Matinee Classics - Phyllis Thaxter Biography & Filmography

Phyllis Thaxter ACTOR

PHOTOS

PHYLLIS THAXTER BIOGRAPHY & FILMOGRAPHY:

Phyllis Thaxter was born on November 20th, 1921 in Portland, Maine with the middle name Schuyler. Her mother was a Shakespearean actress and from a young age she developed an interest in performing.

She received her early years education at St. Genevieve School in Montreal and then at Deering High School in Portland. At the age of seventeen she made her Broadway debut in a production of, "What a Life!" (1939).

Soon she began to add other stage credits to her resume such as, "There Shall Be No Night" (1940) and "Claudia" (1940). By the mid 40's she had broken into the film industry working with MGM on the film, "Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo" (1944) starring Spencer Tracy, Van Johnson, Robert Walker, Don DeFore and Robert Mitchum. Other film roles soon followed such as, "Bewitched" (1945) co-starring Edmund Gwenn, Minor Watson, Will Wright, Kathleen Lockhart, Addison Richards and Stephen McNally, "Week-End at the Waldorf" (1945) starring Ginger Rogers, Walter Pidgeon, Lana Turner, Van Johnson, Edward Arnold, Robert Benchley, Keenan Wynn, Leon Ames, Rosemary DeCamp and George Zucco, "The Sea of Grass" (1947) starring alongside Katharine Hepburn, Spencer Tracy, Robert Walker, Melvyn Douglas and Edgar Buchanan, "Tenth Avenue Angel" (1948) also starring Margaret O'Brien, Angela Lansbury, Rhys Williams, Warner Anderson, George Murphy and Barry Nelson and her final role with MGM was, "Act of Violence" (1948) co-starring Van Heflin, Janet Leigh, Robert Ryan, Will Wright, Mary Astor and Connie Gilchrist.

Phyllis then made the move to work with Warner Brothers Studio and continued working in the film industry appearing on such features as, "The Breaking Point" (1950) starring with John Garfield, Wallace Ford and Patricia Neal, "Jim Thorpe - All American" (1951) starring Burt Lancaster, Charles Bickford, Steve Cochran and Dick Wesson, "Fort Worth" (1951) starring Randolph Scott, David Brian, Dickie Jones, Bob Steele, Ray Teal and Chubby Johnson and "Springfield Rifle" (1952) starring Gary Cooper, Paul Kelly, Lon Chaney Jr., David Brian, Philip Carey, James Millican, Alan Hale Jr., Martin Milner and Guinn 'Big Boy' Williams.

Sadly, Thaxter became ill with a strange form or paralysis which luckily she was able to overcome, however, her time off caused Warner Brothers to terminate her contract. Upon returning back to acting, she mostly focused on television work as film roles were no longer so easily available to her.

Some of the television series credits she added to her resume were appearances on, "Studio 57", "Climax!", "Wagon Train", "Alfred Hitchcock Presents", "Medical Center", "Bonanza", "The Fugitive", "Marcus Welby, M.D.","The Loretta Young Show", "The Frank Sinatra Show" and "Murder, She Wrote".

She did return to the film industry in 1978 when she was cast as Ma Kent in the film, "Superman" starring Christopher Reeve as well as Marlon Brando, Gene Hackman, Margot Kidder, Glenn Ford, Jackie Cooper, Marc McClure, Valerie Perrine, Susannah York, Trevor Howard and Ned Beatty.

She then for the most part retired from the industry and spends some time living in Florida.

Phyllis Thaxter has married twice throughout her lifetime, first to James T. Aubrey in 1944 and they had three children before the marriage came to an end in 1962. She then married Gilbert Lea in 1962 and they stayed together until he passed away.

Phyllis Thaxter passed away on August 14, 2012 in Longwood, Florida after a nine-year battle with Alzheimer's disease.

Filmography

1992 Murder, She Wrote

1985 American Playhouse

1978 Superman

1977 Visions

1976 Once an Eagle

1975 Barnaby Jones

1974 Marcus Welby, M.D.

1973 Love Story

1972 Cannon

1972 The Longest Night

1971 Incident in San Francisco

1967-1971 The F.B.I.

1970 Medical Center

1969 Bonanza

1968 Lancer