Phyllis Coates

Vocation

Family

American film and television actress, known for her portrayal of reporter Lois Lane in the 1951 film "Superman and the Mole Men" and in the first season (twenty-six episodes) of the television series "Adventures of Superman" (1952), in which she was given equal billing with George Reeves (insisted upon by Reeves), even for episodes in which she did not appear. Her powerful "damsel in distress" scream was used to good effect in several episodes. Coates's "Superman" fame has obscured the fact that she was one of Hollywood's most consistently employed actresses of the 1950s and '60s. She freelanced steadily, appearing in numerous low-budget features, many of them Westerns, as well as serials and a steady stream of TV appearances, both as a regular in several series and as a guest cast member in others. Coates appeared as Lois' mother in the first season finale of the 1990s television series "Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman." Coates married four times: to Richard L. Bare (m. 1948–49), Robert Nelms (m. 1950–53) (1 daughter b. 1950), Norman Tokar (1955-?) (1 son b. 1956), and Dr. Howard Press (m. 1962–86) (1 daughter b. 1963). Link to Wikipedia biography