Phyllis Coates, the first actor to portray Daily Planet reporter Lois Lane on television, died on Oct. 11 in Woodland Hills, Calif., her daughter Laura Press confirmed to the New York Times. She was 96.
Coates starred as Lois Lane in the “Adventures of Superman” when the series first aired in 1952, only to leave after one season. She initially played Lois opposite George Reeves as Clark Kent/the Man of Steel in “Superman and the Mole Men.” The 1951 black-and-white superhero film follows Clark and Lois as they arrive in the small town of Silsby, where a race of small, balding humanoids emerge from their underground home deep in an oil well.
The “Adventures of Superman” series debuted the following year, with Reeves and Coates reprising their respective roles as Clark and Lois from “Mole Men.”
Noel Neill, who had played Lois in two 15-part film serials starring Kirk Alyn — “Superman” (1948) and “Atom Man vs. Superman” (1950) — replaced Coates on “Adventures of Superman” and remained on the series from 1953 to 1958 for its final five seasons.
Coates was born Gypsie Ann Stell on Jan. 15, 1927, in Wichita Falls, Texas. After graduating from high school, she moved to L.A., where she landed a job as a chorus girl and acted in sketches in comedian Ken Murray’s vaudeville show. She also performed in USO tours and, in 1948, signed a contract with Warner Bros.
In addition to the “Superman” projects, Coates worked on Republic Pictures serials like “Jungle Drums of Africa” (1952) and “Panther Girl of the Kingo” (1954), as well as guested on such TV series as “Gunsmoke,” “Rawhide,” “Perry Mason” and “Leave It to Beaver.”
Her marriages to TV director Richard L. Bare, musician Robert Nelms, “Leave It to Beaver” director Norman Tokar and Howard Press, a doctor, all ended in divorce.
Coates is survived by her daughters, Zoe Christopher and Laura, and granddaughter Olivia. She was preceded in death by her son, David Tokar, who died in 2011.