Phyllis Thaxter
Thaxter in 1955
Born
Phyllis St. Felix Thaxter

(1919-11-20)November 20, 1919[1][2]
Portland, Maine, U.S.
DiedAugust 14, 2012(2012-08-14) (aged 92)
Longwood, Florida, U.S.
OccupationActress
Years active1940–1992
Spouses
​
​
(m. 1944; div. 1962)​
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1962; died 2008)​
    Children2

    Phyllis St. Felix Thaxter (November 20, 1919 – August 14, 2012) was an American actress. She is best known for portraying Ellen Lawson in Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo (1944) and Martha Kent in Superman (1978). She also appeared in Bewitched (1945), Blood on the Moon (1948), and The World of Henry Orient (1964).

    Early life

    Thaxter was born in Portland, Maine, one of three children of Phyllis (née Schuyler) Thaxter, a former actress, and Sidney St. Felix Thaxter, who later served as a Justice of the Maine Supreme Court.[2]

    Phyllis Thaxter's siblings were Sidney Thaxter and Hildegarde Schuyler Thaxter Niss Gignoux.

    Her grandfather was Major Sidney W. Thaxter, who was awarded the Medal of Honor for heroism during the American Civil War.

    Career

    Before appearing in movies, Thaxter was on the stage. When Dorothy McGuire went to Hollywood, Thaxter replaced her in the Broadway play Claudia.[3] In 1944, she signed a contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Her movie debut was opposite Van Johnson in the 1944 wartime film Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo.[2] In the 1945 film-noir Bewitched, Thaxter played Joan Alris Ellis, a woman with split personality. In 1948, she played a cattle owner's daughter in Blood on the Moon.

    At MGM, she routinely portrayed the ever-patient wife to a number of leading men. She moved to Warner Brothers in the 1950s, but usually played the same type of roles. Her career stalled after an attack of polio in 1952. She made a comeback in television series such as Rawhide, portraying Pauline Cushman in the episode "The Blue Spy" (1961), Wagon Train ("The Christine Elliott Story" and "The Vivian Carter Story "), The Twilight Zone ("Young Man's Fancy"), and Alfred Hitchcock Presents.

    She returned to Broadway, appearing in Take Her, She's Mine at the Biltmore in 1961.[4]

    In 1978, Thaxter was cast with Glenn Ford as Jonathan and Martha Kent in the blockbuster film Superman. The film was produced by her daughter Skye Aubrey's husband, Ilya Salkind, and Ilya's father, Alexander Salkind.

    Personal life

    Patricia Bosworth, in her biography of Montgomery Clift, tells of Thaxter's close relationship with Clift in the early 1940s, writing that they "seemed so close that a great many people assumed they would eventually marry".[3]

    While at MGM, Thaxter married James T. Aubrey Jr., who later became president of CBS-TV and MGM. They divorced in 1962. They had two children: Susan Schuyler "Skye" Aubrey, an actress, and James Watson Aubrey. In 1962, Thaxter married Gilbert Lea. They were married for 46 years until his death on May 4, 2008.[5]

    A Republican, she supported the campaign of Dwight Eisenhower in the 1952 presidential election.[6]

    Death

    Thaxter died on August 14, 2012, aged 92, in Longwood, Florida after an eight-year battle with Alzheimer's disease.[2][7]

    She was cremated, and her ashes were scattered in Maine.[8]

    Filmography

    Film

    Year Title Role
    1944Thirty Seconds Over TokyoEllen Lawson
    1945BewitchedJoan Alris Ellis
    Week-End at the WaldorfCynthia Drew
    1947The Sea of GrassSara Beth Brewton
    Living in a Big WayPeggy Randall
    1948Tenth Avenue AngelHelen Mills
    The Sign of the RamSherida Binyon
    Blood on the MoonCarol Lufton
    Act of ViolenceAnn
    1950No Man of Her OwnPatrice Harkness
    The Breaking PointLucy Morgan
    1951Fort WorthFlora Talbot
    Jim Thorpe – All-AmericanMargaret Miller
    Come Fill the CupPaula Copeland
    1952She's Working Her Way Through CollegeHelen Palmer
    Springfield RifleErin Kearney
    Operation SecretMaria Corbet
    1955Women's PrisonHelene Jensen
    1957Man AfraidLisa Collins
    1964The World of Henry OrientMrs. Avis Gilbert
    1978SupermanMa Kent

