haiti
  • Lebanon
  • Tahiti
Winner Janelle Commissiong
Trinidad and Tobago
CongenialityPamela Mercer (Canada)
Best National CostumeKim Sung-hee (South Korea)
Photogenic Janelle Commissiong (Trinidad and Tobago)
←  1976
1978  →

Miss Universe 1977 was the 26th Miss Universe pageant, held on 16 July 1977 at the National Theater in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. It was the first time in the pageant's history that the event was held in Dominican Republic. Janelle Commissiong of Trinidad and Tobago was crowned by Rina Messinger of Israel at the end of the event. This was the first time a Black woman won Miss Universe. [1] African American singer Dionne Warwick, one of the 12 judges, burst into tears when Commissiong won. [1]

Contents

The other judges were Dominican industrialist José Armando Bermúdez, fashion designer Roberto Cavalli, model Wilhelmina Cooper, actress Linda Cristal, film producer Robert Evans, film and television producer Howard W. Koch, Miss Universe 1970, Marisol Malaret of Puerto Rico, and photographer Gordon Parks. [1]

Miss Universe was then owned by Gulf+Western Industries.

Results

Placements

PlacementContestant
Winner
1st runner-up
2nd runner-up
  • Flag of Scotland.svg Scotland – Sandra Bell [1]
3rd runner-up
  • Flag of Colombia.svg Colombia – Aura María Mojica [1]
4th runner-up
  • Flag of Germany.svg West Germany – Marie-Luise Gassen [1]
Top 12
  • Flag of Argentina.svg Argentina – Maritza Jurado
  • Flag of the Dominican Republic.svg Dominican Republic – Blanca Sardiñas
  • Flag of the Netherlands.svg Holland – Ineke Berends
  • Flag of Nicaragua.svg Nicaragua – Beatriz Obregón
  • Flag of Spain (1945-1977).svg Spain – Luz Hernández
  • Flag of the United States.svg United States – Kimberly Tomes
  • Flag of Venezuela (1954-2006).svg Venezuela – Cristal Montañez

Special awards

AwardContestant
Miss Amity
  • Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Canada – Pamela Mercer
Miss Photogenic

Contestants

Miss Venezuela, Peru and Honduras with Miss Universe 1976, Rina Messinger. Cristal Montanez Miss Venezuela 1977 (29).jpg
Miss Venezuela, Peru and Honduras with Miss Universe 1976, Rina Messinger.
Miss Universe 1977 participating countries and territories. Miss Universe 1977 Map.PNG
Miss Universe 1977 participating countries and territories.

Sixty-one contestants competed for the title.

