Phyllis Coates (1927-2023) is dead. The industry magazine “The Hollywood Reporter” and “People” magazine, among others, report this unanimously. Her daughter Laura Press confirmed that Coates died of natural causes in a Motion Picture retirement home on October 11th
In “Adventures of Superman,” the American actress, who was born in Wichita Falls, Texas, was the first Lois Lane to be seen in a TV series format in the early 1950s. Coates had previously played the reporter and love interest of Superman alongside George Reeves (1914-1959) in the film “Superman and the Mole Men” (1951). However, she left the series after one season because Coates was supposed to appear in a new production with Jack Carson (1910-1963) and Allen Jenkins (1900-1974). However, the series was never made.
Noel Neill (1920-2016) took over on “Adventures of Superman”. Coates’ colleague was previously the first actress ever to portray the Daily Planet reporter – in the cinema alongside Kirk Alyn (1910-1999) as Superman. She appeared in “Superman” (1948) and “Atom Man vs. Superman” (1950).
Numerous other films and series followed for Coates, especially in the 1950s and 1960s, but later she became quiet on the screen and on TV. The late actress had one of her last roles in the 1990s in the series “Superman: The Adventures of Lois
