Phyllis Coates, Television’s First Lois Lane, Dies at 96
Phyllis Coates, who is best known for being the first Lois Lane on a television show with her work on the Adventures of Superman, has passed away at the age of 96.
Coates died on October 11 of natural causes in Woodland Hills, California, according to The Hollywood Reporter (via her daughter Laura Press).
Coates played Daily Planet reporter Lois Lane in the classic 1950s TV show Adventures of Superman, which starred George Reeves as Clark Kent/the Man of Steel. She only played the role for one season before deciding to move on in 1953 because of family trouble and a feeling that the show was not going in the direction she felt was right. She had been the second actress to play the role, first taking it on in the 1951 film Superman and the Mole Men. First had been Noel Neill, who appeared in the first two movie serials and who took over the role of Lois following Coates’ departure. Many fans feel that Coates’s portrayal of the iconic reporter is closer to the original comic book character.
Everett Collection
After leaving Adventures of Superman, Coates worked mostly in B-serials nad movies, including Jungle Drums of Africa, Girls in Prison, Invasion United States, and I Was a Teenage Werewolf. She also starred as the dazzling Panther Girl in the 1955 Republic serial Panther Girl of the Kongo.
Although she rarely worked after 1970, she did make a cameo as Lois Lane’s mother (alongside Teri Hatcher as the reporter) in an episode of Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman. Her other guest spots over the years included shows like Death Valley Days, Gunsmoke, The Patty Duke Show, Perry Mason, and The Untouchables.
Coates’ last credits came in the form of two episodes of Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman in 1994 and Hollywood: The Movie in 1996.
Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman where to stream
