Phyllis Thaxter

Phyllis Thaxter
from the film Bewitched (1945)
Born	Phyllis St. Felix Thaxter November 20, 1921 (1921-11-20) (age 88) Portland, Maine, U.S.
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1944–1992
Spouse(s)	James T. Aubrey, Jr. (1944–1962) Gilbert Lea (1962–present)

Phyllis Thaxter (b. November 20, 1921, Portland, Maine) is an American actress.

Early life and career

Born as born Phyllis St. Felix Thaxter, she was the daughter of Maine Supreme Court Justice Sidney Thaxter, and his wife, a former actress. Phyllis Thaxter worked as a Broadway actress in the 1930s and eventually signed an MGM contract in 1944. Her movie debut was opposite Van Johnson in the war-time film Thirty Seconds over Tokyo.

At MGM, she usually played the ever-patient wife to a number of leading men, including Robert Ryan in Act of Violence (1948). In 1948 she played a cattle owner's daughter alongside Barbara Bel Geddes in Blood on the Moon. She changed studios in the 1950s, moving to Warner Brothers, but usually played the same type of roles.

Thaxter's career stalled after an attack of infantile paralysis, while visiting her family in Portland, in 1952. She, however, made a slow comeback in character parts in television, movies and the stage. In 1978, Thaxter was cast along with Glenn Ford as Ma and Pa Kent in Superman.

Personal life

While at MGM, Thaxter married James T. Aubrey, Jr., who later became president of CBS-TV and MGM. They divorced in 1962. Their daughter is Skye Aubrey, who acted in many made-for-TV films in the 1970s.

Partial filmography

• Thirty Seconds over Tokyo (1944)
• Week-End at the Waldorf (1945)
• 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)
• Women's Prison (1955)
• Superman (1978)

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Phyllis Thaxter

Phyllis Thaxter at the Internet Movie Database