Phyllis Coates, the first actress to play Daily Planet reporter Lois Lane on television, only to leave the Adventures of Superman after just one season, died on Wednesday, October 11th. She was 96.
Coates was known for starring in the first Superman feature film, playing Lois Lane in 1951’s “Superman and the Mole Men.” The next year, she reprised the role in the first Superman TV adaptation, “Adventures of Superman.”
Her daughter Laura Press confirmed the news to the Hollywood Reporter, saying that Coates died of natural causes in a manner that was “very peaceful” at her home outside Los Angeles, in the Motion Picture & Television Fund’s Wasserman Campus.
“She gave a lot to the industry,” said Press. “Her career passed through so many genres,” referring to her 50-plus years acting.