    Selected television appearances

    Year Title Role Notes
    1953-1956Lux Video Theatrevarious characters6 episodes
    1954The Motorola Television HourGladys MitchellEpisode: "Atomic Attack"
    1955Stage 7Muriel BlandingsEpisode: "The Hayfield"
    1956-1960Alfred Hitchcock Presentsvarious charactersSeason 1 Episode 30: "Never Again" as Karen Sewart (1956)

    Season 2 Episode 2: "Fog Closing In" as Mary Summers (1956)

    Season 2 Episode 20: "Malice Domestic" as Annette Borden (1957)

    Season 3 Episode 11: "The Deadly" as Margot Brenner (1957)

    Season 4 Episode 9: "Murder Me Twice" as Lucy Pryor (1958)

    Season 6 Episode 5: "The Five-Forty-Eight" as Miss Dent (1960)

    1957Studio OneLaura MorganEpisode: "The Dark Corner"
    1958The Frank Sinatra ShowJean ArmstrongEpisode: "The Seedling Doubt"
    1959-1960Wagon TrainChristine Elliot/Vivian Carter
    1961RawhidePauline CushmanEpisode: "The Blue Spy"
    1962The Twilight ZoneVirginia Lane WalkerEpisode: "Young Man's Fancy"
    1963-1964The Alfred Hitchcock Hourvarious charactersSeason 1 Episode 25: "The Long Silence" as Nora Cory Manson (1963)

    Season 2 Episode 6: "Nothing Ever Happens in Linvale" as Mrs. Logan (1963)

    Season 3 Episode 2: "Change of Address" as Elsa Hollands (1964)

    1964The FugitiveEnid LangerEpisode: "Detour on a Road Going Nowhere"
    1967Coronet BlueEleanor BarclayEpisode: "Faces"
    1968The InvadersSarah ConcannonEpisode: "The Peacemaker"
    1969BonanzaRuth ManningEpisode: "The Clarion"
    1970Medical CenterCelia JenningsEpisode: "Junkie"
    1971Incident in San FranciscoLois HarmonTV movie
    1972The Longest NightNorma ChambersTV movie
    1974Marcus Welby, M.D.Kate TannahillEpisode: "A Full Life"
    1975Barnaby JonesAunt Meg CatlinEpisode: "Murder Once Removed"
    1976Once an EagleAlma Caldwell
    1985American PlayhouseRebecca Nurse3 episodes
    1992Murder, She WroteEmily WeymouthEpisode: "Family Secrets"

    Radio appearances

    YearProgramEpisode/source
    1952Stars in the AirChristmas in Connecticut[9]
    1953Lux Radio TheatreClose to My Heart[10]
    1953Lux Radio TheatreThe Bishop's Wife[11]
    1955Lux Radio TheatreThe Bishop's Wife[12]

    References

    1. ↑ "Phyllis Thaxter - 1930 United States Federal Census". Ancestry.com.
    2. 1 2 3 4 Grady, Denise (August 18, 2012). "Phyllis Thaxter, Actress Who Played Superman's Mother, Dies at 92". The New York Times. Retrieved 2012-08-22.
    3. 1 2 Patricia Bosworth (2004). Montgomery Clift: A Biography. Limelight Editions. p. 80. ISBN 978-0879101350.
    4. ↑ Ken Bloom (2004). Broadway: Its History, People, and Places: an Encyclopedia. Taylor & Francis. p. 71. ISBN 978-0-415-93704-7.
    5. ↑ "Obituary: Gilbert Lea". Town Topics. Princeton, New Jersey. May 21, 2008. Retrieved 2015-10-16.
    6. ↑ Motion Picture and Television Magazine, November 1952, page 34, Ideal Publishers
    7. ↑ Barnes, Mike (August 15, 2012). "Actress Phyllis Thaxter, Superman's Mom, Dies at 92". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2015-10-15.
    8. ↑ Wilson, Scott (September 5, 2016). Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons, 3d ed. McFarland. p. 741. ISBN 978-0-7864-7992-4. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
    9. ↑ Kirby, Walter (March 16, 1952). "Better Radio Programs for the Week". The Decatur Daily Review. p. 44. Retrieved 2015-05-23 – via Newspapers.com.
    10. ↑ Kirby, Walter (March 1, 1953). "Better Radio Programs for the Week". The Decatur Daily Review. p. 46. Retrieved 2015-06-23 – via Newspapers.com.
    11. ↑ Kirby, Walter (May 10, 1953). "Better Radio Programs for the Week". The Decatur Daily Review. p. 50. Retrieved 2015-06-27 – via Newspapers.com.
    12. ↑ "Those Were the Days". Nostalgia Digest. 42 (3): 32. Summer 2016.
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