Phyllis Avery

Phyllis Avery
Avery with George Gobel on his television show.
Born	(1922-11-14)November 14, 1922 New York City, New York, U.S.
Died	May 19, 2011(2011-05-19) (aged 88) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Resting place	Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery
Occupation	Actress Real estate agent
Years active	1951–1999
Spouse(s)	Don Taylor (m. 1944–55) James Howell Van Campen (1942–1944) (divorced Aug 3, 1944)

Phyllis Avery (November 14, 1922 – May 19, 2011) was an American television and film actress.

Avery was born in New York City to Evelyn (née Martine) and author Stephen Morehouse Avery. Her father hailed from Webster Groves, Missouri, near St. Louis. She studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, as well as in California, Maryland, and France.

Avery made her Broadway debut in Orchids Preferred in 1937. Her other Broadway credits included Three Waltzes (1937-1938), Charley's Aunt (1940-1941), Letters to Lucerne (1941-1942), Little Darling (1942), Ask My Friend Sandy (1943), Winged Victory (1943-1944), which starred her second husband, Don Taylor, and Brighten the Corner (1945-1946).

Avery's first motion picture role (other than a bit in the film version of Winged Victory) was as Marjorie in the 1951 film Queen for a Day based on the popular radio and television show hosted by Jack Bailey. In 1952, she played Tracy McAuliffe, the wife of the Charlton Heston character in the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film Ruby Gentry. She also was in The Best Things in Life Are Free (1956).

From 1953 to 1955, Avery was cast as faculty wife Peggy McNutley in all but five of the seventy-five episodes of the CBS Television situation comedy, Meet Mr. McNutley, with Ray Milland as college professor Ray McNutley and Minerva Urecal as Miss Bradley, the dean. The name "McNutley" was changed in the second season to McNulty.