Haji (actress)

Haji (born Barbarella Catton; January 24, 1946 – August 9, 2013) was a Canadian-born actress of British and Filipino descent, and a former exotic dancer known for her role in Russ Meyer's 1965 cult classic Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!^[1] She made significant contributions to her roles by introducing elements of psychedelia and witchcraft as well as writing most of her own dialogue.^[2]

Haji
Haji in Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!, 1965
Born	Barbarella Catton (1946-01-24)January 24, 1946 Quebec, Canada
Died	August 9, 2013(2013-08-09) (aged 67) Oxnard, California, U.S.
Resting place	Santa Barbara Cemetery
Other names	Barbarella Haji Cat Haji Catton Hadji Hadji Catton
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1965–2003
Children	1

Life and career

Born in Quebec, Canada, Haji—a nickname given to her by an uncle—appeared in several Russ Meyer films, including Motorpsycho (1965), Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! (1965), Good Morning and... Goodbye! (1967), and Supervixens (1975).^[1][3] Haji's final role was as Moonji in Killer Drag Queens on Dope (2003).^[4]

Haji was reunited with fellow Russ Meyer film stars Kitten Natividad and Raven De La Croix in the 2001 comedy feature film The Double-D Avenger, directed by William Winckler. In it, Haji played evil exotic dancer Hydra Heffer.

Haji was featured as one of the top 1,000 most glamorous women of the 20th century in the book Glamorous Girls of the Century by Steve Sullivan.^[5] She was also interviewed in the book Invasion of the B-Girls by Jewel Shepard.^[6][7] Haji lived in Malibu, California.^[2]

Haji died in Oxnard, California, at the age of 67.^[8] Never married, she had a daughter, Cerlette Lammé.^[3]

Selected filmography

• Motorpsycho (1965)
• Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! (1965)
• Good Morning and... Goodbye! (1967)
• Supervixens (1975)

References

1. Slotnik, !Daniel E. (18 August 2013). "Haji, 67, an Actress Featured in Cult Films by Russ Meyer". The New York Times. p. A20.
2. "Haji Interview". International DeeJay Gigolo Records. Retrieved 30 October 2016.
3. Pell, Nicholas (August 10, 2013). "Haji, Star of Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! Dead at 67". LA Weekly. Archived from the original on August 13, 2013. Retrieved August 10, 2013.
4. Blumm, K.C. (August 11, 2013). "Haji, Star of Faster, Pussycat! Kill Kill!, Is Dead". People. ISSN 0093-7673.
5. Sullivan, Steve (1998). Glamour Girls of the Century. Glamour Girls Then and Now. ASIN B000PS2FL4.
6. Brown, David Michael (February 2, 2005). "Interview with Tura Satana, Lori Williams and Haji - The stars of Faster Pussycat Kill! Kill!". DMB. Retrieved August 11, 2013.
7. Shepard, Jewel (1992). Invasion of the B-Girls: Hollywood starlets up close and personal. Eclipse Books. ISBN 978-1560601586.
8. Perrone, Pierre (12 September 2013). "Haji: Russ Meyer stalwart best known for her starring role in 'Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!'". The Independent.

External links

• Haji at IMDb
• Haji at Find a Grave
• Haji gravesite at Santa Barbara Cemetery