Noel Neill, famous for starring as Lois Lane in movie serials and TV's Adventures of Superman, died Sunday at her home in Tucson. She was 95.
Her friend and manager Larry Thomas Ward told The Hollywood Reporter she died after a long illness. Born Nov. 20, 1920, in Minneapolis, her father was an editor for the Minneapolis Star Tribune, and he wanted his daughter to become a reporter, even securing a job for her at Women's Wear Daily. Instead, Neill became a performer, and after playing the banjo in a trio, landed in Southern California. While singing in a restaurant at the Del Mar race track, Neill was spotted by Bing Crosby, who helped her land a contract with Paramount Pictures.
Neill first played Lois Lane in a 15-chapter serial for Columbia Pictures that played in theaters in 1948, and picked up the role again in 1950 for another serial, Atom Man vs. Superman. In 1953, she took over for Phyllis Coates, who played Lois Lane in the first season of the Adventures of Superman, starring in 78 episodes until the show ended in 1958. After that, she left show business, telling The New York Times in 2006 she "figured I'd worked enough." She married and moved to the beach, but did briefly appear as Lois Lane's mother in 1978's Superman and as Gertrude Vanderworth in the opening scene of 2006's Superman Returns. "She did whatever she wanted to do," Ward told The Hollywood Reporter. "That was the beauty of her skill. Ultimately, only she truly knew what was best for her, and that came out time and again. She was very smarty, quite astute about the acting business."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Giorgio Armani obituary: designer revolutionised the business of fashionIn the Spotlight ‘King Giorgio’ came from humble beginnings to become a titan of the fashion industry and redefine 20th century clothing
-
Kim Jong Un’s triumph: the rise and rise of North Korea’s dictatorIn the Spotlight North Korean leader has strengthened ties with Russia and China, and recently revealed his ‘respected child’ to the world
-
Crossword: September 13, 2025The Week's daily crossword puzzle
-
Florida erases rainbow crosswalk at Pulse nightclubSpeed Read The colorful crosswalk was outside the former LGBTQ nightclub where 49 people were killed in a 2016 shooting
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's illsSpeed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, StalloneSpeed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
-
White House seeks to bend Smithsonian to Trump's viewSpeed Read The Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums are under review to ensure their content aligns with the president's interpretation of American history
-
Charlamagne Tha God irks Trump with Epstein talkSpeed Read The radio host said the Jeffrey Epstein scandal could help 'traditional conservatives' take back the Republican Party
-
CBS cancels Colbert's 'Late Show'Speed Read 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is ending next year
-
Shakespeare not an absent spouse, study proposesspeed read A letter fragment suggests that the Shakespeares lived together all along, says scholar Matthew Steggle
-
New Mexico to investigate death of Gene Hackman, wifespeed read The Oscar-winning actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home with no signs of foul play
