Phyllis Thaxter: Difference between revisions
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| birthname = Phyllis St. Felix Thaxter |
| birthname = Phyllis St. Felix Thaxter |
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| death_cause = [[Alzheimer's disease]] |
| death_cause = [[Alzheimer's disease]] |
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| resting_place = Cremated |
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| known_for = '''Ma Kent''' in ''[[Superman (1978 film)|Superman]]'',<br/>'''Ellen Lawson''' in ''[[Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo]]'' |
| known_for = '''Ma Kent''' in ''[[Superman (1978 film)|Superman]]'',<br/>'''Ellen Lawson''' in ''[[Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo]]'' |
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| spouse = {{ubl|[[James Thomas Aubrey, Jr.]] (1944 – 1962; divorced); 2 children|[[Gilbert Lea]] (1962 – 2008, his death)}} |
| spouse = {{ubl|[[James Thomas Aubrey, Jr.]] (1944 – 1962; divorced); 2 children|[[Gilbert Lea]] (1962 – 2008, his death)}} |
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Revision as of 12:02, 2 September 2012
Phyllis Thaxter | |
|---|---|
 From the film Bewitched (1945) | |
| Born | Phyllis St. Felix Thaxter November 20, 1921 Portland, Maine, U.S. |
| Died | August 14, 2012 (aged 90) Longwood, Florida, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Alzheimer's disease |
| Resting place | Cremated |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1940–1992 |
| Known for | Ma Kent in Superman, Ellen Lawson in Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo |
| Spouses |
|
| Children | Skye Aubrey, James Aubrey |
Phyllis St. Felix Thaxter (November 20, 1921 – August 14, 2012) was an American actress.
Early life
Phyllis Thaxter was born in Portland, Maine to Sidney St. Felix Thaxter, who would later be a Justice of the Maine Supreme Court, and his wife, a former actress.
Career
She worked on Broadway at the beginning of the 1940's. In 1944, she signed a contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Her movie debut was opposite Van Johnson in the war-time film Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo.[1] In 1948, she played a cattle owner's daughter alongside Barbara Bel Geddes 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.
Thaxter's career stalled after an attack of polio in 1952. She made a comeback in television series such as Rawhide, Wagon Train and Cannon, The Twilight Zone, and Alfred Hitchcock Presents. In 1978, Thaxter was cast along with Glenn Ford as Ma and Pa Kent in Superman.
Personal life
Author 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."[2] 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: Skye Aubrey, an actress, and James Aubrey.
In 1962, Thaxter married Gilbert Lea. They were married for 46 years until his death on May 4, 2008.[3]
Death
Thaxter died on August 14, 2012, in Longwood, Florida, after an eight- or nine-year battle with Alzheimer's disease.[4][1] She was 90 years old. In keeping with her wishes, she was cremated and her ashes scattered at sea.
Partial filmography
- Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo (1944)
- Bewitched (1945)
- Week-End at the Waldorf (1945)
- Tenth Avenue Angel (1946)
- The Sea of Grass (1947)
- Living in a Big Way (1947)
- Blood on the Moon (1948)
- Act of Violence (1948)
- No Man of Her Own (1950)
- The Breaking Point (1950)
- Jim Thorpe -- All-American (1951)
- Fort Worth (1951)
- Springfield Rifle (1952)
- Wagon Train (1959)
- Women's Prison (1955)
- The World of Henry Orient (1964)
- The Invaders (TV series), Season 2/21, Episode: "The Peacemaker" (1968)
- Superman (1978)
References
- ^ a b Denise Grady (August 18, 2012). "Phyllis Thaxter, Actress Who Played Superman's Mother, Dies at 92". New York Times. Retrieved 2012-08-22.
Her death was confirmed by her daughter, Skye Aubrey, who said that Ms. Thaxter had had Alzheimer's disease for the last eight years. ...
{{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ Bosworth, Patricia (2004). Montgomery Clift: A Biography. Limelight Editions. p. 80. ISBN 978-0879101350.
- ^ "Obituary: Gilbert Lea". Town Topics: Princeton's Weekly Newspaper. 2008-05-21.
- ^ Actress Phyllis Thaxter, Superman's Mom, Dies at 90, The Hollywood Reporter, August 15, 2012
External links
