--- description: Her father wanted her to become a reporter, but she only acted as one title: Noel Neill, the First Lois Lane, Dies at 95 image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf21f620bc07db13f/69889a8fcd1bbad64a7015c1/noel-neill-death.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Entertainment](/section/entertainment/) ## Entertainment Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Noel Neill, the First Lois Lane, Dies at 95 by [Rosalie Chan](/author/rosalie-chan/) ## Rosalie Chan Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jul 5, 2016 12:07 PM CUT  Noel Neill during Warner Home Video introduces 'Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut' and the New 'Superman' DVD collections featuring Christopher Reeve's Man of Steel at Comic Con in San Diego, Calif. Noel Neill during Warner Home Video introduces 'Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut' and the New 'Superman' DVD collections featuring Christopher Reeve's Man of Steel at Comic Con in San Diego, Calif.E. Charbonneau—WireImage for Carl Samrock Publi by [Rosalie Chan](/author/rosalie-chan/) ## Rosalie Chan Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jul 5, 2016 12:07 PM CUT Noel Neill, the first actress to play _Daily Planet_ reporter Lois Lane in [Superman](http://time.com/4271903/science-of-superman-batman-v-superman/?iid=sr-link7 "undefined"), died Sunday at 95. Neill died at her home in Tucson, Ariz., after a long illness, [_The Hollywood Reporter_ reported.](http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/noel-neill-dead-lois-lane-719698 "undefined") Neill starred opposite Kirk Alyn as Superman in the _Superman_ serial for Columbia Pictures in 1948\. They reunited for another serial, _Atom Man vs. Superman._ Neill returned to the role as Lois Lane when she started acting in the _Adventures of Superman_ series in 1953\. Neill quit acting after the series ended in 1958. Neill was born on Nov. 20, 1920\. Her father was a _Minneapolis Star Tribune_ editor and wanted his daughter to become a reporter. Though she went into acting, she did play a reporter. Bing Crosby spotted her and helped her get a contract with Paramount Pictures. Neill also played high schooler Betty Rogers in the 1940s “The Teenagers” musical series. Sam Katzman, who produced several of these films, thought she would be perfect to play Lois in the _Superman_ serial, the first time Superman was portrayed on the screen. In the past decades, she has lectured at colleges and attended [comic book](http://time.com/4267760/batman-v-superman-dc-movies-connected/?iid=sr-link8 "undefined") conventions and fan gatherings. She also briefly appeared as Lois Lane’s mother in the 1978 _Superman_ and as Gertrude Vanderworth, who signs her money over to villain Lex Luthor in _Superman Returns_ (2006). ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4392968/noel-neill-the-first-lois-lane-dies-at-95/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4392968/noel-neill-the-first-lois-lane-dies-at-95/"},"headline":"Noel Neill, the First Lois Lane, Dies at 95","datePublished":"2016-07-05T12:07:23.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T23:02:21.573Z","description":"Her father wanted her to become a reporter, but she only acted as one","url":"https://time.com/4392968/noel-neill-the-first-lois-lane-dies-at-95/","keywords":["Television","movies","celebrities","Pop Culture","Rememberance"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf21f620bc07db13f/69889a8fcd1bbad64a7015c1/noel-neill-death.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Rosalie Chan","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/rosalie-chan/"}],"articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf21f620bc07db13f/69889a8fcd1bbad64a7015c1/noel-neill-death.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Warner Home Video introduces 'Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut' and the New 'Superman' DVD collections","caption":"Noel Neill during Warner Home Video introduces 'Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut' and the New 'Superman' DVD collections featuring Christopher Reeve's Man of Steel at Comic Con in San Diego, Calif.","creditText":"E. 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