Description:
Born in Wichita Falls, Texas, Phyllis Coates moved to Hollywood as a teenager with intentions of enrolling at UCLA. A chance encounter with Ken Murray in a Hollywood & Vine restaurant landed her in the comedian's vaudeville show. She started out as a chorus girl and worked her way up to doing skits before moving on to work for veteran showman Earl Carroll and later touring with the USO. Coates got some of her first motion picture experience in comedy short subjects at Warner Brothers and then graduated to roles in early '50s films. After a one-season stint with the Man of Steel (George Reeves on Adventures of Superman (1952)), she began to divide her time among TV, B-movie assignments and serials at Republic.
Birthday
January 15, 1927
Born In
Wichita Falls, Texas, USA
Alternative names
Ann Stell
Height
163 cm
Spouse/Ex-
Dr. Howard Irving Press October 3, 1962 - 1986 (divorced),Norman Tokar August 27, 1955 - May 2, 1960 (divorced),Robert Nelms January 23, 1950 - October 1, 1953 (divorced),Richard L. Bare March 28, 1948 - January 11, 1949 (divorced)
Parents
William Robert "Rush" Stell
Children
Laura Press
Trivia
She had been the last surviving regular cast member of Adventures of Superman (1952) until she passed away on October 11, 2023. She had been the last surviving member since July 3, 2016 with the passing of Noel Neill.
Quotes
[Comparing the wardrobe she wore playing Lois Lane in
Adventures of Superman (1952) with Teri Hatcher's in
Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman (1993)] I saw
Teri in this beautiful dress with her boobs pushed up and I thought,
"That's Lois Lane?!?!" I had a suit up to my collarbone. I felt like a
horse with a bit in my mouth.
Nickname
Gypsy
Salaries
$375 /episode
