Wichita Falls native who was Lois Lane in Superman series dies at 96

A Wichita Falls native who made a name for herself in Hollywood in the early years of television died Oct. 11.

Phyllis Coates was best known as the first actress to play the character Lois Lane in the"Adventures of Superman" TV series in the 1950s. She played a tough reporter for the fictional Daily Planet newspaper and friend of Superman, disguised as fellow reporter Clark Kent.

Her birth name was Gypsie Ann Evarts Stell. She was born in Wichita Falls in 1927 to William and Lorraine Stell. The family lived in several Texas towns and Stell graduated from Odessa High School.

According to her biography on the Internet Movie Database, she moved to California as a teen and worked as a chorus girl and in comedy short subjects at Warner Brothers. She moved on to movie roles in the early 1950s.

She got the role as Lois Lane in 1952.

"They auditioned a lot of people. I read for it, then was called back a second time. They felt I had the quality - it was that simple," she once said.

She was paid $375 per episode.

Coates was the first actress to play opposite George Reeves as Superman but left after the first season for a higher salary in a series that never happened.

She was the last living member of "The Adventures of Superman" cast.

She also appeared as Lois Lane in the movie "Superman and the Mole Men" in 1951.

She was featured in Republic Pictures titles such as "I was a Teenaged Frankenstein" and "Girls in Prison."

Coates played Lois Lane's mother in an episode of "Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman" in 1993.

During her acting career she had roles on many of the TV shows of the 50s and 60s, including Gunsmoke, The Lone Ranger, Hawaiian Eye, The Cisco Kid and Lassie.

She starred with notables such as Bob Hope, Gloria Swanson, the Abbott and Costello comedy team and Clayton Moore of Lone Ranger Fame. She played Marilyn Monroe's mother in the 1989 movie, "Goodnight, Sweet Marilyn."

Coates was married four times and is survived by two daughters and one granddaughter.

She died Oct. 11 in Woodland Hills, Calif. at age 96.

This article originally appeared on Wichita Falls Times Record News: Wichita Falls native who was Lois Lane in Superman series dies at 96