Noel Neill, the first actress to ever portray intrepid Daily Planet reporter Lois Lane on the big screen, has passed away at the age of 95 following a long illness.
Neill’s father wanted his daughter to become a reporter, but she instead turned to show business, appearing in minor roles in movies throughout the 1940s. In a roundabout fashion, she fulfilled her father’s dream when she starred alongside Kirk Alyn in 1948’s Superman, a 15-part movie serial that marked the Man of Steel’s first ever live-action adaptation. Neill would return to the role alongside Alyn once more two years later in Atom Man vs Superman.
Noel Neill as the captive Lois Lane in Atom Man vs Superman.
Following the serials, Neill continued her association with Lois Lane through the 1952 television series The Adventures of Superman with George Reeves in the title role. Lois was played by Phyllis Coates for the first season of the show, but she had to pull out, and Neill replaced her until the show came to an end in 1958.
After Adventures of Superman Neill retired from acting, but she still kept ties to her most famous role. She made a cameo appearance in Richard Donner’s Superman as Lois’s mother (alongside her original Superman, Kirk Alyn), and went on to play guest appearances in the Superboy TV show in 1991, and Bryan Singer’s Superman Returns in 2006.
[THR]