Country/TerritoryContestantAgeHometown
 American SamoaVirginia Caroline Suka17 Pago Pago
 AntiguaSheryl Ann Gibbons20 St. John's
Flag of Argentina.svg ArgentinaMaritza Jurado24 La Plata
 ArubaMargareth Eldrith Oduber22 Oranjestad
Flag of Australia (converted).svg AustraliaJill Minaham19 Melbourne
Flag of Austria.svg Austria Eva Düringer 18 Bodensee
Flag of the Bahamas.svg BahamasPaulette Borghardt20 Nassau
Flag of Barbados.svg BarbadosMargaret Rouse18 Saint James
Flag of Belgium (civil).svg BelgiumClaudine Vasseur18 Brussels
Flag of British Honduras (1919-1981).svg BelizeDora Maria Phillips18 Belmopan
Flag of Bermuda.svg BermudaConnie Marie Frith23 St. George's Parish
Flag of Bolivia.svg BoliviaLiliana Gutiérrez18 Santa Cruz de la Sierra
Flag of Brazil (1968-1992).svg BrazilCássia Janys Moraes Silveira21 Indaiatuba
 British Virgin IslandsAndria Norman21 Road Town
Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg CanadaPamela Mercer20 Burnaby
Flag of Chile.svg ChilePriscilla Brenner18 Santiago
Flag of Colombia.svg ColombiaAura María Mojica18 Valle de Cauca
Flag of Costa Rica.svg Costa RicaClaudia María Garnier18 San José
  CuraçaoRegine Tromp22 Willemstad
Flag of Denmark.svg DenmarkInge Erlandsen23 Copenhagen
Flag of the Dominican Republic.svg Dominican RepublicBlanca Aurora Sardiñas23 Santo Domingo
Flag of Ecuador.svg EcuadorLucía del Carmen Hernández [2] 18 Chone
Flag of El Salvador.svg El SalvadorAltagracia Arévalo19 San Salvador
Flag of England.svg EnglandSarah Louise Long19 Bristol
Flag of Finland.svg Finland Armi Aavikko 18 Helsinki
Flag of France.svg FranceVéronique Fagot17 Poitou
  French GuianaEvelyne Randel17 Cayenne
Flag of Germany.svg West GermanyMarie-Luise Gassen24 Munich
Flag of Greece (1822-1978).svg GreeceMaria Spantidaki– Athens
  GuadeloupeCatherine Reinette– Basse-Terre
  GuamLisa Ann Caso20 Agana
Flag of Haiti (1964-1986).svg HaitiFrançoise Elie19 Port-au-Prince
Flag of Honduras (1949-2022).svg HondurasCarolina Rosa Rauscher19 Siguatepeque
  Hong Kong Loletta Chu 18Hong Kong
Flag of Iceland.svg IcelandKristjana Þrainsdóttir24 Reykjavík
Flag of India.svg IndiaBineeta Bose18Delhi
Flag of Indonesia.svg Indonesia Siti Mirza Nuria Arifin 24 Palembang
Flag of Ireland.svg IrelandJakki Moore18 Dublin
Flag of Israel.svg IsraelZehava Vardi21 Haifa
Flag of Italy.svg ItalyPaola Biasini22 Milan
Flag of Japan (1870-1999).svg JapanKyoko Sato19Tokyo
Flag of Lebanon.svg LebanonHyam Saadé– Beirut
Flag of Liberia.svg LiberiaWelma Campbell21 Monrovia
Flag of Malaysia.svg MalaysiaLeong Li Ping23 Ipoh
Flag of Malta.svg MaltaJane Saliba18 Żurrieq
Flag of Mauritius.svg MauritiusDanielle Marie Bouic22 Port Louis
Flag of Mexico.svg Mexico Felicia Mercado 17 Baja California
Flag of the Netherlands.svg NetherlandsIneke Berends25 Amsterdam
Flag of New Zealand.svg New ZealandDonna Anne Schultze20 Auckland
Flag of Nicaragua.svg NicaraguaBeatriz Obregón18 Rivas
  Northern Mariana IslandsMargarita Camacho19 Saipan
Flag of Norway.svg NorwayÅshild Jenny Ottesen22 Oslo
Flag of Panama.svg PanamaMarina Valenciano19 Panama City
Flag of Papua New Guinea.svg Papua New GuineaSayah Karakuru24 Port Moresby
Flag of Paraguay (1954-1988).svg ParaguayMaría Leticia Zarza17 Concepción
Flag of Peru.svg PeruMaría Isabel Frías22 Lima
Flag of the Philippines (navy blue).svg PhilippinesAnna Lorraine Kier17 Baguio
  Puerto RicoMaria del Mar Rivera20 Ponce
  RéunionYolaine Morel– Saint-Denis
  Saint KittsAnnette Frank20 Basseterre
  Saint LuciaIva-Lua Mendes18 Castries
Flag of Scotland.svg ScotlandSandra Bell18 Glasgow
Flag of Singapore.svg SingaporeMarilyn Choon17Singapore
  Sint MaartenMarie Madeleine Boirard19 Marigot
Flag of South Africa (1928-1982).svg South AfricaGlynis Fester19 Cape Town
Flag of South Korea (1949-1984).svg South KoreaKim Sung-hee18 Seoul
Flag of Spain (1977-1981).svg SpainLuz María Polegre19 Tenerife
Flag of Sri Lanka.svg Sri LankaSobodhini Nagesan19 Colombo
Flag of Suriname.svg SurinameMarlene Roesmienten Saimo19 Paramaribo
Flag of Sweden.svg SwedenBirgitta Lindvall21 Luleå
Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg  SwitzerlandAnja Kristin Terzi17 Geneva
  TahitiDonna Aunoa– Papeete
Flag of Thailand.svg ThailandLaddawan Intriya– Bangkok
Flag of Trinidad and Tobago.svg Trinidad and Tobago Janelle Commissiong 24 Port of Spain
Flag of the United States.svg United States Kimberly Tomes [3] 21 Houston
  United States Virgin IslandsDenise George17 Charlotte Amalie
Flag of Uruguay.svg UruguayAdriana María Umpierre19 Salto
Flag of Venezuela (1954-2006).svg Venezuela Cristal Montañez 17 Caracas
Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg WalesChristine Anne Murphy23 Swansea
Flag of Yugoslavia (1946-1992).svg YugoslaviaLjiljana Sobajić– Belgrade

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Miss Trinidad 1st black Miss Universe". The Times . 17 Jul 1977. p. 18. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
  2. ↑ "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.
  3. ↑ "Miss Texas Wins Miss America (sic) Title". Ventura County Star . May 15, 1977. p. 9. Retrieved 26 July 2023. (Article content makes it clear they mean Miss USA, but the title does say Miss America.)
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