FILE - In this June 11, 2010, file photo, Noel Neill, who played Lois Lane, jokes with Josh Boultinghouse, the official superman of the Superman Celebration, during an unveiling of the Lois Lane/ Noel Neill statue in Metropolis, Ill. The actress who was the first to play Superman's love interest, Lois Lane, on screen has died. Neill was 95. Neill's biographer Larry Ward tells The Associated Press that she died Sunday, July 3, 2016, at her home in Tucson, Ariz., following a long illness. (Stephen Rickerl/The Southern Illinoisan via AP, File) MANDATORY CREDIT
The Associated Press
TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) - The actress who was the first to play Superman's love interest, Lois Lane, on screen has died. Noel Neill was 95.
Neill's biographer Larry Ward tells The Associated Press that she died Sunday at her home in Tucson, Arizona, following a long illness.
Neill first took on the role as the Daily Planet reporter in the 1948 Columbia movie serial, "Superman." She would reprise the part alongside George Reeves as the Man of Steel in the 1950's TV series, "The Adventures of Superman."
Neill's involvement with the series continued through the years. She played Lois Lane's mother in 1978's "Superman" and had a bit part in "Superman Returns" in 2006.
In 2010, the city of Metropolis, Illinois, unveiled a statue of Lois Lane modeled after Neill.
FILE - In this June 21, 2006, file photo, Actors Jack Larson, left, and Noel Neil, who originated the roles of Jimmy Olson and Lois Lane in the 1950s "Superman" television series, pose at Patrick's Roadhouse in the Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles. The actress who was the first to play Superman's love interest, Lois Lane, on screen has died. Neill was 95. Neill's biographer Larry Ward tells The Associated Press that she died Sunday, July 3, 2016, at her home in Tucson, Ariz., following a long illness. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon, File)
The Associated Press
FILE - In this June 13, 2003, file photo, Noel Niell poses for a photograph before a book signing of her book "Truth, Justice, and the American Way, The Life and Times of Noel Neill The Original Lois Lane" during "Lunch with Lois" at Farley's Cafeteria during the annual Superman Celebration, in Metropolis, Ill. The actress who was the first to play Superman's love interest, Lois Lane, on screen has died. Neill was 95. Neill's biographer Larry Ward tells The Associated Press that she died Sunday, July 3, 2016, at her home in Tucson, Ariz., following a long illness. (Stephen Lance Dennee/The Paducah Sun via AP)
The Associated Press