Noel Neill, the first actress to take on the role of Lois Lane in the Superman films, has died age 95.
Neill died on Sunday at her Arizona home after a long illness, her friend said in a statement.
Much like her beloved character, Neill had a journalistic background and had written for Women’s Wear Daily. Her father was also a reporter for the Minneapolis Star Tribune. After moving to California when she finished high school, Neill soon found acting roles after working at a racetrack.
After several small movie roles, the actress was cast as the eager reporter Lois Lane in the Superman serial which premiered in 1948, aged 28. She starred opposite Kirk Alyn who played Clark Kent, a character based on the popular comic book hero.
She continued to star in Superman franchises including the television adaptation Adventures of Superman in the 1950s. Later on in her career, Neill took on other roles within Superman, often playing a relative of Lois Lane. In 1978, she undertook the role of Lane's mother while Christopher Reeve appeared as Superman. The most recent Superman film she starred in was the 2006 blockbuster Superman Returns starring Kevin Spacey and Kate Bosworth.
Aside from making the odd appearance in Superman films, Neill’s career largely ended when the Adventures of Superman did and in 2006 she told the New York Times: “I didn’t have any great ambition. Basically, I’m a beach bum. I was married, we lived near the beach That was enough for me.”
Additional reporting by Reuters.
