'She basically played herself': Iconic Lois Lane actress dies at 95

'She was exactly the same person on the screen as off the screen.'

Noel Darleen Neill, best known for her portrayal of Lois Lane in the original Superman television show, passed away of natural causes on Sunday, July 3, at 95-years-old.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - According to CNN, Neill's friend, manager and biographer, Larry Ward, announced the actress passed away at her home in Tucson, Arizona.

Neill was born in in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1920. She appeared in two Superman films and later in the 1950s television series.

Though Neill played a successful Lois Lane, during a 2003 interview Neill admitted she "had never heard of Superman," adding, "Back then, comics were read mostly by boys."

During an interview with The Los Angeles Times, Neil explained: "Quite a few of the little gals at the colleges would say they were inspired when they were growing up by the fact that Lois Lane could work with men. They said that's how they got into journalism."

Neill admitted she didn't see Lane's character as an equal but was flattered the character could inspire them

In a 2002 interview with The Knoxville News-Sentinel, she explained: "It was a man's world, and you didn't want to be too cranky. When I played her, I could relate to her more if she wasn't bossy."

The culture of the 1950s ensured Neill would never overstep the strict gender biases so it was almost expected when Neill became a model. Her pin-up ranked #2, just after Betty Grable's pin-up, among GIs during WWII.

Jack Larson, one of Neill's previous costars, said Neill "had this wonderful, perky touch to Lois Lane and she could basically do everything in one take, which is what they liked. If you blew a scene and had to do four takes, everyone was disgruntled."

Ward described Neill as a wonderful woman and actress, adding, "She basically played herself. She was exactly the same person on the screen as off the screen."

He previously released an authorized biography of Neill, in which he wrote: "She did whatever she wanted to do. That was the beauty of her skill. Ultimately, only she truly knew what was best for her, and that came out time and again. She was very smart, quite astute about the acting business."

Neill was a wonderfully talented woman who was an inspiration for generations of women who were told they couldn't compete with men.

Christopher Reeve may have been Superman but Noel Neill was most definitely a super woman.

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