Gypsie Ann Evarts Stell was the birth name of Phyllis Coates, who was a former American actress whose career spanned more than fifty years. Coates was born on January 15, 1927, in Wichita Falls, Texas; her family eventually moved to Hollywood.
In the 1940s, Coates started her career in show business as a chorus girl. She frequently toured with the USO and occasionally put on vaudeville-style acts. She was given small parts in movies like Smart Girls Don’t Talk (in which she played the Cigarette Girl, 1948) and My Foolish Heart (1949) later in the decade. She also played Alice MacDoakes in a series of “Joe McDoakes” comedy shorts.
Coates had the chance to try out for the part of Lois Lane in the low-budget film Superman and the Mole Men in 1951. Both Reeves and Coates had received offers for parts in the new TV series by the end of the year. Reeves played Superman in the movie, which acted as a de facto TV pilot.
Coates only stayed with the show for one season, 1952–1953, due to disagreements with the producers and the need to go on to other ventures. The part was taken over by Noel Neill in the second season, and he continued to play it until the sixth and last seasons.
Phyllis Coates: Cause of death, obituary, and funeral arrangements
Our research indicates that Coates passed away at age 96 on October 11, 2023, in Woodland Hills, California, from natural causes.
Phyllis Coates: Obituary and funeral arrangements
The details of Phyllis Coates’ funeral and obituary remain unclear as of the time of writing.
