Noel Neill, R.I.P.

Noel Neill, an actress whose career intertwined with the Man of Steel’s, died July 3 at the age of 95.

Neill was the first actress to play Lois Lane in a live action film, the 1948 Superman serial. She reprised the role in Atom Man vs Superman, and later took over the role from Phyllis Coates after the first season of The Adventures of Superman. She also made cameo appearances in Superman (1978) (as Lois’s mother), the late 80s / early 90s Superboy series, and Superman Returns (2006). She also had small roles in a couple of Hollywood classics, most notably Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953), and in at least one other TV show with “genre” connections, The Lone Ranger. Although she mostly retired after The Adventures of Superman, her role as Lois kept her in fandom’s eye.

The 2010 tribute is courtesy of CapedWonderJim: