Phyllis Coates was a Texas beauty with grace and a drive to succeed. Her introduction to show business was at seven years old when she impersonated
Shirley Temple
on stage. As an adult, she had to change her original name (Gypsie Ann Stell) to break into the movies at the end of the studio system.
Despite over 140 film and television credits, she is best remembered for her characterization as "Lois Lane" in the first season of the
Adventures of Superman
--the iconic program that burst through family living rooms with action, justice, and surrealism. She is synonymous with early television in programs such as:
The Cisco Kid, The Lone Ranger, Abbott and Costello Show, Topper, Death Valley Days, Lassie, Leave It to Beaver, Gunsmoke, The Untouchables, Rawhide,
and
Perry Mason.
Phyllis also appeared in cult classic films:
Superman and the Mole Men, I was a Teenage Frankenstein, Blues Busters
, dozens of westerns, and the
Behind the Eight Ball
short film series. This biography divulges her friendship with George Reeves and her own hardships in life that would require a superwoman to get through. Feisty Phyllis stands as a true role-model and pioneer in her field, but she wasn't all peaches and scream.
"Mom, you're so beautiful, how come you weren't a bigger star?"
"Because I didn't sleep with the right people, dear."