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Anya Major

b. 1966

British athlete and actor

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About Anya Major

Born 1966. Anya Major is a British actor, athletics competitor, singer, model, athlete and fashion model.

Anya Major (born 1960) is an English athlete, actress, model and singer who starred in Apple Computer's "1984" commercial and, in 1985, appeared as "Nikita" in the video to Elton John's song of the same name.

Career "1984" advertisement

In 1983, the Chiat/Day advertising agency held a casting call in London, on behalf of their client, Apple Computer, for what would prove to be a landmark television commercial. The vision of the agency and director Ridley Scott stipulated an actress capable of running up to a large video screen, spinning with a sledgehammer, and releasing it at the video screen. Most of the models and actresses tested struggled to do this; one errant throw nearly struck a passerby at the Hyde Park casting call. Anya Major, however, won the role with her ability to handle the hammer convincingly.

The commercial officially aired only twice on American television. It was first screened in December 1983, right before the 1:00 am sign-off on KMVT in Twin Falls, Idaho, so that it would be eligible for advertising industry awards for that year. In addition, starting on January 17, 1984 it was screened prior to previews in movie theaters for a few weeks.

Later life In 2006, Andy Hertzfeld of the Macintosh development team incorrectly stated that Major had died of breast cancer in 2000. As of 2009, she was living in England with her husband Kim Rajah and their three children. More recently in 2016, fragments of the famed Macintosh commercial were shown in the documentary "Silicon Cowboys " produced by Jason Cohen.

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Important facts

Born
1966, England
Birth century
Nationality
Education
United World College of South East Asia

People in Anya Major's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Anya Major's

Frequently asked questions

Who is Anya Major?

British athlete and actor

When was Anya Major born?

Anya Major was born in 1966 in England.

What is Anya Major's occupation?

Anya Major is an actor, athletics competitor, singer, model, athlete and fashion model.

What nationality is Anya Major?

Anya Major is British.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Anya Major

· Wikidata: Q1563945

· DBpedia: Anya Major

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Anya Major. https://biography.guide/anya-major/

MLA: "Anya Major." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/anya-major/.

Chicago: "Anya Major." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/anya-major/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-20 · Spot an error? Report a correction.

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