Phyllis Avery, a stunning blonde with piercing blue eyes, was a quintessential 1950s leading lady, born to screenwriter Stephen Morehouse Avery and his wife Evelyn. Her childhood was marked by a unique blend of French and California experiences. After completing her education, Phyllis pursued her passion for acting at the prestigious American Academy of Dramatic Arts.
Her Broadway debut arrived in 1937 with a performance in 'Orchids Preferred'. However, her transition to the silver screen was delayed until 1951, when she made her film debut in 'Queen for a Day', an adaptation of a popular Mutual Broadcasting Company radio program. This was followed by the high-voltage melodrama 'Ruby Gentry' in 1952, where she played the role of 'the other woman' opposite Charlton Heston and Jennifer Jones.
Phyllis's subsequent notable film appearance was in the musical biopic 'The Best Things in Life Are Free' in 1956, where she portrayed the wife of composer and songwriter Ray Henderson. When interviewed, Phyllis defied her wholesome image by proudly proclaiming her experience playing bad girls, particularly in an episode of 'Peter Gunn' in 1958, where she attempted to frame her gangster husband for murder.
Despite this, Phyllis remained typecast as wholesome characters, most notably as Peggy McNutley (later changed to McNulty) in 'The Ray Milland Show' from 1953. She continued to thrive as a prolific guest star in TV anthologies and crime dramas, before reinventing herself as a successful real estate broker in west Los Angeles during the 1960s.
Phyllis's personal life was marked by a second marriage to Don Taylor, with whom she had co-starred on Broadway in a 1943 U.S. Army Air Forces production of 'Winged Victory'.
